Information for Graduates

All students who are eligible to graduate will be contacted by the Registrar’s Office. Please reach out to the Registrar’s Office (registrar@paloaltou.edu) if you did not receive information regarding the intent to graduate form. 

All eligible graduates must have submitted an Intent to Graduate form to participate. All eligible graduates include anyone whose degree has been conferred for Fall 2023 and Winter 2024 quarters as well as anyone who is expected to complete their degree requirements in the Spring and/or Summer 2024 quarters.*

*To qualify to participate in the 2024 ceremony, doctoral students are required to submit the Permission to Schedule Final Defense form (D-6 or PsyD D-6) by Friday, April 19th, with a final defense date no later than May 15th.

If you have any questions regarding the form or your eligibility to graduate, please reach out to the Registrar's Office. 

Commencement is the ceremony to honor students whose degrees have been conferred or who are expected to graduate in the academic year. 

Graduation is the completion of one's program requirements and the awarding of the degree.

When completing the Intent to Graduate form, you can choose either your legal name or diploma name for the commencement booklet. Changes to your name for the commencement booklet can be made based on the quarter you will be graduating:

Fall 2023 Deadline - November 6, 2023

Winter 2024 Deadline - January 2, 2024

Spring and Summer 2024 Deadline - April 1, 2024

Yes, the link to access the live-stream, will be added to the PAU homepage and the commencement page as we get closer to the ceremony date.

Tickets are not required to attend the ceremony, however, graduates are required to register their guests via Eventbrite. The registration link will be posted at a later time.

Please complete this request form and indicate the accommodation needed by June 1, 2024. Please send an email to commencement@paloaltou.edu and. Please send your requests by June 1. 

Family, friends, and guests whose graduate has confirmed their attendance are invited to join the in-person ceremony. Additionally, the ceremony will be available for live-streaming for those unable to attend in person.

You can order your regalia on Josten's website or you can call Josten's customer service at 1-800-854-7464. The deadline to order your regalia is May 4. 

Visit Josten's website or contact Josten's Customer Service at 1-800-854-7464 to place an order. 

Yes, visit Josten's website to view our PAU ring collection, or contact Josten's Customer Service at 1-800-854-7464 to place an order. 

Yes, PAU partners with GradImages, who will take multiple photos of each candidate as they process across the stage. GradImages will email graduates a few days after commencement when proofs are ready (as long as a valid email address was provided). 

If you have not received your proofs within five business days, please contact customer service at 800-261-2576.

Photos taken by our professional photographer can be ordered through Grad Images.

PAU supports the decoration of caps for the commencement ceremony. While the University recognizes that this is an important activity, students choosing to wear a decorated cap during the ceremony must follow the guidelines below. The guidelines will be enforced at the Commencement ceremony, and the University reserves the right to request that graduates change inappropriate attire before they are allowed to participate in the ceremony. The University wants this experience for our graduates to be a positive and celebratory event of self-expression yet respectful to all.

Guidelines:

• Only the flat top area of the mortarboard may be decorated. Adornments should lay flat on the top of the cap. Decorations may not include the following:
• Profanity
• Symbols for or references to alcohol or controlled substances
• Political statements, symbols, or political party references
• Three-dimensional objects
• Flowers of flower crowns
• Objects that light up

Note: Any adornment or message deemed inappropriate or determined to be a distraction will not be permitted.

Once you have completed all degree requirements and have received a final grade for all of your courses, the Registrar's Office will confer your degree and send a confirmation notice.

Once you have received your confirmation notice, it will take 4-6 weeks for our vendor to print your diploma and for the Registrar's Office to mail it to you. For additional questions about your diploma, please contact the Registrar's Office at registrar@paloaltou.edu.

Yes, diplomas will not be released for students who have outstanding financial obligations to the University or outstanding academic requirements.

The undergraduate and masters diploma's measure 8.5" x 11" and the doctoral diplomas measure 11" x 14".

Visit the Jostens website, or contact Josten's Customer Service at 1-800-854-7464 to place an order.

Please note the following diploma sizes:

Bachelor's and Master's - 8.5" x 11"

Doctoral - 11" x 14"

Yes. Graduating students must complete online federal exit counseling on studenaid.gov to receive their PAU diploma.

Degrees are considered official when all grades are received and all degree requirements are successfully met and posted on your transcript.

University honors are for undergraduate students and are determined using a student’s cumulative GPA., academic honors are designated as follows:***

Summa Cum Laude 3.75+ (3.75-4.0)

Magna Cum Laude 3.66+ (3.66-3.74)

Cum Laude 3.5 + (3.50 - 3.65)

University Honors are noted on the diploma and transcripts.

***For the commencement program, academic honors are based on all of your completed coursework through the end of the winter quarter.***

Upon awarding of your degree, the Registrar’s Office will email you (via your PAU email address) notifying you that your degree has been conferred and stepson how to request your diploma. This email also includes detailed information on how to order your official transcript through the National Student Clearinghouse.

A degree verification can be obtained by emailing the Registrar’s Office at registrar@paloaltou.edu.  Information regarding the details required for your verification request can be found here.

Diploma - Alumni with a financial hold from their student billing account will not be able to receive their diploma until all outstanding financial obligations are paid 

Official Transcript - PAU will withhold the release of official transcripts of  a student with a Library hold and/or Student Success hold. Any student with these holds must work with the appropriate department to resolve their hold.

Graduates should arrive at the Santa Clara Convention Center Hall B by 8:45 a.m. dressed in regalia. Please allow 15 to 20 minutes for parking and walking to your check-in station located in hall B.

No. Please leave valuables and personal possessions with family and friends; we do not have security or space to store them. We are not responsible for lost, stolen or destroyed personal possessions.

The doors to Hall C & D where the ceremony will be held, will open 1 hour prior to the ceremony. You are required to register via Eventbrite. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis as long as have registered. Candidates, please be sure to notify your guests of this procedure. If you require ADA accommodations, please complete this request form by June 1, 2024.

No, all seats are general admission and on a first-come, first-served basis, unless requesting ADA accommodations. 

The ceremony will last approximately 90 to 120 minutes.

No, children need to be seated in general seating with the candidate's guests.

Some areas of the ceremony hall will be blocked off for visibility and safety reasons or may be reserved for graduates. We ask that guests do not sit in these blocked areas. Our volunteer ushers may ask guests to relocate to another seating area if needed. 

Yes, the use of video cameras will be allowed to the extent that they do not obstruct the view of other guests in the audience. Monopods, bipods, and tripods are not allowed.

Graduating students must complete online federal exit counseling on studenaid.gov in order to receive their PAU diploma.

For additional information regarding student loan repayment please visit our site: https://www.paloaltou.edu/admissions/admissions-resources/financial-aid-and-scholarships/repaying-student-loans

Visit the PAU Alumni website for information regarding important alumni news and information, alumni benefits, resources, and events. 

You can also join your alumni Facebook and LinkedIn groups to keep in touch with peers and hear about alumni programming.

No, it is yours to have as an alumni. It is also another great way to stay connected to the University. 

 Contact Alumni Relations directly at alumnirelations@paloaltou.edu.