Graduation, Commencement and Degree Conferral

Students are governed by the college-wide requirements in place when they enter RISD and follow departmental graduation requirements and policies in place and published upon matriculation. Students who have been away from RISD for four years or more will be required to satisfy the graduation requirements that are in effect at the time of their reinstatement.

All active students have access to Academic Progress in Workday. Academic Progress is used for purposes of advising and degree audit. It is available to each student as well as their Advisor/Department Head at all times via Workday.

Changes, substitutions, or waivers to any of the degree requirements must be approved by a student's Department Head. Students should be in contact with their major departments regarding any such requests.

Commencement Ceremony

Commencement is an institutional ceremony. RISD holds one Commencement ceremony a year, on the Saturday following the Memorial Day holiday. Students must have degree requirements completed (assuming successful completion of in-progress courses for the Spring) in order to be listed in the Commencement program and participate in the graduation ceremony and activities.

Students who graduate in the Fall semester or complete degree requirements after Wintersession are invited to the Commencement Ceremony in the upcoming Spring. Graduate-level students are also permitted to attend the Graduate Hooding Ceremony, which takes place the day before Commencement.

Students who are within 6 credits of completing their degree requirements and plan to finish those credits before the Summer degree conferral date (August 31st) must receive approval from their Academic Advisor, Department Head, and the Division of Liberal Arts (if applicable). To be eligible to participate in Commencement, students must submit a “Plan to Complete Degree Requirements” form to the Registrar’s Office by April 1st. The plan will be forwarded to the Academic Standing Committee for review.

According to academic policy, students with more than 6 credits remaining or those who must return to RISD in the following semester are not eligible to participate in Commencement during the prior spring. Students with extenuating circumstances may submit an Exception to Academic Policy for review by the Academic Standing Committee. Please note that approval is not guaranteed.

Degree Conferral

RISD officially awards degrees three times a year. Degree conferral occurs at the conclusion of the Fall semester, at the conclusion of the Spring semester, and at the conclusion of the Summer term. The conferral date is the date that will be printed on the diploma and on the official transcript.

Students must fill out a diploma name in Workday so that the Registrar’s Office can record the name a student wishes to appear on their diploma.

Students may remain enrolled at RISD only for the duration necessary to complete their graduation requirements. Upon successful completion of all degree requirements, students will be graduated automatically, and are not permitted to extend their enrollment by adding or completing a concentration. If a concentration is not completed by the time of degree conferral, it will be administratively dropped. Students may not remain enrolled in their degree program at RISD once all degree requirements have been fulfilled.

Students who do not complete degree requirements as anticipated by the end of the semester/term will earn their degree as of the next degree conferral date, provided successful completion of all requirements.

The Registrar’s Office is in contact with students regarding the issue of their diploma and any eligible certificates. Diplomas are not released until the Registrar’s Office confirms final degree requirement clearance, and assuming the student has satisfied all financial obligations to the College. Please see the Academic Calendar for official dates.

The vast majority of RISD students complete their degree requirements at the end of the Spring semester by design of their program's curriculum. However, select students off-track may be ready to complete requirements at the end of the Fall or Summer terms. Students in the Liberal Arts MA program Global Arts + Cultures are conferred at the end of the Fall semester, assuming successful completion of degree requirements.

To be considered for graduation at the end of Fall, students should declare their intentions to their department, as well as to the Registrar's Office, by November 1. Fall graduates who have completed all degree requirements are not eligible to register for Wintersession or Spring courses unless the results of their Fall semester grades require them to do so. Any student who is cleared to graduate and enrolls in a Wintersession course will be dropped in advance of the Fall degree conferral.

Students who finish degree requirements after Wintersession will be eligible for a letter attesting to their completion of requirements, but the actual degree and diploma will not be transcripted, conferred, or available, until the spring conferral date in early June (or late May, depending on when the first Saturday after Memorial Day occurs).

International students on an F-1 Visa should see the International Student & Scholar Affairs (ISSA) Office if they plan to graduate mid-year. The program end date that is listed on the student's Form I-20 immigration document will need to be adjusted.

Students who are not currently enrolled at RISD and are seeking to complete graduation requirements from a prior year are eligible for degree conferral (assuming successful completion of degree requirements) as of the next degree conferral date. Students who have been away from RISD for four or more years must satisfy the degree requirements in place at the time of their request to graduate and may be required to reapply to the College through Admissions.

Some countries outside of the United States require an “Apostille” on the diploma. Apostilles will be processed with the Office of the Rhode Island Secretary of State once RISD receives all required information and payment.

Student academic records are sealed upon graduation and no changes or additions to that record will be entertained once a student officially graduates.