Graduation Ceremony FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions
All undergraduates who complete their degree requirements in Fall will be invited to participate in the May graduation ceremony of the same academic year. For example, if you completed your degree in Fall 2022 you will be invited to participate in the May 2023 graduation ceremony.
Yes, students who have 12 or fewer hours of remaining coursework to complete during the Summer term are eligible for walker participation in the May graduation ceremony of the same academic year.
In preparation, you are encouraged to meet with an academic advisor to discuss eligibility and next steps.
Honors cords will be available for eligible students to pick up prior to the graduation ceremony. Specific information regarding when and where will be emailed to eligible students in advance.
*Note - This is different from Honors Day designation, which is where the University designates outstanding students as College Scholars and Distinguished College Scholars. Graduating with honors, high honors, or highest honors is based on your in-residence GPA upon completing degree requirements (see details below):
Highest Honors: 3.9755 - 4.0
High Honors: 3.9338 - 3.9754
Honors: 3.8693 - 3.9337
**the cutoffs listed above pertain to students graduating in May 2022 through December 2022 and will be recalculated for students graduating May 2023 through December 2023 based on criterion outlined below
To qualify to graduate with University Honors honors you must have completed at least 60 hours at The University of Texas at Austin and be in the top 20 percent of your Moody Communication graduating class.
Official honors will be calculated and posted to the transcript and diploma upon certification of all degree candidates.
The GPA required to graduate with University Honors is recomputed each May based on the top 20% of the May graduation class in the College following regulations listed in the Undergraduate Catalog. This same GPA applies to the following August and December graduation classes. The required minimum GPA may be higher than that listed in the catalog. For further information, please contact your academic advisor or consult the Graduation with University Honors section of the General Information Catalog.
Yes. Students participating in the Moody College Graduation ceremony are expected to wear academic regalia, which are the traditional dress for degree candidates participating in college, school and department graduation ceremonies, as well as the university-wide commencement ceremony.
Ordering and Purchasing Regalia
Important information and deadlines for purchase and rental of regalia are available at the University Co-op’s website or at the following Co-op location:
University Co-op
Graduation Department (main level)
2246 Guadalupe St.
Austin, TX 78705
800-255-1896 - Option 2
Please contact moodycollegegraduation@austin.utexas.edu with any accommodation requests no later than 7 business days prior to the event date - we will make every effort to provide accommodation requests.
Inclement weather in any season may become an issue. The graduation ceremony activities will continue if it is safe to do so, rain or shine. Please bring an umbrella and other suitable rain gear, if desired.
A professional photographer will be present. Students will have the option to purchase their photographs by ordering through the university contracted photographers.
Guest ticketing information and guest limits will be shared once ceremony location is confirmed and announced.
Parking will be free in all university garages; recommended parking locations will be updated once the ceremony location is decided and announced.
The university will make decisions about graduation which impact our ability to share information in the fall. As we get information, we will update the FAQs as well as provide informational email communication.