Senior Checkout & Commencement F.A.Q.

What is an "OFFICIAL SENIOR CHECKOUT?"
If you are a College of Arts and Sciences student, the Undergraduate Academic Services office (your Dean's Office) will prepare your Official Senior Checkout. The UAS office is located in 109 Mitchell Hall and is open weekdays from 8 AM to 5 PM (302-831-3020).

The Official Senior Checkout is document that lists all of your remaining requirements. This is a critical step in the process of degree certification and the awarding of your degree. All remaining requirements are specified in writing on your Checkout, including any special requirements as well as the specific number of credits remaining to be completed. It is imperative that you read and understand exactly what you must do to complete your degree and that you do everything specified on the Checkout. If you have received verbal approval for exceptions, waivers, substitutions, etc. for your major(s) or minor(s), you are responsible for arranging for the Dean's Office to receive written confirmation from the approving authority. The Official Senior Checkout is the document that will be used to determine degree certification. It is the document to which you should refer, in consultation with your faculty advisor, when planning courses to complete your degree.

Please note that the Degree Audit that is accessible online is for advisement purposes only. It is not an official document. The Official Senior Checkout prepared by the Dean's Office, Undergraduate Academic Services supersedes the online Degree Audit.

How do I get a Senior Checkout?
If you are a student in the College of Arts and Sciences, there is no need to apply for a Checkout. Your Official Senior Checkout will automatically be prepared by the UAS staff during the semester prior to the Graduation Term stated in UDSIS. Example: if you expect to complete your last required courses in fall, your Checkout will be completed during the previous spring semester. We will send your Checkout to you via an email sent to your UDel e-mail account. Be sure to watch your Inbox for the document during your senior year.

How does the Undergraduate Academic Services office know when I plan to finish my courses?
We use the "Grad Term" listed on your record on UDSIS. We request from the Registrar a list of students with a graduation term for a certain semester and we prepare Checkouts during the preceding semester: i.e., in fall for students who will finish the following spring, and in spring for students who will finish the following fall. "Grad Term" refers to the timing of your course completion, and not to the timing of the graduation ceremony. It is important to keep your graduation term up to date so that your Official Senior Checkout is prepared and sent to you in a timely fashion and also so that your name is included in the Commencement program and on mailing lists related to graduation. We find that many students do, at some point, experience a change of plans that requires them to change their graduation term.

How do I change my "Expected Graduation Date?"
To change your Graduation Term, after logging into UDSIS, choose "change graduation term" from the list under forms. You will need to log in again for security to access the form. Use the drop down box under "new expected graduation term" and select the semester in which you plan to finish your last course. Take the next step and "Finish and Submit."

Now that I have my Checkout, what do I do?
Please use your Official Senior Checkout to consult with your faculty advisor to plan the courses you need to take to fulfill all remaining requirements, and then register for the appropriate courses. Please understand that once your Senior Checkout is complete, your record will not be reviewed again until final grades are posted at the end of the semester which is designated in UDSIS as your graduation term. It is your responsibility to fully understand and complete all requirements specified on your Official Senior Checkout.

Before you register, double-check official publications to make sure that the courses that you choose will actually fulfill any remaining requirement:

- University Breadth Requirements - See the University Catalog

- A&S Breadth Requirements - See the University Catalog

- Multicultural Requirement - See the Course Descriptions on UDSIS.

- A&S Second Writing Course Requirement – Consult the "Courses Search" for the semester in which you plan to take your Arts and Science Second Writing Course. Click on the particular course and particular section you have in mind and confirm that the "Notes" section of the description says, "Section satisfies A&S writing requirement." Only sections of courses with that description for the particular semester will actually fulfill the requirement.

- Requirements for Major – Consult with your departmental faculty advisor.

Please contact the UAS to update your Official Senior Checkout if any of the following circumstances occur:
1. You change your graduation term.
2. You make any type of change to your degree program, i.e., additions, deletions, or changes of majors, concentrations, and/or minors.

What's the difference between "Senior Checkout" and "Degree Certification?"
"Senior Checkout" is an analysis how many credits and which requirements still need to be completed for your degree. Senior Checkout occurs early in your senior year. "Degree Certification" occurs AFTER all final grades for your last courses are posted, and the Dean's Office can confirm for the Registrar that you have met all requirements for the degree, including minimum grades in certain courses and number of credits earned. For example, if you fail a required course in your last semester, you will not be cleared by our office for graduation even though you might have attended the Commencement ceremony. To "not be cleared" means your degree will not be posted to your official transcript and no diploma will be mailed to you. "Not cleared" means you have not graduated.

If I find a discrepancy on my Official Senior Checkout, what should I do?
Please use the Web Form to confirm that you have read the document. On the Web Form, you will have the opportunity to say that you accept the checkout as accurate, or that you dispute portion(s) of the checkout. Use the comments box to explain any inconsistencies that you see. The Coordinator who oversaw your Checkout will then contact you to resolve or clarify the issue(s). You may also send an e-mail to as-advise@udel.edu. E-mail sent to that address will be forwarded to the person who completed your Checkout.

If my online Degree Audit and my Senior Checkout don't match, what should I do?
Your Senior Checkout is the official document that we will use to determine whether or not you are clear for degree certification. It supersedes the Degree Audit. Your online Degree Audit is not an official record. It is an advisement tool. It often does not reflect approved course substitutions, etc. that will be reflected in your Senior Checkout document.​

I have transfer work from another school or AP credit that still needs to be posted. What do I need to do?
If you need to have AP credit posted, you should contact the College Board and request that your scores be sent to the UD Admissions Office. For instructions about having transfer credit posted, phone (302) 831-1551 or send an e-mail message to transfercredit@udel.edu.

What happens if I don't finish my minor?
If you have a minor on your record that you are not planning to complete, YOU WILL NOT BE CLEARED FOR GRADUATION. If you currently have a minor on your record that you do not plan to complete, please delete it immediately through UDSIS.

I have not officially declared my concentration (or my minor). Is that a problem?
Yes. If your concentration or minor do not appear properly on UDSIS, they will not appear on your official transcript after graduation. Any work you did for a concentration or minor will not be officially recognized. Such information must be added to your academic program via UDSIS BEFORE you graduate, because nothing can be added to your transcript once your degree has been officially certified and conferred.

If UAS is not aware of your concentration and/or minor when we complete your Checkout, the Checkout won't be helpful to you in determining which courses you still need.

​How can I avoid delays of graduation?

• Examine your Senior Checkout carefully after you receive it via your udel.edu e-mail (as a Web Form).
• Be sure that the "Graduation Term" on your Official Senior Checkout and on UDSIS match.
• Be sure that the major(s), minor(s) and concentration(s) you actually will complete all appear correctly on your Checkout and your Unofficial Transcript on UDSIS. Make necessary corrections on UDSIS or call UAS at (302)831-3020 to clarify what part of your Senior Checkout needs to be amended.
• Check your final grades for your last semester as soon as they are available.
• If you notice any discrepancies, act immediately to rectify them.

Please note that the following issues will block your graduation until you resolve them:

• Total credits less than the minimum required for the degree. In this case, please make sure AP and transfer credit is posted correctly to your record.
• Cumulative GPA of less than 2.0. If your GPA is below 2.0, you must continue to take courses and earn good grades until you succeed in raising your GPA above the minimum 2.0.
• Temporary grades of I, S, or U. Work with your faculty to resolve these or other grade issues, and alert UAS at 302 831-3020 or as-advise@udel.edu when a grade issue is resolved so that your record can be reviewed for degree certification.
• Communication Condition. If you have a Communication Condition on your record, please contact the University Writing Center and follow their program for satisfying the Condition.
• Lack of written confirmation of departmental waivers or course substitutions. Make sure that any major or minor course substitutions, etc. have been documented in writing by your major or minor department or Faculty advisors for UAS.
  

Can I "walk" in the Commencement ceremony if I still have some credits to complete afterward?
Yes. The University has four degree certification cycles each year: at the end of the spring semester, the 2nd summer session, the fall semester, and winter session, but only two Commencement ceremonies. For the May ceremony, the University will print your name in the program if your graduation term is listed as summer in UDSIS (along with the name of everyone who completed degree requirements since the previous year's May ceremony.) For the January ceremony, the University will print your name in the program if your graduation term is listed as winter (along with the names of everyone who completed degree requirements during the most recent summer and fall).

It might be helpful for you to know that credentials (ID, academic status, etc.) are not checked at the door. Diplomas are not distributed during the Commencement ceremony. All students who arrive appropriately garbed in cap and gown can participate. Participating in Commencement does not equal graduation. Commencement is the University's collaboration with your faculty, friends and family to celebrate your accomplishment. The official business of graduation is degree certification and conferral. The UAS office is responsible for degree certification; we certify that you have completed all requirements for the degree. Once we have certified your degree, the Registrar's Office confers the degree, posts your degree to your transcript, and orders diplomas. Neither of those business actions will occur until after you have satisfactorily completed all requirements for your degree. Participation in the Commencement ceremony does not signify that you have graduated.

I have an Incomplete "I" or "S" grade. If I need a few weeks to finish it, can I still keep my original graduation date?
Yes, if there are just a few weeks involved your graduation date can still be the original date. Be sure to contact the UAS office when you know the outstanding work has been done and the grade has been posted. Your record will be reviewed for degree certification at that time.

How can I qualify for academic honors at graduation (cum laude, etc.)?
The Registrar's Office administers conferral of academic honors at graduation and enters the notation of "Cum Laude," "Magna Cum Laude," or "Summa Cum Laude" on the diploma and transcript, according to policies established by the University. Only the top thirteen percent of each undergraduate College's graduating class will receive academic honors. Consult the Registrar's Office website for detailed information on how academic honors are determined.

Will I lose access to my UDSIS and my udel.edu email address after graduation?
Even after graduation, you will be able to log into UDSIS with your UD Student ID Number and PIN. If you would like to keep your udel.edu email address, you will need to switch over to Google Aps; instructions for doing that are here: http://www.it.udel.edu/googleapps.