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Kean University confers degrees based on three annual cycles: January, May and August. All undergraduate students with 90 credits or more will be emailed information regarding the degree conferral application by the end of March for January applications and the end of July for May and August applications.

• Account Restrictions
• Ceremony Information
• Deadlines
• Diploma Information
  • Name Information
  • Distribution of Current Diplomas
  • Replacement Diploma Ordering
• Fee Information
• Graduation with Honors
• Review of Academic Progress/Conferral Process
• Statements of Completion
• Teacher of the Year
• Transcript Delivery

Students who are within one academic year of degree completion should log into their KeanWISE accounts in order to complete an for degree completion (see deadlines below). A $100 fee will be collected at the time of submission. Only online applications and payments can be accepted; hard copies of degree applications and other forms of payment will not be accepted.  

Applicants have three conferral cycles in order to fulfill their degree requirements before having to complete the application process again. This includes filling out a new application and repayment of the $100 fee. Exceptions cannot made, so proper planning with an academic advisor is imperative.

Deadlines for applications for second degree candidate degree conferrals are as follows:

• May 2026 (SPRING 2026) *Application NOW CLOSED*
• August 2026 (SUMMER 2026) *Application NOW CLOSED*
• January 2027 (FALL 2026) *Application will open in Summer 2026* More information to come!

Cum Laude Honors

• Honors requirements must be met by the end of the first semester of the senior year (usually fall or the end of winter break semester following fall semester to participate in the commencement ceremony with honors and to be eligible to receive a gold tassel).
• Students will achieve honors designation upon completion of a minimum of 38 semester hours at Kean, excluding credits earned on a Pass/Fail or Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory basis, and who have achieved a minimum 3.45 GPA.
• Any candidate with a grade of "Incomplete" cannot be considered eligible for honors until that grade has been resolved. Honors designation for diplomas and transcripts is determined when the degree is conferred.
• Applications for degree conferral must be submitted before the published deadlines in order to participate in the Honors Convocation ceremony.
• Designations are as follows:
• Cumulative average of 3.85-4.00: Summa cum laude
• Cumulative average of 3.65-3.84: Magna cum laude
• Cumulative average of 3.45-3.64: Cum laude

Additional Honors

• Some programs, such as those housed within the NJCSTME (Research First Initiative), may have additional honors designations or ceremonies. Academic advisors should be consulted for further information. 

Graduation candidates are required to pay a $100 processing fee. The fee is collected via the online application; other forms of payment cannot be accepted. This fee covers the processing of the degree application, a complimentary set of transcripts, and the diploma.

This fee will not be waived or reduced for students who do not participate in commencement.

• Students in need of evidence of degree completed (or anticipated completion) may request a letter verifying this information to be sent to a third party. Please email request forms to graduation@kean.edu.
• Attention: LATE APPLICANTS will not be given letters of completion/anticipated completion prior to the completion of requests and/or conferrals for students who adhered to established deadlines.

• Upon receipt of an application for degree conferral, the Office of the Registrar will perform an audit of the candidate’s academic record to determine eligibility for degree conferral.
• Undergraduate evaluations are completed by the Office of the Registrar based on the candidates’ last names as follows. General inquiries regarding the application and review process should be sent to regme@kean.edu. More specific concerns can be directed to the evaluators as listed below:
  • Mr. Christopher Marrero
    • Letters A-D
    • marrechr@kean.edu
  • Ms. Veronica Verdun
    • Letters E-F
  •  
    • vverdun@kean.edu
  • Ms. Dawn Smith-Jeffries
    • Letters G-L
    • dsmithje@kean.edu
  • Ms. Ashley Boseman
    • Letters M-R
    • bosemana@kean.edu
  • Ms. Veronica Verdun
    • Letters S-Z
    • vverdun@kean.edu
• Eligible candidates’ degrees are conferred within six weeks of the conferral date for the respective cycle.
• Candidates will be notified via email of any missing degree requirements in accordance with the published deadlines.
• Candidates are responsible for submitting information regarding any transfers of credit, substitutions, or waivers PRIOR to the submission of their degree application. Failure to do so may result in delays in the conferral of the degree.
• All final grades, incomplete grades, transcripts, waivers, and substitutions, MUST be received within two weeks after the degree date (January, May, August), in order to be eligible for that graduation conferral period. 

• Once a degree is conferred, the degree and date will notated on an official Kean University transcript.
• Transcripts will not be released to graduates with active holds until all restrictions are resolved.  Holds can be viewed by logging into your account. Upon resolving all holds, please contact the Office of the Registrar.
• A complimentary copy of your transcript will be sent from the Office of the Registrar approximately three months after the degree conferral date.

Name Information

• Names on diplomas will appear as they are listed on file with the university. This information is pre-populated on the degree application and cannot be changed by the applicant.

  • Other name changes should be addressed via the .
  • If you would like to have the name on file abbreviated for your diploma, please email regme@kean.edu.

• Official diplomas are mailed to the student's home address on file approximately three months after the conferral date. Graduates will receive notification from the diploma vendor via their Kean email address once their diploma has been mailed (diplomas are not distributed during the commencement exercises.) NOTE: If you would like to change your diploma mailing address, please notify the Office of the Registrar via email at regme@kean.edu prior to graduation.
• Students who participate in Commencement exercises will receive diploma covers at the ceremony.  All others will receive their diploma covers by mail.
• Diplomas will not be released to graduates with active holds until all restrictions are resolved.  Holds can be viewed by logging into your account. Upon resolving all holds, please contact the Office of the Registrar.  Restricted diplomas will be mailed to the Office of the Registrar and will be available for pick-up or mailing upon the resolution of all holds. 

Replacement Diploma Ordering

• Graduates interested in obtaining a replacement copy of their diploma should complete a .

Original Diploma Pickup

If you would like to pick up your diploma after graduation and you have a hold on your account, you must:

• Clear any outstanding hold
• Contact regme@kean.edu with instructions to where you wish to send your diploma
• If you wish to pick your diploma, consult our website for office hours

If you never picked up your diploma after graduation and you do not have any holds, you must:

• Contact regme@kean.edu with instructions on where you wish to send your diploma.  If you wish to pick up your diploma, consult our website for office hours.

If you are unsure if you have any holds, contact the Office of the Registrar at 908-73-REGME or login to your  account.

• Kean University holds commencement exercises in May (January, May and August candidates are invited to participate.)
  • Candidates will receive information via their Kean email addresses during the spring semester regarding cap and gown orders, location, guest information, etc.
  • Please note: Participation in the commencement ceremony does not guarantee degree conferral. The Office of the Registrar must verify that all degree requirements have been met in order to officially confer a degree.

• Graduation candidates should regularly check their KeanWise accounts to ensure all restrictions are resolved prior to the conferral of their degrees. Diplomas and transcripts cannot be released to students with active restrictions. 

• Students may show their appreciation for a professor who made a special contribution to their education by submitting an to the Alumni Relations Office.

• A minimum of 31 degree credits, including at least one-half the major requirements, must be earned at Kean University AFTER admission to a second baccalaureate degree program. Candidates may take no more than six credits toward the second degree as a non-matriculated student.
• Please refer to the Graduation with Honors section for information regarding the minimum number of institutional credits required to obtain honors designations.