Submit an Application for Graduation

Program Completion Status

  • Your status on your academics overview page will indicate Pending Completion once you have applied. Contact your advisor if you have questions regarding your academic progress report (APR). We encourage you to review your APR any issues with your advisor.
  • Once your application has been reviewed, your program completion status will be updated to Approved, Denied, or Evaluation Deferred. Also, a notification will be sent to you.

Application Decisions

You will receive a Workday notification once your application has been reviewed and your program completion status has been updated. The notification will indicate any next steps you may need to take. Please note that the application review process will not start until the beginning of the term in which you have applied to graduate.

Approved

If you are notified that your application status has been approved, you have met all degree requirements using in-progress courses. There is nothing else you need to do at this time. This status on your Academics Overview screen will say "Pending Completion."

Evaluation Deferred

If you are notified that your application status is "Evaluation Deferred:"

  • You have unmet degree requirements (including honors program, minor(s), endorsement(s), certificate(s), etc.) or degree requirements that won't be resolved until after grades post, you need transfer work evaluated, or you need approval of transferred courses. Reach out to your advisor for help resolving the issue.
  • You do not need to reapply for program completion
  • The status on your Academics Overview page will say "Pending Completion."

Denied

If you are notified that your application status is denied:

  • You have unmet degree requirements that will not allow you to graduate, and you will need to update your expected completion date. This decision could also mean that you are trying to make a program of study change
    • Examples of a program of study change are: adding or dropping an additional major or minor
  • You must reapply for program completion
  • The status on your Academic Overview page will say "In Progress."

Outstanding Graduation Requirements

Academic Progress Report (APR) and Other Issues

If you have any outstanding graduation requirements, please contact your academic advisor. Any changes to your Academic Progress Report must be initiated by your advisor and submitted to your department/main college office for approval.

Concurrent Student

  • If you are a concurrent student, please confirm that your courses are on the right academic record. If not, you will need to submit a Transfer of Courses form to reassign the courses. This can be done before the course starts, after the course begins, or after the course concludes.
  • If you are a concurrent student who has coursework that will need to be applied to multiple records degree requirements (e.g. undergraduate and graduate) complete the following steps:
    • If it a past course, and graded, please confirm it shows correctly on your APR. If not, work with your academic advisor to submit a Transfer of Courses form to articulate the course(s).
    • If it is a current course(s), you will need to submit a Transfer of Courses form. The form will be processed at the end of the semester once grades are posted.
    • If the course(s) is needed for your undergraduate degree requirements, your program completion application status will be Evaluation Deferred, please notify us that you have submitted a Transfer of Courses form. 

Incompletes, non-reports, grade changes, and/or test out credit

These items can delay graduation and should be rectified as soon as possible.

Transfer Coursework

  • Official transcripts for all transfer work must be be submitted to the ISU Admissions Office
    • Official PDF (preferred method): etranscript@iastate.edu
    • Official Paper Transcript: Mailed to:  ISU Admissions Office, 100 Enrollment Services Center, Ames, IA 50011
  • If you are bringing in transfer work to complete your degree requirements, please email your graduation evaluator as soon as possible. 

Contact your graduation evaluator or the Graduation Office by email at graduation@iastate.edu or phone 515-294-1840 if you have questions regarding your program completion status status.

Diploma Mailing Address 

Once your program completion application is submitted, a To-Do will appear in your inbox to complete the Diploma Delivery Selection Questionnaire.

  • Select how you would like your diploma delivered:
    • Mailed to your Home (Primary) address
    • Pick up from the Office of the Registrar (214 Enrollment Services Center), once you receive notification from the Graduation Office that the diplomas are available for pick up.
  • Hit the Submit button

If you select the mailing option, a To-Do will appear in your inbox to review and/or modify your primary home mailing address (Your Home (Primary) mailing address is where your diploma will be mailed to).

  • Click the Change My Home Contact Information button
  • Review the address that is noted as Primary = Yes
    • If the address, is accurate, please hit the Submit button at the bottom of the page.
    • If the address needs to be modified, please click on the pencil icon on the Address card and make the updates. After doing so, please hit the Submit button at the bottom of the page.
  • Once you have reviewed and/or modified your Home (Primary) address within the Home Contact Information section of your student profile, hit the Submit button on this To-Do within your inbox. You must submit the To-Do so other graduation processes can trigger within your inbox.

Ceremony Attendance Information

For those graduating in the current semester, please complete the RSVP form for commencement.

For additional information or assistance, please see Commencement RSVP Instructions.

The RSVP form is only valid for the current semester's commencement ceremony. Access to the form depends on your graduation term:

  • Spring Commencement: Open to students graduating in Spring or Summer.
  • Fall Commencement: Open to students graduating in Fall only.

If you are an early degree conferral graduate, or wish to participate in a ceremony outside your graduating term, please contact us at graduation@iastate.edu.

With Distinction Cords

For distinction cord eligibility details, information can be found on the ISU Courses and Programs website under "Graduation with Distinction."

If you are eligible, an email will be sent to you when distinction cords are available for pickup.

ISU Transcripts

Information relating to ordering and accessing transcripts from Iowa State can be found on the Office of the Registrar website.

Diplomas

  • Fall 2025 graduates will receive the digital copy of their diploma(s) by end of day on January 2, 2026. Physical diplomas will arrive 10-18 business days after digital diplomas have been received.
  • For domestic mailing addresses, the physical copy is expected to arrive 10-18 business days after issuance. For international mailing addresses, the physical copy is expected to arrive within 4 to 6 weeks after issuance.
  • If you selected the pick-up option for your diploma, you will need to bring your Iowa State University ID card, or another form of identification, and come to 214 Enrollment Services Center during our office hours. You will receive an email when the diplomas are available for pickup. 

Financial Information

Financial Aid Exit Counseling Session

  • An exit counseling session is mandatory if you have borrowed through the Federal Direct Stafford Loan Program (either subsidized or unsubsidized).
  • Complete your exit counseling online by going to the Office of Financial Aid website.
  • If you have questions, please contact the Office of Student Financial Aid, 0210 Beardshear Hall, or call 515-294-2223.

Loans Receivable Exit Counseling Session

  • An exit counseling session is mandatory if you have borrowed from the Disadvantaged Student Loan, Federal Perkins Loan, Health Profession Student Loan or University Long Term Loan programs.
  • If you have questions, please contact Loans Receivables, 0880 Beardshear, or call 515-294-8747.

Accounts Receivable Office

  • Review your bill periodically, 1-2 months after graduation for any late charges.

ISU Email After Graduation

After you graduate or leave Iowa State, your account remains active for one semester before being suspended/expired. You will want to forward messages from your ISU account to a different e-mail account, or create an Alumni Association Account. 

Also, you will want to update or confirm your non-ISU email in Workday. To do so:

  • Log into Workday, and go to your profile
  • Click on the Personal tab
  • Choose Contact from the top header
  • Scroll to find Email Addresses section
  • Enter or confirm your non-ISU email

Report Your Post-Graduation Plans

To comply with state and federal requirements, Iowa State University must report on the outcomes of its graduates. This data, collected by Career Services each graduation, is crucial for accreditation and continuous improvement. It also provides valuable insights for prospective and current students exploring majors and career prospects, as well as faculty, employers, and donors.

To report your outcome:

  1. Login to CyHire.
  2. Navigate to your homepage.
  3. Select "+ Report Status" under Outcomes.

Your response is only reported externally in aggregate form.

Questions?

Contact the Graduation Office, 214 Enrollment Services Center, phone 515-294-1840 or email graduation@iastate.edu.