Office of the Registrar

Graduation and Commencement – What’s the difference?

The terms Graduation and Commencement are often used interchangeably. As a University of Wyoming graduate, we want you to be aware about these two similar yet different terms.

Commencement is a ceremony held twice per year (winter and spring) honoring students who have recently or will soon graduate, which means completing all requirements of their degree program. Participating in Commencement does not automatically mean that a student has graduated. In order to graduate, a student must complete all requirements and apply for graduation.

Summer 2025 Deadlines:

• Thesis/Dissertation Defense Deadline: Tuesday, August 5, 2025 
• Deadline - last day to submit properly completed / approved paperwork to the Office of the Registrar: Friday, August 15, 2025

Fall 2025 Deadlines:

• Thesis/Dissertation Defense Deadline: Tuesday, December 2, 2025
• Deadline - last day to submit properly completed / approved paperwork to the Office of the Registrar: Friday, December 5, 2025

Spring 2026 Deadlines:

• Thesis/Dissertation Defense Deadline: Tuesday, May 5, 2026 
• Deadline - last day to submit properly completed / approved paperwork to the Office of the Registrar: Friday, May 8, 2026

**If you wish to participate in Commencement activities please visit the UW Commencement site. 

All students must declare their graduation dates by logging in to WyoRecords.

Important Things to do and Dates to Remember:

Declare your graduation date - Anticipated Graduation Date information may be submitted at any time, but should be submitted as early in the term of graduation as possible. Upon receipt of your information, your Degree Analyst will verify that all course requirements have been met. If discrepancies are found, the Degree Analyst will contact you with instructions on how to resolve them. Your Degree Analyst will also verify that you have registered for a minimum of one semester hour for the current semester. If you have questions, please contact the appropriate Degree Analyst.

Any change in your graduation date should be reported in writing immediately to your Degree Analyst.

After the Defense

The deadline for submission of all graduate student graduation paperwork (including uploading to ProQuest completed thesis or dissertation) is the last day of classes for the semester: 5 pm on the Friday before Finals Week, which is 8 days before the commencement ceremony.

Following the defense and when all committee signatures have been secured (note: committee chairs may delay signature until all necessary changes to the thesis/dissertation/non-thesis paperwork have been made and approved), submit the form to the Office of the Registrar.

After submission of the Report of Final Examination Results form indicating all changes/revision have been made and the thesis/dissertation is approved for final submission, student will submit the document for format review and final electronic publication to ProQuest. You will be advised if additional corrections are required.

Ph.D. students only: Complete the NORC national survey of doctoral students. This is done using the Survey of Earned Doctorates on the NORC website. At the end of the survey, you will be prompted to send an email indicating completion of the survey. Please send this email to registrar@uwyo.edu.