Students must apply to graduate at the start of the semester in which they plan to graduate. Click here to Apply to Graduate. Applying to graduate is required by the Registrar’s Office so your degree completion can be officially reviewed and processed.
Important: Applying to graduate is completely separate from the Nursing Pinning and Graduation Ceremony RSVP. You will receive a separate RSVP form from Brandon for the nursing ceremonies.
Graduating in May = Apply to graduate in January/February:
Graduating in August = Apply to graduate in May
Graduating in December = Apply to graduate in September
Applying to graduate triggers the Degree Review and Certification Process, through which the School of Nursing verifies that you have completed all degree requirements.
Once final grades are submitted:
The School of Nursing reviews and certifies your degree completion.
The Registrar’s Office is notified.
Your degree is officially awarded.
Your diploma is produced and mailed.
We hold three separate nursing ceremonies each year, August, December, and May.
The Universty holds once Commencement (graduation) ceremony each year in May. Students who graduate in August or December are welcome to participate in the University Commencement Ceremony the following May, if they wish.
Visit the School of Nursing Nursing Ceremony Website for ceremony dates, schedules, and other event information.
Nursing ceremonies are organized by Brandon Blount. Please direct ceremony-related questions to brandon.blount@maine.edu.
Honors status for the Nursing Pinning Ceremonies is based on your cumulative undergraduate GPA at the time of processing. This includes all grades posted to your academic record. Prior courses or degrees earned at USM will be included in a student’s cumulative GPA. For example, if a student completed 30 credits at USM, graduated from Tufts University, and then returned to USM for a second bachelor's degree, their previous USM courses would be factored into their cumulative GPA, but not the GPA from their graduation at Tufts. This policy applies university-wide and reflects best practice.
If final grades are not yet available, your honors status may be subject to change. You can review the breakdown of Latin Honors categories on the USM Undergraduate Academic Policies page.