Commencement Eligibility | Purdue University

Undergraduate and Professional Students

If you’re an undergraduate or professional student in the College of Veterinary Medicine or the College of Pharmacy, you’re eligible to participate in commencement once you:

Apply to graduate by the deadline listed in myPurdue.
Confirm your degree progress with your academic advisor or college candidate coordinator.
Appear on your college’s candidate roster for the term.

Once you apply, a Commencement link appears in your myPurdue portal during your graduation term.

If you don’t meet your degree requirements in time, email commencement@purdue.edu (copy your advisor) to have your application removed. You’ll need to reapply for the next term.

After you have met with your advisor to confirm your plan to complete your degree requirements for your final year, you can apply to graduate.

Step 1: Access the Graduation Application

Log in to your myPurdue and select the Academics tab. In the Destination Graduation card, you will select Apply to Graduate.

Review the terms and deadlines listed on this page before proceeding.

Step 2: Select Your Enrollment Term

You will be prompted to select a term. This is not the term you wish to graduate.

Select the most recent term in which you were enrolled in the degree-seeking program for which you plan to earn a degree. Select the term and hit Submit.

Step 3: Review Your Curriculum

A Curriculum Selection page will appear. Review all information carefully before continuing. Confirm that your degree program, level (undergraduate/graduate), college, campus, and major are correct.

If anything is incorrect, do not continue. Contact your academic advisor right away to update your curriculum. Once corrections are made, return to apply for graduation.
If you have more than one active degree program listed, you will see multiple options. Select one at a time, starting with your highest degree first. For example, if you are pursuing a bachelor’s degree and a certificate, select the bachelor’s degree first. You must then go back and submit a separate application for each additional program or certificate.

If all information is accurate, including any minors, select Continue.

Step 4: Select Your Graduation Date

The next screen will ask you to select the term in which you plan to complete your requirements and graduate. Choose your graduation term from the dropdown menu and select Continue.

Note for students with multiple majors: Students with multiple majors attend only one commencement ceremony. The first major you select during the graduation application process determines which commencement ceremony you will attend.

Step 5: Review and Submit

A Graduation Application Summary will display your selected graduation date, term, curriculum, degree program, level, college, campus, and major. Review all information one final time for accuracy.

If everything is correct, select Submit Request.

FAQs

Who can apply to graduate?

You can apply once you reach your second semester of junior year (classification 6 or higher), or if you’re in Veterinary Nursing (AAS), Doctor of Pharmacy or Doctor of Veterinary Medicine programs (P3 or P4 classification).

Do you have more than one major?

If both majors are in the same college, you’ll receive one degree with both majors listed on your transcript. If your majors span two colleges, you’ll submit two separate graduation applications.

Can I apply if I have a hold on my record?

Some holds prevent you from submitting your application. Resolve any active holds before applying.

Graduating with Distinction

Purdue celebrates exceptional academic achievement with Distinction and Highest Distinction honors at commencement. Honors are based on your final cumulative GPA and your class ranking within your college or school.

The preliminary GPA thresholds for May 2026 graduates are included below:

Degree Type	Distinction*	Highest Distinction**
Associate degrees	3.95	3.99
Agriculture	3.90	3.98
Education	3.98	3.98
Engineering	3.89	3.98
Health and Human Sciences	3.93	3.98
Liberal Arts	3.93	3.98
Daniels School of Business	3.85	3.98
Pharmacy	3.82	3.98
Purdue Polytechnic	3.88	3.98
Science	3.95	3.98
Veterinary Nursing	3.79	3.98
Doctor of Veterinary Medicine	3.90	4.00
Doctor of Pharmacy	3.93	4.00

*Distinction represents the top 10% in each college or school based on the GPA threshold noted for each degree type.

**Highest Distinction recognizes the top 30% of graduates who qualify for Distinction. The GPA threshold for Highest Distinction is 3.74 for associate degrees and 3.98 for all other degrees.

Have Questions?

If you have questions about your eligibility or degree progress, connect with your:

Academic advisor (undergraduates and professional students)
Major professor or Graduate Registration Contact (graduate students)

Looking Ahead

Once your eligibility is confirmed, you’re ready for the next step — registering for commencement and preparing for your big day.

Explore

Eligibility for Commencement