Graduation FAQs
Determining When You Will Graduate
This is an excellent question. Students are graduated and invited to commencement in the term in which they have satisfactorily completed all catalog requirements as prescribed for the major and degree sought. Once students have completed or are registered in the current term for all coursework required for their program(s) and all other catalog requirements are met, they are identified as a potential graduate for that term.
Reg Hub is a tool available to you in AC Connect that will help you track your progress for all of your active academic programs and it is a good idea to review your status each term to help you set goals and prepare for upcoming terms. You can also view requirements by looking in the online AC Catalog for the year you started your program.
In AC Connect, click on the Reg Hub application under "My Apps":
Under "My plans" click on "Open" next to the program you want to view.
Once you are in the planning screen, click on "Requirements" in the top right of the screen, next to the "Progress" bar. In each program, you can view all the requirements for the program and your current status for fulfilling each requirement section also called “blocks”. For Associate degree programs, there will be general education requirement blocks (Core Requirements) and a Major Requirement block(s). As you take each course required for your program, the blocks will move from a status of Incomplete to Complete.
You will graduate in the term that you take your final courses for all requirements in your program. Your advisor can help you with any questions you have about degree requirements and your status in each requirement block.
*Note that if you have ever taken general Continuing Education courses or Adult Basic Education courses at AC, these programs may show in this window but do not apply to specific programs in the Academic Inventory. Page through by clicking the navigation arrows until you get to your academic program(s).
No, AC students do not apply for graduation. Each term, the Registrar’s Office will evaluate all students enrolled for the term to identify the students who are on track to meet all requirements for their active programs. At the time the students are evaluated, their progress must show the student has completed, is currently taking, or will take all coursework required for their program in the current term to be considered a potential graduate and invited to attend commencement. Additionally, students must meet all institutional requirements listed in the course catalog.
Once a student has been evaluated as meeting all requirements for the program in each term, the student will typically receive a minimum of 3 communications in their student email from the Registrar’s Office.
- Notification to Potential Graduates: Students will be notified that they have been identified as a potential graduate and invited to attend the commencement ceremony. This email will come out in the 2nd week of the 2nd 8-week session.
- Preparing for Commencement: All students who have been invited to participate in the commencement ceremony will be emailed instructions for preparing for the commencement ceremony, including purchasing their regalia, registering with photographers so they may receive photo proofs (purchase is optional), and who to contact if special assistance is needed. This email will come out about a month prior to the end of term.
- Final Instructions: The Monday prior to commencement, students will receive specific instructions for the day of the ceremony including where to park, where to report, and what time to arrive.
After all potential graduates have been notified of their graduation status, an email to all enrolled students for the term will go out to let students know that if they did not receive an email and feel they are on track to graduate for the term, they need to contact their advisor by the provided deadline.
Summer graduates: Because there is no ceremony in the Summer, students who are on track to graduate in the Summer are invited to participate in either the Spring or Fall ceremony. Students must be registered for all the planned courses for the Summer by the Spring commencement ceremony deadline to be added to the Spring graduate list. Official Summer graduates will also receive an invite to participate in the following Fall ceremony if they did not participate in the previous Spring Commencement Ceremony.
Preparing For Commencement
Because AC does not require students to apply for graduation, commencement ceremonies are reserved only for students who are potential graduates for the term.
Because there is not a ceremony in the Summer for Summer graduates, those graduates may choose to either walk in the Spring ceremony immediately preceding the Summer they are on track to graduate or the Fall ceremony immediately following the Summer when they officially graduate. Participation of Summer graduates in the Spring ceremony requires that students register for the courses required for Summer graduation before the Spring commencement ceremony deadline.
Students graduating with Associate level awards are honored if their GPA is 3.5 or higher. If your official GPA meets the requirements below, by the end of the 1st 8 weeks of the term from which you are on track to graduate, the below recognition is given at Commencement. The graduation GPA is calculated by dividing the total number of grade points earned by the total number of credit hours attempted, excluding remedial/developmental course grades and all but the highest grade assigned where courses have been repeated.
Beginning with the 2026-2027 academic year, Amarillo College adopted a Latin honors system for commencement and graduation recognition.
- Summa Cum Laude (with the highest praise): Cumulative 3.9-4.0 GPA
- Magna Cum Laude (with great praise): Cumulative 3.7-3.89 GPA
- Cum Laude (with praise): Cumulative 3.5-3.69 GPA
Once students are officially graduated, the applicable honors status is placed on the diploma and the student’s transcript.
Other than the required AC cap and gown, the type of clothing you wear under your regalia is your choice as long as your attire does not violate the code of conduct outlined in the Student Rights and Responsibilities and does not distract from the proceedings during the commencement ceremonies. Most students wear something along the lines of what is considered business casual.
Shoes should be chosen carefully as there is a significant number of stairs to navigate as well as a considerable amount of walking and standing. During the Fall ceremonies, there is a subfloor placed over the ice on the coliseum floor, so the flooring in that ceremony is both uneven and cold. Stiletto-style heels are strongly discouraged.
NOTE: Lights or noisemakers are NOT permitted.
Yes! AC permits caps to be decorated for the ceremony as long as the cap is not distracting. In order to be respectful of your fellow graduates and to prevent interference with production activities,
- Lights or noisemakers are not permitted.
Commencement: Your legal name we have on file will be used for your name card and the commencement program. If you have given us a first name, we will use that in place of your legal first name. Your legal last name will still be used for your card and the commencement program.
Diploma: Your legal name will be used on your diploma.
Name changes: If you need to change your name after you receive your email notifying you that you are a potential graduate for the term, you will need to stop by the Enrollment Center to fill out a name change form and provide the required documentation of your name change. You will then need to notify the Registrar's office of the name change so we can update your name card and the commencement program. We will make every effort to update your new name but cannot guarantee the program will be updated in time for commencement due to printing deadlines.
After Commencement
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Friday: 9:00am to 1:00pm
Saturday: Closed
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