Graduation Information

Grade Point Average Requirements

In order to graduate, candidates for degrees must maintain a grade point average of 2.0 or better in all college courses and in all credit earned at Fairmont State. An average of 2.0 must also be maintained in the major and minor fields of study. Students in the teacher education program must attain a grade point average of 2.75 overall, in each teaching field and in professional education.

Application for Graduation

Candidates for graduation must officially apply for a degree online through their FELiX account. Applications are due one academic year in advance. Specific due dates can be found on the Registrar’s Calendar at the Office of Registrar. A graduation fee of $50.00 for undergraduate students and $70.00 for graduate students is assessed at the time the graduation application is submitted. You may apply for Graduation online by logging into your FELiX account. Once you login with your UCA and password then select Student and Financial Aid, Student Records, then Apply to Graduate and follow the screen prompts. After the posted deadline for applications, a late fee of $50.00 will also be assessed.

English Course Performance

All students who are candidates for degrees must attain a grade of “C” or above in ENGL 1101, ENGL 1102, and/or ENGL 1103 in order to prove their competence in the use of the English language. This is a requirement for graduation.

Graduation with Honors

Candidates for bachelor’s degrees and Associate’s degrees who have achieved special distinction in academic work will graduate with honors. Honors are determined by the cumulative quality point average of a student’s work at graduation. Three grades of honors are recognized for bachelor’s degree candidates: cum laude for a point average of 3.4-3.69; magna cum laude for a point average of 3.70-3.84; and summa cum laude for a point average of 3.85 or better. There are also three grades of honors for associate degree candidates: Honors for a point average of 3.4-3.69; High Honors for a point average of 3.70-3.84; and Highest Honors for a point average of 3.85 or better. Honor designations on diplomas are based upon the entire academic record. Honor designations on the Commencement program are based upon the academic record at the conclusion of the semester prior to Commencement

Military Service Credit

Students who have completed basic training in military service may be granted a maximum of four semester hours of credit, which may be used to satisfy General Studies physical education and/or elective requirements. It is the student’s responsibility to request this credit and to verify this military experience to the Registrar. Students with military service are encouraged to contact the Office of Veteran Services, 311 Turley Center, to receive assistance regarding the Joint Services Transcript (JST) and VA Certification.

Minimum Residence Requirements

For an associate degree at least one semester’s work (at least 16 credit hours) and at least 8 of the last 16 hours in residence are required.

For a BA/BS degree, at least one year’s work in residence is required, and one semester of it must be in the senior year. A “year of residence” must represent not less than 30 hours credit, and a semester is defined as a minimum of 15 hours credit. Exception is made in the case of students who have completed three years of required work at Fairmont State and who decide to complete the senior year by substituting approved credit earned subsequently in a college of medicine or dentistry.

Transient Credit

Regularly enrolled students who complete work at another accredited institution on a transient basis must secure written permission of the Registrar through the Transient Request Form before attempting such course work. Students must have an overall Fairmont State GPA of 2.0 or higher and no holds on their account to be eligible to take courses at another institution. Transient credit completed without permission will not be accepted.

Transcripts

Students at Fairmont State are entitled to official transcripts of their record. Students who fail to meet their financial obligations to the institutions or to any of their departments will not be provided official transcripts until the financial obligation is met.

A request for a transcript of credit should be made in writing and should include name, both maiden and married, the date of last attendance at Fairmont State, and student identification number. All requests for transcripts should be made online. Students may access the transcript request form online at Fairmont State Transcript Request.