Graduation and Commencement
1. Commencement.
Candidates should submit formal application for degrees during registration for the period of enrollment in which they expect to complete their degree requirements, but not later than the last day to apply, as published in the Academic Calendar. Candidates will not be allowed to participate in the commencement ceremony until requirements have been met for a degree. Payment of debts to the University is a requirement for the granting of degrees and awarding of diplomas. All University holds must be cleared before a student can graduate.
2. Graduation with Honors.
Students completing the requirements for baccalaureate degrees with exceptional scholastic averages and with a minimum of one-half the total hours required for their degrees at Mississippi State University may be graduated with honors. The levels of recognition will be recorded on the students’ diplomas and permanent records.
In determining eligibility for recognition, the grade point average will be figured on the basis of all hours attempted. If a student’s last period of enrollment raises his or her average to the level required for honors, or to a higher level of honors, this notation will be made on the diploma and transcript. The hours may include, not only residence credit, but also correspondence and extension credit to the extent permitted by the University regulations for graduation.
Transfer students must achieve the specified grade point average in two senses: (1) on all hours attempted at all institutions attended and (2) on all hours attempted at Mississippi State University. The level of attainment will be determined by either the overall average or the Mississippi State University average, whichever is lower. The grade-point values currently in use at Mississippi State University will be used to calculate the quality-point average on all transfer credits.
The levels of recognition and the grade point averages required for each are as follows: Summa Cum Laude—3.80, Magna Cum Laude—3.60, and Cum Laude—3.40.
3. S.D. Lee Scholars
Students completing the requirements for the baccalaureate degree who have earned the grade of A in all courses attempted (including Mississippi State University and transfer credit) may be recognized as a S.D. Lee Scholar at the University’s Commencement Exercise. In order to qualify as a S. D. Lee Scholar, the student cannot invoke the following policies: academic amnesty, academic forgiveness, or academic fresh-start. Students attempting courses which are not assigned a letter grade and receive the grade of U will not be eligible.