Degree Eligibility
Applying for graduation does not ensure that the degree will be conferred. Students are responsible for meeting all degree requirements and fulfilling all financial obligations prior to graduation. Students are responsible for ensuring that their academic record reflects all approved course substitutions and/or waivers prior to graduation. Deficient course grades from prior terms must be submitted by the deadline on the academic calendar. Expected graduates who do not meet degree eligibility for any reason must reapply to graduate and if applicable, register for additional coursework in compliance with the Weitzman School’s continuous registration policy.
No grade changes are accepted once a student has graduated.
Students enrolled in the Ph.D. in Architecture, Ph.D. in City Planning, and the M.S. in Architecture must follow the guidelines from the Office of the Vice Provost for Education regarding thesis/dissertation submission.
Graduation Application
All University of Pennsylvania Stuart Weitzman School of Design students (Professional Masters, PhD, and Research Masters) must submit the University graduation application by the term deadline. Failure to submit an application by the deadline may result in degree conferral being postponed until the next term.
Dual-Degree Students:
- Dual-degree students must submit an application for each degree they are completing.
- Weitzman dual-degree students may not receive their degrees in separate terms.
- Weitzman students who are enrolled in a dual degree program at another school at the University must comply with both schools’ policies and procedures regarding applying for graduation, degree eligibility and commencement participation.
Certificate Students:
- Weitzman degree plus certificate students must submit two graduation applications: one for the degree program and one for the certificate program.
Diploma Names
For the name you select to be printed on your diploma, the first and last names must match the first and last names that have been registered with Penn. If the name being requested for the diploma differs significantly from the name on the official student record, a name change request must be submitted to the University Registrar, 3451 Walnut Street, 150 Franklin Building. If you request a name for your diploma that does not match your registered name with the University, and do not submit the name change prior to the diploma printing, your registered name will be printed on your diploma. No additional titles, such as Esq., Dr., etc., will be permitted on the diploma.
You can specify how you want your name to appear on your diploma when you submit the graduation application.
The name that you specify for your diploma is the name that will be printed in the Weitzman Commencement booklet for the school graduation ceremony. If you do not specify a diploma name, your name will be printed in the Commencement booklet as it appears in your student record.
Commencement Participation
Visit Penn's Commencement website for details about the University commencement ceremony.
Official Transcripts
Transcripts are maintained centrally by the Office of the University Registrar, and not by the Weitzman School. Students can request official transcripts electronically, by US mail and in person.
Graduation is posted to the student’s academic record within two weeks of the completion of the term. Students seeking an official transcript to confirm their graduation status should check their unofficial transcript in Path@Penn to confirm that their graduation has been posted prior to requesting an official transcript. If the student determines that their graduation has not been posted, the student should contact the Weitzman Office of Student Services at des-studentservices@design.upenn.edu.
Diploma Distribution
Degrees are conferred three times per year: in May, August, and December:
- Diplomas of May graduates are mailed in July
- Diplomas of August graduates are mailed in October
- Diplomas of December graduates are mailed in February
Diplomas issued with errors will be replaced free of charge provided that the diploma office is notified within one year of conferral date. The original diploma must be returned before the reprinted one is sent out.
The distribution of diplomas is managed by the Office of the University Secretary.
Diplomas for May graduates are mailed by the University Secretary’s office to the diploma mailing address students specify on their graduation application. If students need to change the mailing address for their diploma after submitting the graduation application, they should do so by adding a Diploma Mailing Address in Path@Penn through the "Update My Personal Information" link. The deadlines for updating a diploma mailing address are June 7 (for May diplomas), September 1 (for August diplomas) and January 15 (for December diplomas). International diplomas are sent via first-class mail and can take up to eight weeks for delivery.
Certified Electronic Diplomas (CeDiplomas)
The University offers a certified electronic version of its diploma that can be purchased and downloaded. The CeDiploma is an official, secure, and verifiable electronic version of the Penn diploma that can be easily shared. The CeDiploma is accepted worldwide by many employers and governments, as well as by federal and state medical boards within the United States.
Certificate Distribution
Students completing a Weitzman Certficate program will receive a physical certificate noting their certifcate completion. Certificates are distributed by the Weitzman School and students completing a certificate will be contacted during the Spring semester by the Office of Student Services with details about the distribution.
Account Balance
Graduates with an account balance of $200 or more will have a hold placed on their record and will not receive their diploma/certificate until their balance and hold have been rectified. Many charges, specifically printing related charges, are applied to your account after graduation. As a result we strongly encourage that you review your account balance regularly and pay it in full no later than June 15th to ensure that there is no delay in receiving your diploma/certificate. Students with a financial hold are still eligible to participate in graduation ceremonies.
Expiration of Weitzman Email Account
Graduates have access to their Weitzman School email account for a short period of time after graduation (usually about four weeks). The exact date of email deactivation depends on when your degree is officially conferred in your record, so it is not possible to specify in advance as to when your account will be deactivated.
Messages sent to a Penn email address after the date noted above will not be received. Recommended practice is that at the time of graduation, graduates set an automatic reply to inform people of your pending email address change. The Weitzman IT Department offers additional instructions and recommendations pertaining to the expiration of your Penn email account.
Quaker Gmail Account
Graduates are invited to set up a new, full-fledged Quaker Gmail (@alumni.upenn.edu) account through the Department of Alumni Relations. Please note: Weitzman School IT is not the administrator of Quaker Gmail accounts, students are referred to the Quaker Gmail FAQs maintained by the Office of Alumni Relations.
- Activate your Quaker Gmail account