Petition to Graduate Form

Petition to Graduate

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All students are invited to submit their intent to graduate from their degree or certificate program in writing. This form provides an official way for students to submit their declaration of intent in writing.

If received by the deadline, the SFAI Offices of the Registrar and Academic Affairs will review student Program Evaluations and email each student confirmation of their on-track (or not) status toward graduation for the term indicated below before the start of the last semester so that students may adjust their registration in their last semester if needed in order to graduate. Submission of this form alone does not constitute approval to graduate. Required fields are asterisked*.

Graduation requirements for each student are the requirements in effect in the student’s first term of enrollment to the degree or certificate program or the requirements at the time the student declares or changes their major or changes their degree program. If readmitted to the same program following dismissal or withdrawal from the San Francisco Art Institute, the graduation requirements in effect at the time of the first term of re-admission must be met to complete the degree or certificate program. Please check your catalog year in WebAdvisor if you are unsure what program requirements you are held to.

KEEP A COPY OF THE PETITION FOR YOUR RECORDS.

DEADLINES
Submit your petition to the Registrar’s Office during the semester before your term of graduation by clicking on the "Submit" button on the previous page. This allows the Registrar’s Office to evaluate your program requirements and communicate with you about your progress into your final semester.

FALL 2018. The deadline in April has since passed, and semi-final Degree Audit checks have been completed and sent for those petitions submitted on time. Late Petitions will be accepted by October 30th with no guarantee of Fall graduation approval since theoretically, your last semester will have already started. For such cases, conferral of degree may be postponed until the next available term. Students who submit their Graduation Petition after this deadline may not be processed in time for the commencement program and ceremony and may experience a delay in receiving diplomas/certificates.
SPRING 2019. Please submit petitions for SPRING 2019 when you register for that semester during Priority Registration in October.
Late Petitions will be accepted by January 30th with no guarantee of Spring graduation approval since theoretically, your last semester will have already started. For such cases, conferral of degree may be postponed until the next available term. Students who submit their Graduation Petition after this deadline may not be processed in time for the commencement program and ceremony and may experience a delay in receiving diplomas/certificates.

PETITIONING FOR GRADUATION
Students expecting to graduate with a degree or certificate are required to file for graduation with a Petition To Graduate Form in the Registrar’s Office according to the following schedule: (1) for fall, by the time of priority registration in the previous spring semester; and (2) for spring and summer, by the time of priority registration for the previous fall semester. If a student chooses to postpone graduation after filing, the Registrar’s Office should be notified in writing at registrar@sfai.edu.

CONFERMENT
Undergraduate degrees are conferred at the end of each term in an academic year. Graduate degrees are conferred only once a year at the end of the spring semester. An optional minor and/or second major (for undergraduate students) or an optional emphasis (for graduate students) will only be conferred if the student has declared the emphasis/minor with the Registrar’s Office at least one whole semester prior to the conferring of the student’s degree. Students may check if their minor, second major, or emphasis has been filed with the Registrar's Office if the block appears in their Program Evaluation run through WebAdvisor. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that their Declaration of Minor, Second Major, or Emphasis has been filed by checking if it appears in their WebAdvisor Program Evaluation. Students who have been advanced to candidacy or have already completed the degree or certificate requirements by the end of summer or fall term are invited to participate in the commencement ceremony held at the end of the following spring semester.

Students who have satisfied their degree program requirements but have not submitted a Petition to Graduate form will automatically have their active degree or certificate conferred but not receive a diploma. The names will appear in the May commencement program, official notation of their awarded degree will appear on official transcripts and will be officially verifiable through National Student Clearinghouse. However, no diploma will be issued. If students wish to request a diploma, they may do so through a Diploma Request form.

DIPLOMAS AND CERTIFICATES
Diplomas and certificates are not given out at commencement. Diplomas and certificates are available approximately two to four months after the last semester of the student’s program, if the degree has been awarded. Diplomas and certificates are sent to the address provided by the student on this form for this purpose when filing for graduation. Diplomas may be picked up at the Registrar’s Office as well. Proof of degree conferral in U.S. colleges and universities is an official transcript with the degree or certificate posted on the transcript or can be obtained via DegreeVerify through National Student Clearinghouse approximately two months after degrees are conferred. Diploma mailing (as well as official transcripts) will be delayed if students have any holds placed on their records by other offices. Students are notified of a hold prior to each registration and at the time a transcript, diploma, or certificate is requested or ready to be released. Additional or replacement diplomas or certificates may be obtained at a cost of $65.00 from the Registrar’s Office. The Registrar’s Office will retain diplomas for three years only.

PARTICIPATING IN COMMENCEMENT
Commencement is a rite of passage celebrating completion of a degree or academic program. Students encouraged and eligible to participate if they have already completed all program requirements in the fall or will complete degree requirements by the end of the spring semester of the academic year and have resolved all incomplete grades from courses. Students enrolled in their final courses during the spring semester will have their final eligibility to participate determined at mid-term evaluations based on work to that date. Students who have registered for summer courses immediately following commencement in order to fulfill remaining program requirements may be approved to participate by the Registrar’s Office on a case by case basis.

There is only one commencement ceremony each academic year that is held at the end of the spring semester. Please contact the Student Affairs Office at 415.749.4525 and studentaffairs@sfai.edu if you have questions about the event.