Handbook

Related University Policies and Guidelines

Graduation/Commencement

UHV does not automatically award a degree when you complete your scholastic requirements. To be considered as a candidate for a degree, you must submit an application online through myUHV, (UHV Self Service/Degree Progress/Graduation/Apply for Graduation). You can file an application either during the term prior to, or during the semester in which you plan to graduate. However, participation in the commencement ceremony is limited to the term in which degree requirements will be completed. If you applied for graduation in any past term but were disapproved, you must re-file an application for graduation.

The deadline to apply for graduation during the 2023-2024 academic year are as follows:

To be considered as a candidate for a degree, you must submit an application for graduation, regardless of your plans to participate in the commencement ceremony.

The university typically hosts two commencement ceremonies, one following the spring term in May and one following the fall term in December.  Those who graduate in August are eligible to participate in the December ceremony or may choose to postpone until the following May.

Students who are enrolled in their final semester and completing all requirements for graduation, must complete a graduation application through their myUHV account by the published deadline to participate in the commencement ceremonies. Students who miss the deadline to apply for graduation will not be allowed to participate in the current semester’s commencement ceremony.  Students can submit an Appeal to Graduate request within 10 days from the deadline. All applications received after the 10-day appeal period, will only be eligible to participate in the next semester’s ceremony.

Students who indicate they will participate at commencement will receive information from commencement@uhv.edu about caps, gowns, tickets, and the ceremony day. For more information visit the commencement web page.

You must be on track to complete all requirements toward your degree in the semester for which you plan to participate in commencement. Please note that Commencement is a ceremony in which preliminary degree candidates are recognized for their academic achievements. The commencement program reflects the name and degree of each preliminary degree candidate as well as the honors designation based on the previous semester's progress. Conferral of the official UHV degree occurs after commencement when final grades are posted, and all degree requirements have been met. The commencement program only lists those candidates who applied by the appropriate deadline and, therefore, should not be considered an official list of graduates. If all requirements for graduation cannot be met during the current semester, you may be denied participation in the commencement ceremony.  For information concerning eligibility to participate in one of the ceremonies, please contact the Office of the Registrar and Student Records, at 361-570-4368 or 1-877-970-4848, ext. 4368. 

All degrees are posted at the close of the ‘regular’ session in a term.  If students are taking a shorter session in a term their degree will not be posted earlier. i.e. Fall Term-Dec; Spring Term-May; Summer Term-August. Coursework must be completed in the term for which the student applied for graduation, i.e. if a student has been approved to graduate in the Spring 2024, all coursework approved on the degree plan to meet requirements must be completed within that Spring 2024 term.

Graduation with Honors: Graduation with Honors is for undergraduate students only. Please refer to "Graduation with Honors" on the Policies page of the UHV Catalog for specific information regarding Graduation with Honors.

President’s List (Undergraduate Students Only)

The President’s List is compiled each fall and spring term. To qualify for this recognition, the student must earn a 4.0 grade point average on all work completed during the term. A minimum of nine semester hours, excluding courses in which grades of S were earned, is required for consideration. Any student who earns a grade of I, D, F or U during the semester is excluded from consideration for the list. Once compiled, UHV’s Marketing Department provides the president’s list to local newspapers, based on the student’s current mailing address. It is the decision of the newspaper as to whether the list is published or not. 

Note:  Students which make the President’s List automatically make the Dean’s List; hence, are not listed twice.

Posthumous Degrees: In accordance with established guidelines and procedures, which are available from the Registrar, the University of Houston-Victoria, may award posthumous degrees on request. Any exceptions to this policy are at the discretion of the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs.