Graduation

Applying for graduation does not ensure that the degree will be conferred. Students must meet all degree requirements in order to graduate. Students are responsible for ensuring that their academic record reflects all approved course substitutions and/or waivers prior to graduation and notifying the Weitzman Registrar if any corrections are needed. Work for courses with an Incomplete grade must be completed in time for the instructor to enter the final grade by April 15 in order for the student to be included in the Weitzman graduation booklet and ceremony. 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 due to additional or revised work 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.

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 and will result in the graduate's name being omitted from the University Commencement booklet.

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.

Doctoral students who earn a masters degree on their way to earning the PhD may choose to apply for the masters in passing (MA in City and Regional Planning or MS in Architecture). Students who wish to receive the masters in passing should use the Path Form to "Add Masters for PhD Student" in the term in which they meet all of the requirements for the MA or MS degree. A graduation application must be submitted by the deadlines noted for PhD graduation applications in that term. Students receive a diploma for the masters in passing, but this milestone is not included in the Weitzman graduation ceremony. 

You can specify how you want your name to appear in the University Commencement Program and on your diploma when you submit the graduation application.

The first and last names must match the first and last names registered with Penn. If the requested name differs significantly from the name on the official student record or you would like to update your name after submitting the graduation application, a Diploma Name Change request must be submitted to the Office of the University Registrar. The deadlines by which this must be submitted to be reflected in the University Commencement Program and on your diploma are on the University's Diploma FAQ page.

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 before the deadline, your registered name will be printed on your diploma. No additional titles, such as Esq., Dr., etc., will be permitted on the diploma. If you have an accent or other special character in your name, please contact des-studentservices@design.upenn.edu to ensure it is formatted correctly.

The name that you specify for your diploma is also the name that will be printed in the Weitzman Graduation booklet for the school ceremony. If you do not specify a diploma name, your name will be printed in the Graduation booklet as it appears in your student record.

If you are in the process of legally changing your name but don't yet have the final documentation to provide to the University for a legal name change update, you can request that the University hold your diploma order. This allows graduates to receive their diploma reflecting their new name at no charge. Re-printing diplomas due to a name change after the initial diploma has been printed incur a charge.

Degrees are conferred three times per year: in May, August, and December:

• Diplomas of May graduates are mailed in late July
• Diplomas of August graduates are mailed in mid-October
• Diplomas of December graduates are mailed in March

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 Registrar.

Diplomas are mailed to the diploma mailing address students specify on their graduation application. If a change to the diploma mailing address is needed after the graduation application has been submitted, a new Diploma Mailing Address can be added in Path@Penn (instructions are below). Pay careful attention to the deadlines for updating your diploma mailing address (see the Graduation Diplomas section of the linked page or the Weitzman Academic Calendar). International diplomas are sent via first-class mail and can take up to eight weeks to deliver.

To update a Diploma Mailing Address after submitting the graduation application:

1. Log in to Path@Penn.
2. Click on "Update my personal information" in the My Profile section:
   
3. A new page with contact information will load. Scroll down to the Addresses section and click "Add New" on the right:
   
4. Select "Diploma Mailing" from the Address Type drop-down menu:
   
5. Fill in the address information and be sure to click Add at the bottom to save the diploma mailing address.

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.

The University Registrar maintains a robust website with diploma information and answers to Frequently Asked Questions about diplomas. Since Weitzman does not handle the printing or mailing of diplomas, questions about diplomas should be sent to diplomas@pobox.upenn.edu. 

Students completing a Weitzman Certificate program will receive a physical certificate noting their certifcate completion. Certificates are distributed by the Weitzman School to students in the term in which they complete the certificate, once all grades are in. The Office of Student Services will contact certificate earners with information about picking up their certificate in Meyerson Hall. 

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, barring unexpected circumstances (such as late grade submission by faculty). 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, contact the Weitzman Registrar at des-studentservices@design.upenn.edu.

Graduates with an account balance of $200 or more will have a hold placed on their record and will not receive their diploma until their balance and hold have been rectified. Graduates are encouraged to review their account balance shortly after graduation and pay it in full no later than June 15th to ensure that there is no delay in diploma mailing. Students with a financial hold are still eligible to participate in graduation ceremonies and to order official transcripts.

Graduates have access to their Weitzman School email account for approximately 60 days after graduation. The exact date of email deactivation depends on when the degree is officially posted (regardless of the conferral date on the transcript), so it is not possible to specify in advance the exact date on which an account will be deactivated.

Messages sent to a Penn email address after the account has been deactivated will not be received. Recommended practice is that at the time of graduation (or earlier), graduates set an automatic reply to inform people of the upcoming email address change. The Weitzman IT Department offers additional instructions and recommendations pertaining to the expiration of your Penn email account.

Alternative Email Address

Graduates are advised to provide an alternative email address in the Penn Directory ahead of their Weitzman account expiring. This email will be used for post-graduation communication as needed. The deadline to do so is published on the Weitzman Academic Calendar. 

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