Graduation

Students are strongly advised to apply to graduate at least 3 semesters before planning to graduate. To apply to graduate, login to My.RIC and follow these steps:

• select "Student Center," then click "My Academics"
• click on "Apply for Graduation"
• carefully select your Academic Program by clicking on its description
• select "Expected Graduation Term" using the drop down menu
• click "Continue"
• verify the information for correctness and click "Submit Application" 
• confirmation will appear on the screen if you have successfully applied for graduation

Your academic advisement transcript is useful so that you understand your remaining courses and credits needed to graduate. If you have any questions, you may contact your Academic Advisor or the Records Office.

Academic Advisors

• students with the last name beginning with A–K: contact Terry Riley-Wilcox at triley@ric.edu
• students with the last name beginning with L–Z: contact Amy Avila at aavila@ric.edu

Please verify your Academic Program, Major and Minor, if applicable. If the information that our office has is incorrect or outdated, please submit a Change of Curriculum Form to the Records Office. Before attempting to submit your on-line application, please verify that we have made the appropriate updates to your record.

Diplomas will be ordered immediately following graduation and will be mailed to the student's home address in six to eight weeks following graduation.

The Records Office completes students three times a year, in May, August and January.  There is only one graduation ceremony in May on the second Saturday of the month. Summer completers will have an August 15 graduation date and fall completers will have January 15. Diplomas will be mailed two weeks after the student’s graduation date. Be sure to update your home address (not mailing address) with the Records Office. 

If you want your name to appear on your diploma as it appears on your transcript there is nothing more to do. If you'd like your name to appear differently than it appears on your transcript, you must notify the Records Office using this process:

• navigate to MyRIC and select "Student Center"
• then select "Personal Contact Info" from the left-hand navigation and then click on "Names"
• click on the "Add a new name" button
• use the Name Type drop down menu and select "Degree"
• type in your name exactly as you would like it to appear on your diploma and click the "Save" button
• success message will appear
• click "OK" to complete the process

Students may request a replacement or duplicate diploma for $25.  The processing time is two weeks.

The following requirements must be completed by undergraduate degree candidates at Rhode Island College in order to graduate:

1. all curriculum requirements, including General Education, requirements in the major(s) or concentration(s), and, if applicable, requirements in the minor(s).
2. College Writing Requirement
3. College Mathematics Competency
4. minimum of 120 credit hours, with a minimum of 45 taken at Rhode Island College. Of the 45 credit hours, a minimum of 15 must be in the major (12 of which must be at the 300- or 400-level).
5. minimum overall grade point average of 2.00 on a 4.00 scale.

Undergraduate

• achieve a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.00
• complete all curricular requirement including:
  • General Education
  • all major or concentration and if applicable minor
  • College Writing Requirement
  • College Mathematics Requirement
• achieve a minimum of 120 credits with at least 45 credits at RIC

Graduate

• achieve a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00
• complete all curricular requirements as required by the school or department

Refer to the Graduate Policies and Procedure Manual

Please Note: This handbook presents the policies and procedures that govern all students enrolled in Graduate Programs at Rhode Island College and outlines the procedures for them, their advisers, Program Directors, Department Chairs, and program committees. Information concerning the organization of the Graduate Committee, the Graduate Faculty, and the authorization for graduate programs and courses are available in the College Handbook of Policies, Practices and Regulations.

For forms found in Appendices, please see Forms from Graduate Manual​.​

Graduating undergraduate seniors are recognized for Latin Honor with the following standards:

• Summa Cum Laude: 3.85–4.00
• Magna Cum Laude: 3.60–3.84
• Cum Laude: 3.25–3.59

You need a minimum of 54 credits earned at RIC to be eligible for Latin Honors.

A student may walk in the May graduation ceremony if he/she has only nine or fewer credits outstanding at the end of the spring semester. Options to complete credits needed:

Register for and Complete Outstanding Requirements in Summer Term

These students will graduate in August and walk in May

The College Level Examination Program (CLEP)

With this option, students may earn proficiency credit by testing. The tests are available in a number of subject areas and require a minimum score of 50 to award credit. Students cannot be awarded test credit if the equivalent is a course already taken. However, there are also a number of CLEP tests for which the equivalent is elective credit.

Students who successfully complete CLEP tests prior to Commencement (and satisfy outstanding requirements) will be able to walk in May and will be considered May graduates. Ex: A student needs 2 elective credits to complete his degree. If he takes the CLEP test for College Algebra and scores a 50, he will receive 3 elective credits and graduate in May.

Additional Information

• more information on CLEP and AP
• CLEP tests are given at CCRI (more CLEP information from CCRI) and scores must be sent to the RIC Admissions Office. A score of 50 or higher is required to earn credit.
• listing of CLEP exams and the RIC equivalents (beginning on page 2)

Students who wait and take classes the following fall semester will be considered fall graduates and invited to participate in the following May ceremony.

You are required to submit an online application for graduation through MyRIC. It is suggested that you apply for graduation one year prior to your expected graduation date. When submitting your on-line application:

• select "Student Center," then click "My Academics"
• click on "Apply for Graduation"
• carefully select your Academic Program by clicking on its description
• select "Expected Graduation Term" using the drop down menu
• click "Continue"
• verify the information for correctness and click "Submit Application" 
• confirmation will appear on the screen if you have successfully applied for graduation

Please Note: The message, "A valid graduation application already exists for this academic program." indicates that there is a completed Academic Advisement Report on file for you. In this case, you should contact your Recorder/Advisor at 401-456-8213. It is important to remember that once you have applied for graduation on-line, you must contact the Records Office to make any subsequent changes regarding your anticipated graduation.

If you are applying for May, you should anticipate having all degree requirements successfully completed by the end of the Spring semester. If you will have 9 or fewer credits to complete by the end of the Spring semester and intend to take those outstanding credits during the Summer, you may apply for August graduation. If you will have all degree requirements completed by the end of the Fall semester, you may apply for the following January graduation.

If you are receiving more than one degree (ex. BS, BA, BSW), you must apply for each degree separately.