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Graduation Checklist

Graduation students

The J. Jeffrey and Ann Marie Fox Graduate School is excited to celebrate your achievements at Commencement! This page lists several actions that all students must complete to graduate and prepare for walking at Commencement.

Please note: Students are not permitted to walk at Commencement before they complete all graduation requirements. Be sure to check your Penn State email for all commencement communications from the Fox Graduate School.

Summer 2026 Commencement

Saturday, August 15
1:00 p.m.: Master's Candidates
4:30 p.m.: Doctoral Candidates
Bryce Jordan Center

Graduation and Commencement Checklist

  1. File your intent to graduate.

    Filing your intent to graduate notifies the University that you plan to complete your degree requirements by the end of the semester.

  2. Register for commencement.

    Graduating students who plan to attend Fox Graduate School commencement must must register in advance.

  3. Order regalia by June 29.

    Learn more about how to order regalia.

  4. Complete any program requirements.

    Check for emails from your graduate program that list any final requirements or requests from your program, department, or college.

  5. Submit your thesis or dissertation.

    Submit this for both format review and final review by the deadlines if this is a requirement for your degree program.

  6. Close out any IRB protocols.

    Graduating students must close any Institutional Review Board (IRB) protocols before leaving the University. Penn State IRB approval cannot be retained for those no longer actively affiliated with Penn State.

  7. Prepare for commencement.

    Visit our preparing for commencement page to find out where to go, when to arrive, what to bring, and more.

Please note: Students who choose to have their regalia sent to the Penn State Bookstore can pick up their order beginning August 5.

Commencement Deferral Requests

Students are invited and expected to participate in the graduation ceremony held during their graduating semester due to the complexity of graduation and commencement. Only rare exceptions due to extenuating circumstances will be considered. Before requesting a deferral, students should keep in mind the following:

  • Deferral extensions will only be approved for one semester beyond the student’s official graduation semester if space permits.
  • Students are unable to defer to walk at spring semester Commencement. Only students graduating in the spring are permitted to walk that semester. Deferral extensions from a fall semester may take place the following summer.
  • Students are not permitted to walk at graduation before they complete all graduation requirements. This includes meeting all dissertation and thesis deadlines if that is required for a student’s program.

Send graduation deferral requests to info@foxgradschool.psu.edu.