Declare Candidacy

To start the process leading to the award of your bachelor’s degree, you must indicate through MyUCLA   the quarter or summer session in which you expect to complete your degree requirements. This is known as your Degree Expected Term and it appears on your Degree Audit Report. 

Benefits of Declaring Degree Candidacy

• The names of declared degree candidates are automatically included in the College Commencement Program.
• Any and all Commencement mailings are automatically sent to ‘declared’ degree candidates.
• You final degree audit can be prepared by the Registrar’s office in a more timely fashion.

Declaring Candidacy for the Current Term

If you decide that you would like to graduate at the end of the current term, you must declare candidacy through MyUCLA  (Main Menu, Academic) by Friday of finals week.

Please note: If the current term is your degree expected term, you will not be assigned an enrollment appointment for the following term.

Changing Degree Expected Term

If you are a “past-term candidate” (in other words, if you declared a past term as your degree expected term but did not complete your graduation requirements by that date)—you must re-declare your degree expected term.  Information can be reviewed on the Registrar’s Office website .

Degree Expected Term and EAP

Make sure you have checked with an academic advisor in the College and your major department regarding any necessary petitions or other paperwork before you go abroad.

Verifying your Degree Expected Term

You may check your degree expected term at any time through MyUCLA . If you still have questions about your degree candidacy status, you should speak with an academic advisor in your College Advising unit or make an inquiry at the Registrar’s Office (1113 Murphy Hall).

Degree Checks

In order to graduate, please verify your degree candidacy term on MyUCLA.

It is strongly recommended that you meet with a College counselor in your College Advising unit for a degree check at least 1 or 2 quarters before you intend to graduate, to be sure that you will have satisfied all degree requirements.

You should also consult with your departmental counselor to be sure that you have or will have completed all major and minor requirements.

Final Quarter Not at UCLA

If you intend to complete your degree requirements as a nonregistered student (complete your degree by taking up to 10 of your final 45 units through UCLA Extension or at another institution), you must file a request to graduate In Absentia.

• Use the Request to Graduate In Absentia  form available online
• Submit the completed form to your degree auditor in the Registrar’s Office
• Due Friday of the second week of the quarter you have designated as your degree expected term.

Students graduating In Absentia should also check with both their College advising unit and their major department(s) to make sure that they will not be in violation of the College’s Residence Requirement nor the Major Residence Requirement and that the work completed In Absentia will, in fact, complete their degree.  Please be aware that graduating In Absentia is not a guaranteed option for all students nor may it necessarily be the best choice.

Official transcripts (with grades of the courses taken outside of UCLA, including UCLA Extension) must be received by your degree auditor in the Registrar’s Office no later than three weeks after the end of your degree expected term.

Transcripts should be brought or sent to:
UCLA Undergraduate Admission
Attn: Transcripts
1147 Murphy Hall, Box 951436
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1436

Join College Advisors for a workshop intended for graduating seniors who are seeking information regarding graduation, commencement and life beyond UCLA. By attending this workshop, we hope students will walk away feeling more at confident with navigating graduation and the college-to-career transition.

Graduation + Beyond workshops are open to UCLA undergraduate students and specifically intended for graduating seniors. These workshops are typically offered in the winter and spring quarters.

Check back here for available workshops for available workshop dates. In the meantime, we invite you to watch the recorded workshop below.

Special Inclusion Petition

The Special Inclusion Petition is for students who completed their degree requirements prior to Fall 2023 or who are graduating in Winter 2025 or beyond, and who wish to request to participate and walk in the June 2024 commencement ceremonies.

Please note that students who graduated in Fall 2023 and Winter 2024 are automatically included in the Spring 2024 commencement events. Consult the UCLA College Commencement website for the most up-to-date information regarding commencement events.

Fall 2024 Graduates – Submit Automatically-Approved SIP through MyUCLA

Fall 2024 graduates who wish to participate in the June 2024 commencement ceremony should submit their automatically-approved SIP through the commencement ticket portal on MyUCLA. The automatically-approved SIP will become available on Monday, April 1st and will close on Friday, May 31st at 11:59pm (PST).

While auto-SIPs may be submitted through May 31st, there is no guarantee that a student will be able to access tickets to a College Commencement or Department ceremony. Please check with your department advisor to confirm ticket availability prior to submitting an auto-SIP.

If you do not see this available on your MyUCLA, you are not automatically eligible and will need to submit a Manual SIP. In addition, Fall 2024 graduates who did not submit an auto-SIP by May 31st will need to submit a manual SIP to gain access to the ticketing system. Please see below for additional information.

All Other Graduates (Prior to Fall 2023 OR Winter 2025 and beyond) – Manual SIP

If you graduated in a previous academic year or are graduating in Winter 2025 or beyond, you will submit a manual SIP to your College Advising unit. Students may submit their petition once the form opens on Wednesday, May 1, 2024. Please note that we will begin reviewing these petitions on May 6th, 2024 – it may take up to 5-10 business days to be reviewed and processed. The manual SIP will close on Tuesday, June 11th at 11:59pm.

Please select your advising/counseling unit below to submit your manual-SIP (please check your Degree Audit to confirm your advising/counseling unit). If you select the wrong unit, your petition will not be processed. Once again, Fall 2024 graduates SHOULD NOT submit this form.

• Academic Advancement Program
• College Academic Counseling
• Athletics
• Honors Programs

Latin Honors

The official Latin Honors designation made to your diploma is based on your final grades at the time of degree completion. Fall degree candidates are NOT eligible to receive any Latin Honors designations in the prior June College Commencement Program, and should check for revised GPA requirements in the Fall. If you do not have 90 graded UC units but otherwise may meet the GPA requirements, please consult your College advisor.

Additional Information

• Graduation Checklist 
• College commencement 
• UCLA commencement