Summer 2026 graduation deadlines
Graduate students, mark your calendars for these approaching graduation deadlines for spring 2026
April
April 1
Graduate students who plan to have their degrees awarded inAugustbut would like to be listed in the commencement program must apply online to graduate through on the “apply for graduation” card.PhD students must also enter their dissertation title as part of the graduation application.Though you plan to participate in aMay ceremony, please select August 2025 as the semester of graduation if that is when your degree will be awarded.
May
May 17 (preferred deadline)
Master's students must submit to the Graduate School a . Applications follow a workflow process and must be approved by the academic department before they are directed to the Graduate School.
June
June 15
Graduate students who have not already done so must apply online to graduate through on the “apply for graduation” card in order to have the degree awarded in August. This is required whether or not you attended the university-wide ceremony in May. PhD students must enter their dissertation title as part of the online graduation application; you may update the title through the portal until this date. This title will appear on your transcript after your degree is awarded.
June 15 (final deadline)
Master's students who have not already done so must submit to the Graduate School a . Applications follow a workflow process and must be approved by the academic department before they are directed to the Graduate School.
July
July 22
Doctoral students must complete the PhD dissertation defense or final examination by this date. Notice of the examination must be provided to the Graduate School using the doctoral final examination form two weeks before the exam a minimum of two weeks (but no more than 4 weeks) before the exam.
July 28
PhD students must submit the dissertation with Thesis Approval Form (TAF) to ProQuest by this deadline. The dissertation must be submitted electronically for review and approval by Graduate School staff by the end of the business day. The single-page TAF must be uploaded as a supplemental file with the dissertation in order for the submission to be complete. Students whose dissertations are received after this deadline, or those not submitted with the TAF, must apply to graduate at the following semester's commencement.
July 28
PhD and DMA students must fill out the online by this deadline. Learn more about the survey on the .
July 28
Master's students must complete the thesis defense or final examination by this date. Notice of the examination must be provided to the Graduate School using the master's final examination form two weeks before the exam. Certain units do not require an exam for non-thesis students. Please contact your department with any questions.
August
Aug. 3
Grade changes for doctoral graduates must be submitted for incomplete courses taken during previous or current semesters.
Aug. 3
Master's thesis plan students must submit the thesis and Thesis Approval Form (TAF) to ProQuest by this deadline. The thesis must be for review and approval by Graduate School staff by the end of the business day. The single-page TAF must be uploaded as a supplemental file with the dissertation in order for the submission to be complete. Students whose dissertations are received after this deadline, or those not submitted with the TAF, must apply to graduate at the following semester's commencement.
Aug. 7
Deadline for summer doctoral graduates toupdate diploma name or addressin Buff Portal.
Aug. 9
Grade changes for master’s graduates must be submitted for incomplete courses taken during previous semesters.
Aug.16
Deadline for summer doctoral and SLHS-MA graduates to update diploma name or address in Buff Portal.
Aug. 28
Deadline for summer master's graduates to update diploma name or address in Buff Portal.
Students in programs on Coursera: Please note that 鶹ѰBoulder students completing degrees hosted on the Coursera platform do not need to apply to graduate. Degree conferrals are processed automatically for students who have met the degree requirements for these programs. However, students are invited to attend graduation ceremonies on campus. Please visit your degree program's website for information on participating in graduation events.