Graduation

Empire State College takes great pride in its graduates and their accomplishments. Our staff dedicates themselves to ensuring that our graduation ceremonies are dignified and memorable occasions for our new graduates and their families. The ceremony is a formal event with speakers, regalia and a reception immediately following. Graduations are wonderful opportunities for our students to celebrate earning their master's degree with their families, friends, and college faculty and administration.

When a graduate student is in his or her last term of enrollment, the graduation application on the Graduate Form Center at www.esc.edu/GradStudents should be completed.

Students in the School for Graduate Studies are ready to graduate when they have satisfactorily met the requirements of their program. Once the School for Graduate Studies ensures that this has occurred, the student's file will be sent to the Offices of Student Accounts and the Office of the Registrar for graduation clearance. The Office of the Registrar will assign a degree award date, which will be the first of the following month. Transcripts showing the awarding of the degree can be ordered as soon as the Office of the Registrar assigns a degree award date.

The prompt return of the Diploma Name Form to the Office of the Registrar ensures that a student receives his/her diploma in a timely fashion. The diploma is mailed to the student.

Once cleared for graduation, the School for Graduate Studies will notify the graduate of the various ceremonies that are held across New York state. The graduate can then contact the coordinator for the ceremony that he/she is interested in attending. The details regarding invitations, ordering regalia, etc. are handled at each location by the coordinator.