• A minimum of 180 total credits
  Note: Western allows a maximum of 135 quarter (90 semester) credits to transfer from any combination of regionally accredited institutions, including no more than 105 quarter (70 semester) lower division credits. Additional coursework, which exceeds this amount, may be used to meet specific requirements, but additional credits will not be allowed to count toward the 180 credit requirement for graduation. Lower division includes CEEB and military credit.

• A minimum of 45 credits through WWU. Correspondence coursework (including Western's Independent Learning Program), credit by examination, and advanced placement credit are not included in this total.

• A minimum of 60 quarter credits must be upper division (300/400-level).

• Complete a minimum of three writing proficiency (WP) points in approved upper division writing proficiency courses at WWU. Approved courses have an attribute of WP1, WP2, or WP3.

• General University Requirements (GURs) can be satisfied:
  
1. on a course-by-course basis. A list of GURs is available online.
2. by the completion of an approved direct-transfer AA degree from a Washington state community college earned prior to initial enrollment at WWU. If any student wishes to complete such a degree in order to have it satisfy the GUR after initial enrollment at Western, it must be earned by the time
   • the student has completed 45 credits at WWU, or
   • one calendar year has passed from initial enrollment at WWU, whichever comes later. All students must satisfy the GURs except those enrolled in Fairhaven College, where a separate core program is required.
3. By submitting a letter of verification from a Washington state public baccalaureate institution that all general university requirements were complete at the sending institution.

All students must satisfy the GURs except those enrolled in Fairhaven College of Interdisciplinary Studies, where a separate core program is required.

• An approved academic major (at least 50% of the credits required for the major must be earned at WWU).

• A minor if required (at least 50% of the credits required for the minor must be earned at WWU).

• Professional Education sequence, if required (all grades C or better).

• A grade of C- or better in a student's major or minor, supporting courses for majors and minors, ENG 101, and courses taken to fulfill the upper division writing proficiency requirement.

• Cumulative GPA at Western of at least 2.00 unless a higher GPA is required by the major.

• Final quarter - Must be registered for at least one Western course in the quarter in which degree is to be awarded. Correspondence courses are allowed only by exception.

• Submit an application for graduation to the Registrar's Office no later than the last day of classes two quarters prior to the final quarter. (You should have your major/minor evaluation(s) completed by your academic department at least one month prior to the degree application deadline.).

Questions? Contact Credit Evaluation in the Registrar's Office at 360-650-3985 or by e-mail.

Degree Requirements Review Form
Former WWU students who have not been enrolled at WWU within the last two years may request a degree requirements review. The printable form is available in PDF format, which requires Acrobat Reader®.

Information For Baccalaureate Degree Candidates
Substitutions or waivers granted by departments after the senior evaluation must be approved in writing and submitted to Credit Evaluation in the Registrar's Office, Old Main 230. A printable course substitution form is available here in PDF format, which requires Acrobat Reader®.

If you have applied for a minor but do not complete all the minor requirements, your degree will be awarded without the minor as long as the minor is not required for your program. You must notify a credit evaluator (360-650-3985 or e-mail) if you wish the degree to be held pending completion of the minor.

Official transcripts for course work from other institutions should be ordered and sent to WWU, Registrar's Office, 516 High St., Bellingham, WA 98225-9008.

Courses that have incomplete status ("K" grade) must be completed—and the final grade submitted by the instructor—by the end of the graduation quarter. It is the student’s responsibility to make arrangements with the instructor to ensure timely submission and processing of the final grade.

Grades for correspondence courses are due at the end of the graduation quarter.

If you plan to continue enrollment at WWU after graduation and interrupt your enrollment for a quarter other than summer, you will need to apply for readmission by contacting the Office of Admissions, Old Main 200, 360-650-3440. Otherwise, you are eligible to register as a post-baccalaureate student. Registration information is available online.

Graduation Honors
The Honors Grade Averages necessary to be awarded graduation honors in the 2009-2010 academic year are:

	Magna Cum Laude	Cum Laude
College of Business and Economics	3.80	3.63
College of Fine and Performing Arts	3.87	3.83
College of Humanities and Social Sciences	3.88	3.75
College of Sciences and Technology	3.89	3.77
Huxley College of the Environment	3.96	3.83
Woodring College of Education	3.98	3.93

Please note that these grade point averages are not cumulative grade point averages.

Information on how the honors GPA is calculated is available in the Graduation Honors portion of the catalog.

Petition for Waiver of Graduation Requirement

Petition to Use a Transfer Course as a General University Requirement

Alternative Writing Proficiency Course Request

Diplomas
Diplomas are inscribed with the college, degree title, your name, date of award (always the last Friday of the quarter), and academic honor. Majors and minors do not appear on your diploma; they are part of the degree posting on your official transcript.

Diplomas are not given out at the commencement ceremony but are mailed six to eight weeks after the close of the quarter to the diploma address you indicated on your degree application. Changing a mailing or permanent address does NOT change the diploma address. If your diploma mailing address has changed, please update your diploma mailing address by telephone at 360-650-3985, in person at the Registrar’s Office or via the Web4U Address Change Form.

Your name that appears on the diploma is the name you indicated at the time of degree application. A change of your official name with the University does not change your name on your diploma. If you have a degree application on file in the Registrar’s Office and wish to change the way your name will appear on the diploma, you must contact Credit Evaluation at 360-650-3985 or by e-mail prior to the end of your graduation quarter.

Diploma covers are issued at commencement ceremonies. If you do not plan to attend commencement, you can purchase a cover from the Western Alumni House (corner of Oak and High Streets, 360-650-3353) at a cost of $15.00 plus tax.

If all degree requirements are not completed by the close of the quarter, a notification will be sent to the diploma address informing you of the problem(s). If the problems are not resolved, your degree will not be awarded and your graduation file will become inactive. You will then need to reapply to this office for graduation under the requirements in effect at the time of your future graduation. Click here for a reapplication form. A degree reapplication fee will be required.