Graduation: Policies and Procedures

Students must complete the online graduation application within two semesters of graduation, but no later than completing 110 credit hours. Spring or summer graduates must file the request to graduate by October 1 in the fall semester of the senior year. Fall graduates must file by March 1 in the spring semester of the senior year. Failure to file a request for degree in a timely manner may result in the student not being approved to walk in the commencement ceremony.

Upon filing a request to graduate, the following minimum requirements for graduation will be evaluated for all students:

1. Complete and pass 128 semester hours. Some majors require more.
2. Complete and pass 96 hours of formal instruction (classroom instruction, independent study, co-op and field work, contract courses, validation, correspondence courses). Credit earned without formal instruction (AP, CLEP, IB, credit by examination) does not count toward the 96.
3. Complete and pass 45 hours of upper-level work (courses numbered 250 and above at Harding).
4. Complete and pass 32 hours in residence at Harding.
5. Complete and pass 23 of the last 32 hours in residence at Harding.
6. Grade Point Average Requirement:
   1. Earn a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher on all work; some majors require a higher GPA.
   2. Earn a major GPA of 2.0 or higher in the major; some majors require a higher GPA.
   3. Earn a minor GPA of 2.0 or higher in the minor whether required or elective.
   4. Earn an institutional GPA of 2.0 or higher in all work taken at Harding.
   5. Earn a major GPA of 2.0 or higher in all courses taken at Harding.
7. Earn 9 upper-level hours in their major (for a Bible major, 10 hours) at Harding.
8. Earn 60 hours at a four-year institution.
9. Complete and pass all Liberal Arts and major requirements as outlined in the Catalog. For the post-baccalaureate student, the liberal arts curriculum will be considered complete; however, the student must meet Bible graduation requirements.
10. Satisfy the English Proficiency requirement by earning a grade of C or higher in both ENG 111  or ENG 113  and ENG 211 .
    1. CLEP and AP credit earned for ENG 111  will satisfy the ENG 111 /ENG 113  requirement.
    2. AP credit earned for ENG 211  will satisfy the ENG 211  requirement.
    3. HNRS 201  with a C or higher substituted for ENG 111 /ENG 113  or ENG 211  will satisfy the requirements for that course.
    4. The requirement is waived for post-baccalaureate students.

For purposes of minimum requirements for graduation, a registered student may use any catalog from the date of last enrollment in the University up to and including the last year enrolled at Harding. However, a student may NOT so use a catalog that is more than eight years old at the time of student’s graduation.

Graduation Honors: Graduating seniors who achieve at least a 3.5 cumulative GPA graduate cum laude. Those with a cumulative GPA of 3.75 graduate magna cum laude, and those with a cumulative GPA of 3.9 or higher graduate summa cum laude.

Commencement will be held on the Saturday immediately following the last Friday of the Fall and Spring terms. Summer graduates are invited to participate in the Fall commencement. Degrees will be conferred once all grades are posted and all graduation requirements confirmed and validated.