The Office of the Registrar is the team that processes degree conferrals at the University. We join you in your excitement as you begin the next chapter in your life. We aim to inform you of accurate information regarding the degree conferral process.
The degree conferral process is currently ongoing and is not restricted to one time of the year. The annual commencement ceremony is not related to the degree conferral process.
The Office of the Registrar will perform a comprehensive audit of your entire academic record once:
- your graduation application is submitted (due dates are available on the academic calendar)
- all grades are posted by your instructors
- all other degree requirements have been fulfilled (including practicum/externship/internship/SJP; doctoral students this also includes submission and approval of your final uploaded dissertation by your academic department…you will receive an email from your academic program when your final uploaded dissertation has been approved).
Graduation Applications
Once the graduation application is available all students will receive an email to their Adler email. The email will contain information about the process as well as the due date.
The graduation application is available in Colleague Self-Service. Please see the Graduation Overview option. If needed, instructions are available on this website in the “Student Forms” section under the “Students/Alum” menu. You will receive an auto-reply email once you submit your application. Please retain this email as it contains important information and can answer most questions students have.
If your graduation application is not submitted, your degree cannot be conferred, regalia cannot be ordered, and your name will not appear in the commencement program. Late applications will incur a late fee.
Commencement participation guidelines, as they relate to degree requirements, are determined at the program level. Your Program Director will review the names in the commencement program before it goes to print. If you do not meet the requirements set by your program, you will not be eligible to participate in the ceremony, even if you ordered regalia. Students with questions should reach out to their Program Chair/Director directly.
Address Changes
Please see directions on how to request an address change “Address, Phone Number, and Personal E-mail Changes via Self-Service“. Diploma reorders due to an incorrect address will incur the diploma reorder fee. Diplomas are ordered several times throughout the month, so it is critical to keep your address current.
Final Grades
Chicago campus: Instructors are required to post grades no later than five business days after the end of the course period.
Online campus: Instructors are required to post grades no later than two business days after the course period ends.
Once an instructor posts final grades, the grades are immediately available for the student to view in Student Planner. Questions regarding missing grades or grade changes should always be referred to the instructor on record (please see your schedule for your instructor’s name). Since faculty are responsible for posting final grades, the Office of the Registrar does not have knowledge regarding the status of a student’s missing grade.
INTERNSHIP/PRACTICUM/EXTERNSHIP/SJP:
Students are also required to have all internship/practicum/externship/SJP requirements complete before their degree is conferred. Students with questions regarding the status of their internship/practicum/externship/SJP grades or questions regarding where documentation should be sent from their training sites should connect directly with the instructor of record. Please see your schedule for this information. Please note the Office of the Registrar has no involvement in training related courses and does not obtain or retain documentation relating to these experiences.
Degree Conferral:
Once all of your grades are posted and you have completed ALL degree requirements (including practicum, internship, externship, SJP, submission of your final dissertation to your academic department, and confirmation from your academic program your final uploaded dissertation has been accepted…you will receive an email from your academic program when your final uploaded dissertation has been approved) auditing for degree conferral commences.
The vast majority of Adler students complete degree requirements during the Summer term, so the processing of graduation audits for both the Chicago and Online campuses during this term takes time. The degree conferral process may take up to 30 days from the date your last grade was posted or last degree requirement was completed.
Please know we are working diligently to process your graduation audit and you will receive e-mail notification to your Adler email account once your degree has been posted to your academic record.
Please allow up to 12 weeks from the date you receive the confirmation of degree conferral e-mail form the Office of the Registrar for the receipt of your diploma. All diplomas are mailed directly from our vendor, via UPS, to the address listed in Self-Service.
Degree Conferral Dates:
Both the degree completion and conferral dates reflected on your transcript will reflect the date all degree requirements were satisfied (this includes last dates of attendance posted by your instructors for each of your courses, completion dates of your practicum/externship/internship/SJP, submission of your final dissertation to your academic department, and confirmation from your academic program your final uploaded dissertation has been accepted).
The Commencement Ceremony
Student Affairs coordinates the annual commencement ceremony and communicates to the Adler community when details for the next commencement ceremony are available. If you have questions regarding the ceremony (the ceremony, ceremony date/time/location, regalia, tickets), please see commencement.adler.edu for more information.
Licensure and Degree Verification:
Please submit your licensure and degree verification paperwork only after you have been notified your degree has been conferred.
Account Holds
An outstanding balance will prevent the release of your transcript and the ordering of your diploma. Please connect with the Office of Student Accounts Office for information about your student account:
Office of Student Accounts
Chicago, Online and CMHC
Vancouver Campus
Past due library books, library fines, past due assessment materials also prevent the release of your transcript and the ordering of your diploma.
If you resolve your holds after you receive the email from the Office of the Registrar that your degree has been conferred, please reach out to us so your diploma can be ordered.
Office of the Registrar