Austin College has three dates when students may complete their degree requirements: May, August, or January. The official date is placed on the diploma and on the student’s permanent record.
Austin College holds a single graduation exercise each year in May. Candidates completing the requirements for a degree during the spring term are expected to participate in baccalaureate and commencement ceremonies. Students who complete their degree requirements at other times of the year are invited to participate in the May commencement.
Normally, only those students who have completed all degree requirements or candidates for summer graduation may participate in the graduation exercises. Candidates approved by the faculty for May graduation who subsequently fail to complete all necessary requirements may participate in that year’s graduation exercises. The actual diploma is mailed after all requirements are satisfied.
Students who are within three course credit units of completing all degree requirements during the summer may participate in graduation exercises. Candidates for summer graduation should consult the Office of the Registrar concerning requirements for participation in graduation exercises.
The college reserves the right to withhold the degree from any student whose conduct or academic standing it regards as unacceptable.
Honors at Graduation
The faculty selects the two top scholars in each graduating class to receive special medals. The two individuals, with no distinction between them, are awarded the J. C. Kidd and the J. M. Robinson medals. Students with an Austin College cumulative grade point average of 3.85 and above graduate summa cum laude; those with an average of 3.70 through 3.84 graduate magna cum laude; and those with an average of 3.50 through 3.69 graduate cum laude.
Completion or Graduation Rate
In accordance with the Student Right-To-Know Act, the six-year completion rate for students who entered Austin College in 2003 on a first-time-in-college and full-time basis was 73 percent.
