Eligibility Requirements for Graduation
Students must:
- Successfully complete all requirements for an approved program of study.
- Earn at least one-fourth of the required program credit hours at GTCC.
- Earn at least one-third of the major course work required for graduation at GTCC.
- Complete the last semester of required course work at GTCC.
- Achieve a final program grade point average (GPA) of at least 2.0 out of a possible 4.0 on all program courses, including general education requirements.
- Submit an application for graduation.
- Satisfy any outstanding obligations to the college, including tuition, fees, or fines.
GTCC grants degrees in May, August, and December. Candidates who receive their degrees in August or December are encouraged to participate in the current academic calendar year's ceremony as commencement only takes place in May.
Summer candidates for graduation may participate in the spring ceremony before their last term of completion or in the next academic calendar year's ceremony.
To participate in the ceremony before completion, candidates must submit an application for graduation and notify the Records Office at least one month before commencement to be included in the printed commencement program.
The Records Office will verify that students meet the eligibility to graduate once they have completed summer courses. If students participate in commencement in the spring but do not complete their graduation requirements during the summer, they are not eligible to participate in commencement the following year.
Steps to Graduate
This step will ensure that:
- You have an official high school or equivalent high school diploma on file.
- You have been admitted to the appropriate program.
- You have submitted any course substitutions and waivers.
Complete a graduation application and submit it to records@gtcc.edu before the posted deadlines.
- Oct. 31 for fall graduates
- March 31 for spring graduates
- June 30 for summer graduates
The Grad Fair is held at Jamestown Campus Store in the Medlin Campus Center during the spring term. Graduation announcements may be purchased during the Grad Fair in the bookstore and online at www.herffjones.com/college/gtcc.
The GTCC class ring vendor, Herff Jones, will be at Grad Fair to assist with rings and diploma frames.
Caps and gowns may be ordered online and shipped to your home address or they will be available for pick up during the Grad Fair. If you choose to pick up in person, please bring your student ID. When you receive your regalia, please make sure that the package contains a cap, gown, and tassel.
Complete the graduation survey by Monday, May 5, 2025.
The online form is on the Federal Student Aid website. Complete the form by Monday, May 5, 2025, if you had a Federal Stafford Loan at any point in your college career. Exit loan counseling is REQUIRED and must be completed to participate in the commencement ceremony, receive your diploma, or send a transcript.
- Go to https://studentaid.gov/exit-counseling/.
- You must have your FSA ID to complete the session.
If you were given permission to take course(s) at another college to complete your graduation requirements, a final, official transcript must be submitted to the Records Office no later than Dec. 9, 2024, for fall graduates, May 5, 2025, for spring graduates or July 22, 2025, for summer graduates.
Log in to Self-Service by Monday, May 5, 2025. Your credential will be mailed to your permanent address approximately two weeks after graduation.
Updates and reminders will be sent to this account.
Additional details about graduation are on the graduation web page.
Bring your family and friends! The 2023 GTCC Commencement ceremonies are scheduled for May 15, 2025, at Greensboro Coliseum. Don't forget to share event streaming information with your family and friends who can't attend in person.
Honors
Gold tassels are provided to diploma and degree graduates who have achieved a 3.5 GPA or higher program average to designate their academic achievement.
Staff at the graduation check-in tables will have a list of graduates who are eligible for a gold tassel during lineup time and will distribute them in exchange for the green ones.
Phi Theta Kappa is the honor society for two-year colleges which promotes scholarship, leadership, service, and fellowship. Membership is open to students who have completed 20 credit hours with a GPA of 3.5 or higher.
NC Global Scholars of Distinction recognizes students who:
- earn a grade of A or B in 15 units of globally intensive coursework,
- complete a minimum of eight hours of international campus activities,
- complete 30 hours of study abroad or domestic intercultural experience in partnership with the World View Program at UNC-Chapel Hill.
The program is open to all curriculum students.
