UNC Asheville confers degrees three times during the academic year:
- At the end of the Fall semester
- At the end of the Spring semester
- At the end of the Summer terms
Formal commencement ceremonies are held in December and May. Information on commencement is available at unca.edu/commencement.
Students must submit an online application for graduation through their OnePort account by the appropriate deadline listed below. Students who do not submit the application by the deadline day will be required to pay a late application fee of $100 prior to applying. Here are instructions for applying through OnePort.
Students may participate in commencement if they are within eight (8) hours of completing their degree requirements. For example, students taking one or two courses in the summer to complete requirements may participate in Spring Commencement.
Students graduating in the summer, but participating in May commencement should submit a Graduation Application for summer graduation, even if the intent is to participate in Spring commencement.
Students who wish to participate in a ceremony that is different from their graduation term should complete the Commencement Participation Form. Note, a student may only participate in one ceremony. All students will receive their diploma a few weeks after degree requirements are confirmed as met.
Deadlines to Apply to Graduate
- May graduation — Apply by December 1 of the preceding year
- Summer graduation — Apply by June 1
- December graduation — Apply by September 1
Submitting the application well in advance of the deadline allows time for notification of outstanding requirements, giving students the opportunity to correct a problem that may prevent them from graduating as planned.