Graduate AAD Approval and Degree Clearance Process

Who:

The Registrar’s Office currently sends the BGR to the Graduate College, who will send it to specific persons in each college who will be responsible for reviewing students for degree clearance.

When: 

The BGR is sent multiple times, we encourage you to review them early/often.

• 2-4 terms before the EGT term (for advanced review/planning)

• At the start of the EGT term (for final review and AAD completion)

• Biweekly during the EGT term (as graduation approaches)

What to do:

• Review the student details to confirm they are completing degree requirements and preparing to graduate in the EGT term.

• If the student will not graduate in the EGT term, change the EGT to the following or future term (see Part 3).

• Make sure the student is registered in the EGT term (see Part 4). They must be registered in the EGT term to graduate.

If a student is on the BGR (scheduled to graduate in a specific EGT)

• and has an approved AAD, and the EGT is correct, proceed with Part 3

• does not have an approved current AAD, and the EGT shows expected graduation this term, correct the EGT now (i.e. move to a later term)

If a student is not on the BGR

• and has an approved AAD, is registered in the EGT term, and believes they are graduating this term, review their UDSIS record (Part 4 and 5) - the AAD and EGT terms should agree, and the EGT may need correcting.

• Any student with a later EGT will not be on the BGR - the EGT will need to be changed to the current term in order for them to be considered for degree conferral. 

To request a change to an EGT

• Contact the person in your College who has the access to do this. The Graduate College has communicated a list. If you are unsure, email gradstudentforms@udel.edu. 

For those authorized to change an EGT

• See this page with a 50 second tutorial and step-by-step screenshots.

Sustaining, Research, or another course

• Before drop/add, the department enrolls a student.

• After drop/add, email gradstudentforms@udel.edu

Contract

• Submitted through the Grad College via a webform. When the Grad College approves the webform, it automatically enrolls the student. Check UDSIS to confirm enrollment.

LOA (max of 2 consecutive terms)

• All leaves of absence must be approved by the Graduate College following the recommendation of the student’s advisor, department graduate program coordinator, and/or department chair.

• Graduate students may be granted a LOA for one term or academic year, though the LOA form will need to be submitted each term. Note: LOAs are not required for winter or summer terms unless they are the EGT. 

• Exceptions to the 1 academic year maximum exist for students with parental responsibilities and in some unusual circumstances. See the LOA policy for more detailed information. 

Why:

Submitting the AAD is a University requirement, and a degree will not be cleared without it. The deadline is published in the academic calendar. 

What to do:

• Confirm that the student has completed their Application for Advanced Degree (AAD) and paid the fee. 

• The date on the AAD should be for the current term.

• Note: For the Spring and Summer 2025 terms, AADs are being shared with the colleges via Google folders

Access needed:

• Access to the student transcript or record in UDSIS is necessary for this phase. 

• Departments can also use Stellic to assist in the degree audit and will be encouraged to do so as more capabilities become available.

Deadlines:

• By the Conferral date, complete the steps outlined below. For Spring 2025, the conferral deadline is May 24, 2025. 

• By the Freeze date, the Graduate College will confirm that the thesis or dissertation have been approved. For Spring 2025, the Freeze is June 6, 2025. 

Note about thesis & dissertation completion:

• The Graduate College handles thesis and dissertation completion using the process described on their website. When a thesis or dissertation receives final approval, an email is sent to the student, program director, and advisor to post the final grade. 

What to do - verify:

• EGT is current (for the graduation term)

• Student is registered in UDSIS in the EGT term

• Approved AAD was submitted by the deadline and fee has been paid

What to do - check requirements

• GPA is 3.0 or greater and meets any program-specific GPA requirements. The cumulative GPA is listed at the bottom of the transcript. 

• Total credits:

  • In the catalog, under “requirements for the degree,” you will see the # of credits required. 

  • See the bottom of the transcript to see the total # of credits the student has completed. 

  • The Registrar will verify final/missing grades before degrees are posted.

• Courses 

  • Confirm that the student has enrolled and passed the required courses in the indicated combinations. 

  • Ensure all grades have been posted and no missing grades, incomplete grades or temporary grades (‘S’, ‘N’, ‘U’ or other) appear on the transcript. The University grading policy may be found here. 

  • Most programs have core requirements and elective requirements. The list of these requirements is referred to as the schemata. The schemata are in the graduate catalog.

  • Late grades: departments/the Graduate College should be monitoring all records where students have missing and/or temporary grades. These must either be completed by the Freeze date (so students can be cleared via the batch process) or - at the latest - the Grace period (so students can be manually cleared for late-conferral). See the late conferral section below for information about the Grace period.

• Additional program requirements

  • Confirm that the student has met all additional program requirements. Some programs have other milestones to meet to earn their degree (i.e. requiring a student to be a TA for n semesters).

  • Additional requirements may not be part of the University student record, and therefore, the program needs to keep these records.

If you have a case which may need an exception: 

• Discuss with the Graduate College and the Registrar's Office 2-3 weeks before the Freeze date to ensure time. The student will be placed in In Review status through what is called the “Grace Period.” 

• The Grace Period allows final grades, transfer credits, etc. to be resolved and posted for unusual cases where this may have been delayed. 

Implications:

• Any degree not confirmed by the end of the Grace Period must be moved to a future EGT. 

• Spring 2025 Grace Period for In Review students: June 11, 2025 - July 7, 2025. 

CRITICALLY IMPORTANT:  

• To avoid awarding/posting a degree in error, any student who remains on the BGR after the Freeze date (unless their Degree Checkout Status is changed to In Review) is assumed to have completed all requirements for their degree and will have a degree conferred during the batch posting process. 

To avoid inadvertently awarding a degree:

• If you know a student will not finish their degree in this term, you must move their EGT to a later term.

• If a student is expected to be cleared during the Grace Period, they must be placed in In Review status.