Commencement Frequently Asked Questions

Wednesday, May 13, 2026, at 9:00 AM • Prudential Center • 25 Lafayette St, Newark, NJ 07102.

Students’ eligibility to participate in the Commencement Ceremony is subject to satisfactory program completion. Students who have/will have successfully completed their program/degree by the end of April can participate in the Commencement.

• Spring (August graduates)
• Fall (December graduates)
• Winter (April graduates)

Undergraduate
To qualify for graduation, students must complete the prescribed course of study with a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.00 (C), discharge all financial obligations to the College, and meet the credit-hour requirements for their major. Requirements for the LPN to BSN, Medical Assistant, Patient Care Technician, Practical Nurse, Sterile Processing Technician, and Surgical Technology programs may differ. Students should refer to their respective Student Handbook Supplements for program-specific graduation policies. https://berkeleycollege.edu/catalogs/undergraduate-2025-2026/policies-procedures/graduation/index.html

Graduate
To qualify for graduation, students must complete the prescribed course of study with a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3.00 (B) and discharge all financial obligations to the College. Students must be within three semester credits of completing all requirements by the end of the winter term to be considered for participation in spring Commencement exercises. https://berkeleycollege.edu/catalogs/graduate-2025-2026/academic-program-information/graduation/index.html

Undergraduate
Students in degree programs who achieve an overall grade point average (GPA) of 3.50 will be graduated cum laude, students who achieve an overall GPA of 3.70 will be graduated magna cum laude, and students who achieve an overall GPA of 4.00 will be graduated summa cum laude.

Honors for Certificate Recipients: Students in certificate programs who achieve an overall average of 3.50 – 3.79 will be graduated with Honors; students who achieve an overall average of 3.80 – 4.00 will be graduated with High Honors. https://berkeleycollege.edu/catalogs/undergraduate-2025-2026/policies-procedures/graduation/index.html

Graduate
Graduation with Distinction is awarded to MBA students who have completed all the requirements for graduation with an overall minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3.67 and for MSN students who have achieved an overall GPA of 3.8. https://berkeleycollege.edu/catalogs/graduate-2025-2026/academic-program-information/graduation/index.html

• Each year, graduates are invited to participate in one of our Graduate Salutes - celebratory events held prior to the annual Commencement ceremony - where graduates can engage with faculty, staff, and other graduates. Additionally, graduates attending a Graduate Salute event on site will have the opportunity to have a formal graduation photo taken. In the months leading up to the annual Commencement ceremony, graduates will have the opportunity to order their caps and gowns to be shipped to them and purchase a class ring. https://berkeleycollege.edu/catalogs/undergraduate-2025-2026/policies-procedures/graduation/index.html
• Graduates are encouraged to bring their caps and gowns to the Graduate Salute for their graduation photos. Caps and gowns will not be available to borrow for photos at Graduate Salute.

• Please log into Engage and click on Student Self Service. Scroll down to your personal information and click on the header for what you want to update (i.e., click on email to update your email address). Press OK when you are done to save it.
• The Commencement Ceremony emails are sent to your Berkeley College email account. If you would like to have those automatically forwarded to your personal email, click for instructions on how to do so.
• Once you complete this, your information will be updated; however, it can take up to a week for this to take effect. Please be sure to check BerkeleyCollege.edu/Commencement regularly for the most up-to-date information on the Commencement Ceremony.
• If you do not have access to your Berkeley College login information to be able to access Engage or your Berkeley College email account, contact the Berkeley College Information Systems Helpdesk at 973-653-2180.

It can take up to 6-8 weeks (about 2 months) to receive your diploma. You can follow up with the Registrar’s office at Registar@BerkeleyCollege.edu.

Diploma frames can be purchased at the Berkeley College Online Store at https://berkeleystore.berkeleycollege.edu, or diploma frames and personalized invitations can be purchased through Jostens at https://jostens.com.

• Log into Engage and click on the “Student Self Service” icon.
• On the menu on the left, click on “Self Service,” then “Degree Progress/Graduation,” then “View Graduation Status.”
• If you would like a change to your primary name as it appears in Self Service, you can do so by clicking on the “Change name for your diploma” link. You will need to provide the Office of the Registrar with documentation to process the name change.

Please allow up to 48 hours to receive a confirmation from the Registrar’s office.

NOTE: Depending on the time of submission, the name change may not be reflected on your diploma.
For more information, contact the Registrar’s office at Registar@BerkeleyCollege.edu.