Graduation

Apply for graduation by completing the online application.

The deadlines are:

• Spring: Jan 15 with a late fee period from Jan. 16 – Feb. 1
• Summer/Fall: Sept. 15 with a late fee period from Sept. 16 – Oct. 1

Note: Students who apply for spring graduation after the final deadline (Feb. 1) will be given the opportunity to attend the fall graduation ceremony.

Don’t wait until the deadline! Apply now to receive your audit in plenty of time to change your schedule if needed!

If you do not get an email confirmation that we’ve received your application, do not assume that we’ve received it. Please follow up. It is the student’s responsibility to make sure the application is received by our office.

The Registrar’s Office has many graduation-related responsibilities. Some (but not all!) are:

• Process graduation applications.
• Complete graduation audits and post degrees to student records.
• Assist with the graduation rehearsals and ceremonies.
• Bill graduation fees to student accounts.
• Order diplomas.
• Keep students updated about graduation.

GRADUATION ATTENDANCE – Who can participate? Students must complete ALL coursework by the graduation ceremony in order to attend. All coursework, and any pending transient work, must be transferred back to Brenau (via official transcript) BEFORE graduation. Students who have any coursework pending or have outstanding incompletes will not be permitted to walk.

We stream all graduation ceremonies via Vimeo. The events will be streamed live and available for viewing after the event.

Spring 2023 Graduation Line-Up/Instructions and Ceremony schedule

Women’s College, Friday, May 5

Line-Up/Instructions: Pearce Auditorium, 3:30 p.m.
Graduation: Front Lawn, 4:30 p.m.

University (graduate and undergraduate), Saturday, May 6

Line-Up/Instructions: Pearce Auditorium, 8:30 a.m.
Graduation: Front Lawn, 9:30 a.m.

Inclement Weather

In the event of rain, ceremonies will be moved indoors. Women’s College will be held at the same date/time, in Pearce Auditorium (with Line-Up & Instructions in Yonah Hall upper dining room). Undergraduate and Graduate ceremonies will be split as follows:

Undergraduate (associate, bachelor), Saturday, May 6

Line-up/instructions: Yonah Hall upper dining room at 12:30 p.m.
Graduation: Pearce Auditorium, 1:30 p.m.

Graduate (masters, specialist, doctorate) Saturday, May 6

Line-up/instructions: Yonah Hall upper dining room at 9 a.m.
Graduation: Pearce Auditorium, 10 a.m.

During inclement weather overflow seating will be available in the Sellars Gallery of the Simmons Visual Arts Center.

If graduation must be moved due to inclement weather, a banner will appear across the main brenau.edu website and a notice sent via E2Campus. The alternate rain-location will be Pearce auditorium at Brenau.

Fall 2023 Graduation Line-Up/Instructions and Ceremony schedule:

This would primarily include students completing degrees Summer and Fall 2023.
Only students who are finished may attend. No outstanding coursework, incompletes or transient work permitted.

All Programs: Friday, Dec 15

Pearce Auditorium
Brenau University, Gainesville Georgia

• Graduate Programs (master, specialist, doctoral):  Student check-in & line-up (Yonah Hall), 8:30 a.m. – guest seating begins at 9:00 a.m. –  Graduation (Pearce Auditorium), 10:00 a.m.
• Undergraduate Programs (associate, bachelor): Student check-in & line-up (Yonah Hall), 12:30 p.m. – guest seating begins at 12:30 p.m. – Graduation (Pearce Auditorium), 1:30 p.m.

Graduation Honors

What is the criteria to graduate with honors? Latin Honors are conferred upon qualified undergraduate students who have achieved the following cumulative grade point averages. Graduate students are not eligible for graduation honors as the criteria for admission and good standing are much higher than those set for undergraduate students.

• Cum Laude: 3.50
• Magna Cum Laude: 3.75
• Summa Cum Laude 3.90

To be eligible for consideration as an honor graduate, a student must have completed a minimum of three semesters of course work through Brenau. For computational purposes, equivalent Brenau grades and quality points will be assigned to academic grades earned at other accredited institutions.

The Registrar’s Office will issue black and gold honors tassels to undergraduate students who attained Latin honors. The tassels will be issued at the check-in table at graduation.

Honor Societies, Sororities, & Organizations

Here is a list of approved department honor societies and sororities that may wear additional regalia (stoles, cords) to graduation. You must have been inducted into one of these organizations at Brenau. If your organization is not listed, please contact the Provost’s Office at 770-534-6119 to request approval for your organization.

Additional Graduation Info

Announcements

Announcements are ordered from Herff Jones.

Caps/Gowns

Regalia is ordered from the Brenau Bookstore. Orders can be placed through the bookstore regalia store.

Hoods

Graduate students (master, specialist, doctoral) will order hoods with their regalia package. Here is an instructional video of how to wear your hood. Of course, Brenau staff will be on hand on the big day to assist you.

Audits

Audits are completed once a semester. When the audit is updated, the student and adviser will be notified by email that the audit is available online in CampusWEB. ONLY students who’ve applied for graduation and had an audit completed will be able to view their audit in CampusWEB.

Diploma size

Undergraduate diplomas (associate’s, bachelor’s) are 8 x 11.5 inches. Graduate diplomas (master’s, specialist, and doctoral) are 12 x 15 inches.

Fees

Graduation fees are due by the end of the semester applied. The graduation fee covers all costs associated with graduation except for cap and gown. It is a comprehensive fee and covers administrative costs for administering graduation, diploma, graduation ceremonies, etc. As stated. The fee is a comprehensive fee and is therefore not reduced for students who do not attend graduation.

Guests

The number of guests that can attend graduation depends on how many students are walking and the space allowed. All students are given the same number of guest passes. The Registrar’s Office will send an email out to students about 2-3 months prior to graduation as to their intention to attend. The number of guest passes will be determined on that response. Guest passes are only required for indoor events.

Graduation Parking

Parking is available in multiple areas on the Gainesville historic campus. Please see the Parking Map (PDF) for more information.

Hotel Discounts

Some area hotels offer a discount for Brenau alumni and for Brenau events. Please visit our Hotels, Benefits and Partnerships Page to access information about those discounts.

Pictures

There will be a professional photographer on hand to photograph you receiving your diploma cover from President Skleder. Graduating students will be sent detailed information about how to order pictures closer to graduation.

What to wear to graduation

Your cap and gown are black, so please wear dark clothing, including dark shoes. We do not recommend high heeled shoes. During lineup, the Registrar’s Office will distribute the honors tassels to the undergraduate students who are graduating with Latin honors (cum laude, magna cum laude, summa cum laude). Students inducted into departmental honor societies must contact their respective departments about ordering honor cords. Seniors may wear honor cords issued by a Brenau sponsored department/organization and the Brenau honors tassels at the graduation ceremony. You may only wear regalia issued through Brenau at graduation.