Graduation Checklist

• Students should periodically review their DegreeWorks, especially as you near your intended semester of degree completion, to ensure that you are in the process of completion all graduation requirements.
  • DegreeWorks must indicate completion of all requirements before your degree can be awarded.
  • A degree cannot be awarded if you have any pending or in-progress grades.
• You should check-in with your advisor often and in the semesters prior to your intended graduation.
  • If DegreeWorks lists that a requirement or field is not completed, please discuss the issue with your advisor.
• Complete any progress or curriculum sheets required by your school/college.
• You are encouraged to access the Academic Regulations for graduation requirements.

• You should apply no later than 2 months before expected graduation.
• You must submit a graduation application in order to be awarded a degree. You will not graduate without a graduation application on file with the Registrar's Office. 
• Our website provides a guide on how to apply for graduation: 
  Application to Graduate on BannerWeb.
  • Log into BannerWeb and sign in by entering your Alfred University email address and password.
  • Select the Student Self-Service menu, Student Services, and Student Records.
  • Pick Application to Graduate - then follow the prompts
• To confirm that your graduation application was received, you can check your Student Profile in BannerWeb. Your Student Profile includes a Graduation Information section, which will list any active graduation application.
• If you are not graduating but wish to attend the ceremony, you must be sure you meet the requirements to do so. Please review Undergraduate Academic Regulation 202.1.
  • If you do meet the requirements, you will be able to complete the Graduation application as noted above.
  • If you do not, you will not be able to graduate and you must contact the Registrar's Office.

Diplomas are produced within a couple weeks following the degree conferral date. You must be in good financial standing with the University to receive your diploma.

Diplomas will be mailed to the most recent Permanent or Mailing address on file. You should confirm your current address on file by accessing BannerWeb. Students should contact our office at [email protected] prior to degree conferral if: 

• Your mailing address has recently changed and you need to update your address for your diploma.
• Your address did not change but you would like your diploma to be mailed to a temporary address.
• You would like to retrieve your diploma on campus from our office in Seidlin Hall by presenting photo ID.

Your diploma will list your primary major (first major). If you earned a second major or minor, you can show off these credentials with a certificate.

You can visit us at the Student Service Center in Seidlin Hall to purchase and see an example. Note: Certificates will be available for pickup or mailing after you have graduated.

These certificates cost $50 each and include an Alfred University certificate cover.

• You would have been asked if you plan to attend Commencement when you applied for graduation in BannerWeb. If your intentions have since changed, please contact our office at [email protected].
• Students are only eligible to attend Commencement once per each degree level. 
• The annual ceremony is open to students who graduated in the preceding Fall or Allen terms or applied for graduation for the current Spring or Summer terms.
  • Students who are not graduating but wish to attend Commencement may be eligible to attend under certain circumstances and requirements. Please access the University Catalog or for additional information regarding these requirements.
• Main campus graduate certificate students are not eligible to attend Commencement.

Order your required cap, gown, tassel and hood at the Alfred University Bookstore, Powell Campus Center or by using the link below to order online.  For answers to any questions, please contact Heather Miller.

For the May 16, 2026 ceremony:

• Last day to order for delivery to the bookstore: March 18, 2026
• Last day to order for home shipment: April 12, 2026

  ORDER NOW

• Are you planning on attending the May 2026 commencement and have a unique name?  Every effort will be made to pronounce your name correctly, but we need your help.
• If you think mispronunciation of your name is likely, or even possible, please call 607-871-2073 and leave an audio voice message by stating your name clearly after the beep.

Graduating international students may be interested in inviting family members outside of the U.S. to the Commencement ceremony. Although Alfred University cannot write a letter of invitation to your embassy, we can provide a document that confirms your enrollment status and expected graduation that you may include with the formal request that you submit. In order for us to provide this supplemental letter, you must have an active graduation application on file. Please contact our office at [email protected] to request such a letter.

Here are some suggestions to help your guest(s) apply for a visitor’s visa (B-2) at a US consulate or embassy in their home country. To facilitate their visa interview process, you should do the following:

• Write a letter of invitation that needs to include:
  • Include the purpose of the visit
  • Your relationship to the individuals
  • Statement of your status in the USA
  • Itinerary details
  • Length of time they will be visiting (usually less than three months). It is best to emphasize the temporary nature of the invitation and to demonstrate their intention to return to their home country following the visit.
  • If you will be providing their financial support while they are here, you should include it.
• Provide details of the Commencement Ceremony
  • It is recommended you print out the webpages or any emails that pertain to the commencement ceremony.

Please note: The letter Alfred University Registrar’s Office provides will have some Commencement information, as well as your name, enrollment status, and degree status only.

For additional information about U.S. consulate/embassy locations and application procedures, review the U.S. Department of State visa information.

Providing your family members with this documentation may improve their chances of obtaining a visa; however, there is no guarantee a visa will be issued. The success of their request for a visa lies in their ability to prove that they have no intention of staying permanently in the U.S.

Please note that Alfred University and your ISS advisers are unable to write a letter of invitation for your family members.

• Your account must have a zero balance in order to receive your diploma. Go to MyAU to check your Cashnet account.
• You will need to complete Loan Exit Counseling. Notice and information will be provided to you by the Financial Aid Office for the Federal Direct Loans and by the Student Accounts Office for the Alumni Loan Programs. The notice normally comes to you approximately 2 weeks after graduation. My Loan Services

• Make sure you remove all of your belongings, checkout, and return your key prior to leaving for the semester to a professional residential communities staff member.
• Clean Your Room/Suite/Apartment: This means defrosting refrigerators, cleaning stoves, and ovens (if you live in the suites or apartments), sweeping and vacuuming the floors, and removing ALL garbage and recyclables and disposing of it in appropriate receptacles. If your room, suite, or apartment is not cleaned at the time of check-out, you will be billed for the cleaning ($30/person). All personal belongings need to be removed from the room. Any personal property left behind will be disposed of.
• Students must be checked out either 24 hours after their last final or by 10:00 a.m. on the day the halls close, whichever comes first. Students are expected to complete a check out packet, available in the office of Residential Communities, enclose their room key in the attached envelope, and return the sealed packet to the office of Residential Communities in Bartlett Hall. Do not leave keys in your room. Do not slip loose keys under any door. Failure to properly check out of housing will result in a minimum $50 improper check out fee.
• Return Your Credentials: Missing keys will result in you and/or your roommate being charged for a lock change and replacement keys ($80 charge for hall rooms; $100 for suites/apartments). If you are not returning to the University in the fall, you must return your mailbox key to the Powell Mailroom. Residence Life staff are NOT responsible for returning your mail key. a $10 fee may be applied if not properly returned to the mailroom.
• Questions: Contact Residence Life at 607-871-2186.

• Return all library materials from Herrick and Scholes (including Interlibrary Loans) by the end of final exams.
• Verify that your library account is clear and that you will not be billed for any outstanding items. Check your account online by going to My Library Account and signing in, or by emailing Alfred University Libraries.
• Return ITS lending equipment by the first Monday of May to avoid charges.
• Clean out your email mailbox.
• To keep your Alfred email address, go to Email For Life.

The Career Development Center staff can help you plan for an effective job search or apply to graduate school, write a resume and cover letter, network with alumni in your field, or any other career-related interests that you might have. Go to our website Career Development Center, call 607-871-2164, or email us for more information.

Login to Handshake with your Alfred University email address and password.

• Click on Career Center and First Destination Survey to tell us what you plan to do after graduation.
• Click on Jobs to check out opportunities in your field.
• Click on Career Center and Appointments to schedule a meeting.

Join the CDC Alumni Group on LinkedIn to stay connected with us. We have been posting lots of information here about companies that are hiring now and how to manage a job search during these difficult times.

• Visit our Commencement Page.

• Graduate School Applications should be started in the Summer/Fall of your senior year.
• Alfred Graduate Programs.
• Call our Office of Graduate Admissions at 607-871-2115 or email us.

• Stay connected to AU! Join the Alumni Community or call 607-871-2144 to receive alumni/campus news, event updates, class reunion and classmate information.

• To obtain a transcript, go to our Transcript Request page.