Academics
Admissions & Aid
Student Life
About
Info For
To obtain a degree or certificate from Brooklyn College, you must submit an application for graduation via CUNYfirst. If all requirements are not met by the end of the final term of attendance, you must reapply for graduation to be considered for a subsequent term.
To file the application for graduation:
Note: Undergraduate students must have completed 90 credits in order to file for graduation.
After you have applied for graduation, a degree audit will be performed to determine if you have met your degree requirements. When your audit is complete, an e-mail will be sent to the e-mail address you have listed in WebCentral. The e-mail will state what, if any, requirements are outstanding for your degree. All audits are performed in the order they are received with the current graduation term being completed first. Graduation audits are performed twice during the term:
If you have questions about your degree requirements in the meantime, it is recommended that you consult your DegreeWorks report (available via the CUNY Portal), or speak to your graduate program head or an undergraduate academic or departmental adviser.
*If you anticipate completing your degree requirements during the winter intersession, contact us to let us know that you anticipate a February 1 graduation date.
If you have missed the deadline to file for graduation, file for the next available graduation date. After you have filed, contact us to alert the Office of the Registrar that you believe you are eligible for the graduation date you missed. Requests are processed according to graduation date and in the order they are received. If you missed the deadline, we cannot guarantee you the graduation date you are seeking.
You will be able to view your graduation status in the same section of CUNYfirst where you submitted the graduation application:
Note that once you have been assigned a graduation status during the degree audit, the status will not be changed until the final audit has been performed after the semester is over.
There are six types of graduation statuses:
Commencement is held once a year in late May or early June. You can march in the ceremony if you have graduated in the previous summer/fall terms and winter intersession or if you are a candidate for the upcoming spring and summer terms. For example, the 2023 Commencement included graduates from summer 2022 through winter 2023, and potential graduates with an application under review for spring 2023 or summer 2023.
Most students are very close to graduation when they reach 120 credits. You can check your status on DegreeWorks through CUNYfirst or by checking with an adviser in CAASS or your major/program department.
If you want your transcript request to be held until the degree is posted, be sure to specify that when making your request. All obligations, whether academic and/or financial, must be cleared before your records will be released. If you are meeting all of your degree requirements with your current courses and need proof of graduation for your employer or graduate school before your degree is posted, you can request a Statement of Graduation through this form.
Once you have graduated, your records are officially sealed. You will have to officially change your name with the Registrar’s Office before the end of your final semester. You may request the Personal Update Form via e-mail.
If your original diploma has been damaged or lost, you can order a new diploma through Parchment.
Please be mindful of the following:
Yes, you can attend Brooklyn College as a nondegree or second-degree student. If you are interested in pursuing a second degree, you can e-mail the Admissions Office after your last semester. If you would like to take courses as a nondegree student, fill out the Post-Graduation Request to Continue Enrollment (PDF).
No. Once a student has been granted a degree, grade changes for courses taken in semesters prior to receiving the degree are not permitted. If any student expects to receive a grade change, notify the Degree Audit Team in the Office of the Registrar immediately via e-mail.
If you happen to miss the deadline to apply for graduation during your final semester of classes, you will need to apply for graduation in the next available semester. You do not need to be enrolled for that semester in order to be awarded your degree. We award degrees four times per year (summer, fall, winter, and spring), so there will almost always be a semester open that you can apply for in CUNYfirst. If you find that you are not able to submit an application in CUNYfirst, use this form to contact the Office of the Registrar for assistance.
Candidates for graduation should ensure that all personal information is correct in CUNYfirst before the end of the semester in which they graduate. This includes:
Failure to include accurate personal information may delay your diploma’s delivery.
Be advised that any holds that would prevent your transcript from being issued will also prevent your diploma from being sent out (Bursar, Collections, Financial Aid Exit Interview, etc.).
You will receive a digital version of your diploma sent to the e-mail address in CUNYfirst, followed by paper diplomas sent to your home address. Once your digital diploma is ready, you will receive an e-mail from the Brooklyn College Degree Audit team as well as Parchment, inviting you to make a Parchment account. This website can be used to access you digital diploma as well as track the paper diploma.
Once you have graduated, your records are officially sealed. If you have any information that must be changed to appear correctly on your diploma or to ensure your diploma is properly delivered (such as your home address or preferred e-mail address), you will have to make these changes two weeks before the end of the semester in which you are graduating.
To update your contact information in CUNYfirst, navigate to Self-Service > Student Center > Personal Information. (An example of how to change your home address can be found here (PDF)). You should also ensure that the address you are using in BC WebCentral matches your CUNYfirst Preferred E-mail Address.
Students who wish to change their primary/legal name in CUNYfirst must submit a Personal Update Form with appropriate documentation prior to the graduation date. If you need a Personal Update Form, send an e-mail. When submitting it, you will need to include two proofs of the name change, one in the form of a government issued non-expired photo ID.
Degrees are generally awarded in CUNYfirst within one month after final grades are submitted. Graduates will be sent a congratulatory e-mail to let them know their degree has been awarded and any transcripts they request going forward will verify their degree information.
All graduates will be issued a digital copy of their diploma within six weeks of their degree being awarded in CUNYfirst. Graduates will receive an e-mail notification from Parchment with instructions for electronically claiming their diploma through the Parchment website.
Your digital diploma will always be accessible through your Parchment account. You can log in and download or share it again and again (as often as you want)—at no cost to you.
Once you claim your account and log in, you can share your achievements!
Paper diplomas are generally placed in the mail within five to seven business days of the electronic diploma being released. They are sent via the United States Postal Service, and depending upon the time of year and postal delays, should be delivered to you within 10 to 15 business days of being placed in the mail.
Once you can access and view your digital diploma on the Parchment website, your paper diploma will be not far behind. Diplomas will be shipped via the United States Postal Service, and you can track the status of your order and track its progress through the Parchment website by following these steps:
To claim your Parchment account, follow these three simple steps:
If you have difficulty accessing your Parchment account or issues with your login, you can contact Parchment directly for assistance on the Parchment website.
Any other questions regarding your diploma can be directed to us via e-mail.
