How Grad Works for Academic, Vocational, Technology and Adult Education Programs
Arts Diplomas and Certificates
Science Diplomas and Certificates
Technology Diplomas
Business Administration Degrees, Diplomas and Certificates
Office Administration Certificates
Health and Social Development Certificates and Diplomas
Adult Basic Education (including BC Adult Graduation Diploma)
Adult Special Education
English as a Second Language (English for Academic Purposes Certificate)
Food, Wine and Tourism Diploma and Certificates:
- Culinary Management Diploma
- Viticulture Certificate
- ** Wine Sales Certificate and Winery Assistant Certificate are housed under the Continuing Studies program.
If you are reading this early on in your program, it is advised that you continue to monitor your progress through your program by checking the calendar and ensuring you are meeting graduation requirements. Meet with an advisor to discuss any questions you have.
Once you register in your final semester coursework, it's a good idea that you complete a final review of your record against graduation requirements listed in the calendar. If you notice any problems, bring them up with the Graduating Student Assistant (GSA): graduation@okanagan.bc.ca. The GSA will work with you and, if necessary, the Chair of your program and your Dean on any issues that arise.
For Business students, the Okanagan School of Business has developed a Personal Degree Plan for the BBA that you can use to check your graduation status. There is an advising sheet available for the Business Diploma as well.
All students in the programs listed above must in their myOkanagan account regardless of whether or not they plan to attend the ceremony. You can apply to graduate as soon as you are registered in your final coursework. We encourage students to apply as early as possible. Applying early gives you the advantage of having your file reviewed earlier in the graduation process and a greater chance of being notified early if there are problems with your graduation.
Pre-Audit
Once the application is received, a review of your student record is initiated, called an audit. If you are in-progress in your final coursework, a pre-audit is completed to determine if you are anticipated to meet graduation requirements based on the successful completion of your current in-progress coursework. At the pre-audit stage, any issues with your graduation record are resolved, if possible. A common issue is that students may forget to apply for transfer credit, so please ensure you have a complete student record at the time of your graduation application. If it is anticipated that you will not meet your graduation requirements, you will be notified by email. The earlier your application is submitted, the earlier it can be reviewed.
Final Audit
Once final grades are in, a final review of your student record is completed. As you can imagine, many records are reviewed at once when grades are submitted, so this process takes some time. A letter of completion is emailed if students meet their program requirements. Students should review their record according to the academic calendar to ensure they have met graduation requirements. Students who do not meet graduation requirements will be notified by email. If you are unsure and would like to confirm that you have met graduation requirements, you can email graduation@okanagan.bc.ca. Before inquiring about your graduation application, please wait for four (4 weeks) after your program finished.
After graduation audit, students who meet the final graduation requirements are immediately awarded with their credentials. You will then receive a letter of completion in your email. Your certificate, diploma, or degree will be mailed out 2 to 4 weeks after the audit. Please wait for your letter of completion before ordering for official transcripts to ensure that your credential is annotated on the document. International students can contact International Education for information about receiving their completion documents.
It is possible that students may apply to graduate and may not meet graduation requirements. Here are some things to be aware of:
- The graduation ceremony attendance fee is non-refundable because it is used to order the gown early on in the graduation process, and it does not carry forward into the next graduation. You will not receive a refund of your graduation fee if you do not meet requirements. Therefore, it is important that you review your record before applying to ensure you are on track to graduate.
- If you are not graduating because your Graduating Grade Point Average is too low, Academic advisors are available to discuss next steps, and you can also talk to your Chair about which courses it makes sense to repeat or take in order to bring up your average.
- If you are not graduating because you are missing coursework, it is a good idea to meet with an advisor to plan your program to ensure you will meet graduation requirements.
- You can reapply for graduation as soon as you are registered in your final coursework. If you have questions about your file, you can contact graduation@okanagan.bc.ca at any time once you are registered in your final coursework to see if your audit is on track. Keep in mind that your graduating grade point average cannot be determined until final grades are in.