What is Graduation and How is it Conducted?

  1. Graduation is the successful completion of a programme of study for which one becomes eligible for an Academic Award such as a Degree or Diploma.
  2. The Commencement Ceremony is the ceremony where all students that have completed all the academic and other requirements for their programmes of study are awarded or conferred their Certificates, Diplomas, Bachelors, Masters, Doctorate, and other earned awards.
  3. The Commencement Ceremony is normally held once per calendar year, either physically or virtually.
  4. The University Senate determines who graduates, the nature and dates of the Commencement ceremonies, and all other matters related to graduation.
  5. The University Senate also has a right to schedule more than one Commencement Ceremony in a year as it may deem appropriate.

Graduation Requirements

Any student who is intending to graduate must first fill in a program audit form and submit it to his/her department. He/she will then fill in the graduation application form.

  1. Audit forms Here
  2. Graduation Application Form

Classification of Degrees, Diplomas, and Certificates at Graduation

Riara University awards Qualifications at different classifications based primarily on the performance of a student throughout the entire programme.

  1. Certificates qualifications are normally awarded as:
    1. PASS
    2. FAIL (under this category, the student does not graduate and is required to retake failed units)
  2. Diplomas qualifications are normally awarded as:
    1. DISTINCTION
    2. CREDIT
    3. PASS
    4. FAIL (under this category, the student does not graduate and is required to retake failed units)
  3. Degree qualifications are normally awarded as
    1. First Class Honors
    2. Second Class Honors – Upper Division
    3. Second Class Honors – Lower Division
    4. Pass

Graduation Application

  1. A student will be eligible to graduate after completing all the requirements of the academic programme.
  2. To be considered for graduation, a student must meet the following minimum requirements:
    • Complete and pass all the prescribed courses.
    • Attain the minimum number of credit hours required for the programme in which the student is registered.
    • Obtain a minimum Cumulative GPA of 1.33
    • Meet all financial obligations.
    • Settle all outstanding liabilities.
    • Have no outstanding disciplinary sanctions.
    • Complete prescribed clearances from the University.
  1. All records of a student are subject to internal audits by the University and hence meeting the above requirements is not necessarily an automatic guarantee of graduation.
  2. A candidate who is preparing to graduate may be required to give notice of his/her intention to graduate by applying to the Registrar – Academics through the School at the time of registration for the anticipated final semester of study. This is done through the prescribed Intent to Graduate form.
  3. A student who has applied to graduate should seek clearance of all liabilities in the University during, or immediately after, the final semester of study.

The University Senate is the final authority on who is cleared to graduate or not. Where a student is not cleared to graduate, they will be given reasons thereof.