Graduation & Diplomas
Graduation Information - Checklist
- Preparing & Applying for Graduation-All Students
- Application Deadlines
- Commencement Ceremony
- Graduate Students
- Diploma Information
- Take the Final Destination Survey to report you post-graduation plans
All Students - Degrees, Diplomas, and Names
Your degree. Upon successful completion of a student’s course of study the student is awarded a degree. The degree awarded by Loyola University Chicago indicates that the student has met the rigorous requirements of the program of study in which he or she was enrolled.
Your Diploma. Loyola University Chicago presents a diploma to a student who has earned a degree. The diploma is a public ceremonial symbol of the successful completion of the student’s course of study and an indication that a degree has been awarded. A diploma is not a degree.
Your Name. Because third parties, such as degree verification services, employers, and the international community, etc., often use the name as it appears on the diploma as the basis for verification of education, it is very important that the name a student uses on his or her diploma accurately reflects (ideally be the same as) the student’s Primary Name recorded in the student information system (LOCUS).
In keeping with best practices within American higher education, the student’s full Primary Name, as recorded in LOCUS, will be used on the diploma and all other official records printed on behalf of the student.
- As students prepare for graduation they should carefully check how their name(s) appears in LOCUS. This is a student’s last best opportunity to make certain that their name(s), Primary and Diploma, are spelled correctly and have been correctly recorded in LOCUS. Students should open their Student Center page in LOCUS and under Personal Information, click on Names. Following the rules below you may correct your Primary Name by doing so in the Diploma Name Field (click on the Add a New Name button).
Significant changes to the student’s Name will be made only in response to a formal written request which includes the submission of a signed Name Change Form accompanied by legal documentation showing the student’s requested Name, e.g., driver’s license, passport, court order, letter of safe passage, marriage license. The Name Change request must be submitted to the Office of Registration and Records.
Where a student wishes a variant of his or her Primary Name to be printed on the diploma, this name should be entered in the Diploma Name field in LOCUS, subject to the following rules:
- First names when used in full, must match the students Primary Name.
- Existing first names may be reduced to an initial or a commonly recognizable abbreviated derivation. Changes will not be made to the student’s Primary Name unless a formal name change request is submitted.
- First names may be changed provided a formal name change request is submitted. Changes will be made to the student’s Primary Name.
- Middle names, when used in full must match the student’s Primary Name.
- Existing middle names, may be omitted or reduced to an initial, or a commonly recognizable derivation. Changes will not be made to the student’s Primary Name unless a formal name change request is submitted.
- Middle names or initials may be added provided a formal name change request is submitted. Changes will be made to the student’s Primary Name.
- Last names must match the student’s Primary Name.
- Last names may be changed provided a formal name change request is submitted. Changes will be made to the student’s Primary Name.
- Suffixes, such as Sr., Jr., II, III, etc., may be added a formal name change request is submitted. Changes will be made to the student’s Primary Name.
- Titles and/or degrees, e.g., Esq. M.D., PhD, will not be printed on the graduate’s diploma as part of the Diploma Name. Religious order affiliations can be included, e.g., S.J., OSU.
- The addition of names or initials, where such were not previously recorded, require verification/documentation, and will constitute a change to the student’s Primary Name.
- Maternal surnames may be added provided a Name Change Form accompanied by legal documentation is provided. Changes will be made to the student’s primary name.
- Hyphenated family-married last names may be used provided a Name Change Form accompanied by legal documentation is provided. Changes will be made to the student’s Primary Name. Special diacritical (accent) marks may be used and should be entered in the Diploma Name field.
- Punctuations, added or omitted, will be printed on the diploma as entered in the Diploma Name field.
Preparing for Graduation
First read the following 6 steps, in their entirety. Then complete these steps by initiating the Apply for Graduation process in LOCUS. If you receive assistance with this process, you remain responsible for the accuracy of the information entered.
1. Enter your expected graduation term and verify your Major(s) and Minor(s).
Is your Major and/ or Minor correctly identified? If not, please go to your College or School office to complete the Change of Major or Minor form. If your expected graduation term does not appear in LOCUS, please go to your College's or School's Dean's office.
Is your Graduation Term correct? If not or it changes, contact your College's or School's Dean's office as soon as possible to insure that this change is reflected in LOCUS.
2. To where do we send your diploma? Verify your Permanent Address and your Diploma Address as recorded in LOCUS.
To where do you want your diploma mailed? Your diploma will be mailed to your Permanent Address unless you provide a specific Diploma Address. If your Diploma Address differs from your Permanent Address be sure to correct your Diploma Address using LOCUS.
If you are not specifying a separate Diploma Address, make certain that your Permanent Address is correct. Incorrect address information will significantly delay or prevent the delivery of your diploma.
Will you still be at the address you provided for at least 6 weeks or more after graduation?
3. Have you verified your Primary and Diploma Name. The name that will appear on your diploma will be your Primary Name as it appears in LOCUS at the time you apply for graduation. If you wish to have a variant form of your Primary Name used on your diploma, please follow the rules above, enter it in the Diploma Name field in LOCUS, and be prepared to provide legal official identification showing the use of your diploma name. Re-read the name change rules printed above.
4. Do you have any holds on your Loyola University Chicago account? Check LOCUS for any Holds that would delay or prevent the release of your diploma.
5. Have you earned more than one Degree? Each degree requires a separate graduation application.
6. Are all credits accounted for? In preparation for the Final Degree Audit, go to LOCUS to verify that all transfer credits have been posted to your academic record.
Graduate Students
If applicable, Graduate Students are asked to enter the following information in the Apply for Graduation process in LOCUS:
- Prior Education
- Thesis/Dissertation Title
- Director
Graduation Application Deadlines
Undergraduate Students
- Fall graduation: March 1
- Spring graduation: October 1
- Summer graduation: October 1
- J-Term graduation: November 1
Graduate Students
- Fall graduation: August 1
- J-Term graduation: November 1
- Spring graduation: December 1
- Summer graduation: February 1
Quinlan School of Business Students
- Fall or Winter graduation: July 1
- J-Term graduation: November 1
- Spring graduation: December 1
- Summer graduation: December 1
Law School Students
- Spring graduation: December 1
- Summer graduation: December 1
- Fall graduation: August 1
Verification and Ordering Process
- The Office of Registration and Records is responsible for providing students with their diplomas, after their respective schools complete degree audits for those students who have applied for graduation.
- The School certifying the degree(s) may require two to four weeks after final exams have been completed to:
- Ensure that final grades have been submitted for students.
- Verify that students have completed all requirements for their degrees.
- Award the degree and post the degree to LOCUS.
- Diplomas are mailed directly to the graduate using the delivery information on file. See the instruction below under Delivery Information. If students wish to pick up their diplomas, follow the instruction detailed below. All questions regarding diplomas should be addressed to diploma@luc.edu.
Availability Diplomas
Below is an estimated time frame for Diploma availability, based on completion term:
- Fall Graduate Business Students: Late December.
- Fall Graduate and Undergraduate Students: Early February, the following year
- Fall Law School Students: Mid February, the following year
- Winter Graduate Business Students: Mid March
- Spring Graduate, Graduate Business, Undergraduate Students: Late June
- Spring Law School Students: Late July
- Summer Graduate Business Students: Late September
- Summer Graduate and Undergraduate Students: Late September
Diploma Distribution
Diploma Mailing. Diplomas are mailed to either the student's Permanent Mailing Address or their Diploma Mailing Address, as recorded in LOCUS. Students are requested to verify the accuracy of their address information and to make the necessary correction(s) in LOCUS.
Diploma Pick-Up. Using LOCUS, students wishing to pick up their diplomas in the Office of Registration and Records should use the Diploma Mailing Address fields and enter: PKUP-Office of Registration and Records, 820 North Michigan Avenue, Ste 510, Chicago, IL 60611. Please notify the Office that you have done so by sending an email to diploma@luc.edu. Don’t wait. As soon as you know that you that you will be picking up your diploma enter this address information. Students will need to present their LUC photo identifications (or other government issued photo identifications).
Diploma Mailing Notification. Students are notified by e-mail when their diplomas are placed in the mail. If you are picking up your diploma please allow 5 days for delivery to the Office and call (312.915.7221) ahead to verify that your diploma has arrived and is available for pickup. If the Office of Registration and Records does not receive the pickup request before the diploma has been ordered, the student’s Permanent Address will be used for delivery.
Diploma Replacement
Return of mailed diploma. Should a diploma be returned to the Office of Registration and Records due to an undeliverable address, the graduate will be notified by email, using their luc.edu email address, or the email provided on the special order form. Returned diplomas are held for five years and will be re-mailed at no cost to the graduate, once a corrected mailing address is received. Once destroyed, a $50.00 replacement fee will be assessed.
Recent graduates and those placing special orders are asked to notify the Office of Registration and Records if delivery has not been received within one year. After one year, a $50.00 replacement fee will be assessed.
Diploma Replacement. Diplomas damaged in shipment will be replaced at no cost to the recipient. The damaged diploma must be first returned to the Office of Registration and Records.
Duplicate diplomas may be ordered by using the Diploma Replacement order form. The fee is $50.00 for the first and $25.00 for each additional diploma. Duplicate diplomas will carry, in small lettering, the text, “Duplicate” in the lower right corner of the document.
All questions regarding diploma orders should be addressed to diploma@luc.edu.
Commencement Ceremony
Students who complete their Degree Requirements within an Academic Year (Fall, J-Term, Spring or Summer) are invited to attend Loyola's Commencement Ceremony which takes place in May at the end of the Spring Term.
The Commencement Ceremony for Arrupe College students takes place in August.
Graduation Information - Checklist
- Preparing & Applying for Graduation-All Students
- Application Deadlines
- Commencement Ceremony
- Graduate Students
- Diploma Information
- Take the Final Destination Survey to report you post-graduation plans
All Students - Degrees, Diplomas, and Names
Your degree. Upon successful completion of a student’s course of study the student is awarded a degree. The degree awarded by Loyola University Chicago indicates that the student has met the rigorous requirements of the program of study in which he or she was enrolled.
Your Diploma. Loyola University Chicago presents a diploma to a student who has earned a degree. The diploma is a public ceremonial symbol of the successful completion of the student’s course of study and an indication that a degree has been awarded. A diploma is not a degree.
Your Name. Because third parties, such as degree verification services, employers, and the international community, etc., often use the name as it appears on the diploma as the basis for verification of education, it is very important that the name a student uses on his or her diploma accurately reflects (ideally be the same as) the student’s Primary Name recorded in the student information system (LOCUS).
In keeping with best practices within American higher education, the student’s full Primary Name, as recorded in LOCUS, will be used on the diploma and all other official records printed on behalf of the student.
- As students prepare for graduation they should carefully check how their name(s) appears in LOCUS. This is a student’s last best opportunity to make certain that their name(s), Primary and Diploma, are spelled correctly and have been correctly recorded in LOCUS. Students should open their Student Center page in LOCUS and under Personal Information, click on Names. Following the rules below you may correct your Primary Name by doing so in the Diploma Name Field (click on the Add a New Name button).
Significant changes to the student’s Name will be made only in response to a formal written request which includes the submission of a signed Name Change Form accompanied by legal documentation showing the student’s requested Name, e.g., driver’s license, passport, court order, letter of safe passage, marriage license. The Name Change request must be submitted to the Office of Registration and Records.
Where a student wishes a variant of his or her Primary Name to be printed on the diploma, this name should be entered in the Diploma Name field in LOCUS, subject to the following rules:
- First names when used in full, must match the students Primary Name.
- Existing first names may be reduced to an initial or a commonly recognizable abbreviated derivation. Changes will not be made to the student’s Primary Name unless a formal name change request is submitted.
- First names may be changed provided a formal name change request is submitted. Changes will be made to the student’s Primary Name.
- Middle names, when used in full must match the student’s Primary Name.
- Existing middle names, may be omitted or reduced to an initial, or a commonly recognizable derivation. Changes will not be made to the student’s Primary Name unless a formal name change request is submitted.
- Middle names or initials may be added provided a formal name change request is submitted. Changes will be made to the student’s Primary Name.
- Last names must match the student’s Primary Name.
- Last names may be changed provided a formal name change request is submitted. Changes will be made to the student’s Primary Name.
- Suffixes, such as Sr., Jr., II, III, etc., may be added a formal name change request is submitted. Changes will be made to the student’s Primary Name.
- Titles and/or degrees, e.g., Esq. M.D., PhD, will not be printed on the graduate’s diploma as part of the Diploma Name. Religious order affiliations can be included, e.g., S.J., OSU.
- The addition of names or initials, where such were not previously recorded, require verification/documentation, and will constitute a change to the student’s Primary Name.
- Maternal surnames may be added provided a Name Change Form accompanied by legal documentation is provided. Changes will be made to the student’s primary name.
- Hyphenated family-married last names may be used provided a Name Change Form accompanied by legal documentation is provided. Changes will be made to the student’s Primary Name. Special diacritical (accent) marks may be used and should be entered in the Diploma Name field.
- Punctuations, added or omitted, will be printed on the diploma as entered in the Diploma Name field.
Preparing for Graduation
First read the following 6 steps, in their entirety. Then complete these steps by initiating the Apply for Graduation process in LOCUS. If you receive assistance with this process, you remain responsible for the accuracy of the information entered.
1. Enter your expected graduation term and verify your Major(s) and Minor(s).
Is your Major and/ or Minor correctly identified? If not, please go to your College or School office to complete the Change of Major or Minor form. If your expected graduation term does not appear in LOCUS, please go to your College's or School's Dean's office.
Is your Graduation Term correct? If not or it changes, contact your College's or School's Dean's office as soon as possible to insure that this change is reflected in LOCUS.
2. To where do we send your diploma? Verify your Permanent Address and your Diploma Address as recorded in LOCUS.
To where do you want your diploma mailed? Your diploma will be mailed to your Permanent Address unless you provide a specific Diploma Address. If your Diploma Address differs from your Permanent Address be sure to correct your Diploma Address using LOCUS.
If you are not specifying a separate Diploma Address, make certain that your Permanent Address is correct. Incorrect address information will significantly delay or prevent the delivery of your diploma.
Will you still be at the address you provided for at least 6 weeks or more after graduation?
3. Have you verified your Primary and Diploma Name. The name that will appear on your diploma will be your Primary Name as it appears in LOCUS at the time you apply for graduation. If you wish to have a variant form of your Primary Name used on your diploma, please follow the rules above, enter it in the Diploma Name field in LOCUS, and be prepared to provide legal official identification showing the use of your diploma name. Re-read the name change rules printed above.
4. Do you have any holds on your Loyola University Chicago account? Check LOCUS for any Holds that would delay or prevent the release of your diploma.
5. Have you earned more than one Degree? Each degree requires a separate graduation application.
6. Are all credits accounted for? In preparation for the Final Degree Audit, go to LOCUS to verify that all transfer credits have been posted to your academic record.
Graduate Students
If applicable, Graduate Students are asked to enter the following information in the Apply for Graduation process in LOCUS:
- Prior Education
- Thesis/Dissertation Title
- Director
Graduation Application Deadlines
Undergraduate Students
- Fall graduation: March 1
- Spring graduation: October 1
- Summer graduation: October 1
- J-Term graduation: November 1
Graduate Students
- Fall graduation: August 1
- J-Term graduation: November 1
- Spring graduation: December 1
- Summer graduation: February 1
Quinlan School of Business Students
- Fall or Winter graduation: July 1
- J-Term graduation: November 1
- Spring graduation: December 1
- Summer graduation: December 1
Law School Students
- Spring graduation: December 1
- Summer graduation: December 1
- Fall graduation: August 1
Verification and Ordering Process
- The Office of Registration and Records is responsible for providing students with their diplomas, after their respective schools complete degree audits for those students who have applied for graduation.
- The School certifying the degree(s) may require two to four weeks after final exams have been completed to:
- Ensure that final grades have been submitted for students.
- Verify that students have completed all requirements for their degrees.
- Award the degree and post the degree to LOCUS.
- Diplomas are mailed directly to the graduate using the delivery information on file. See the instruction below under Delivery Information. If students wish to pick up their diplomas, follow the instruction detailed below. All questions regarding diplomas should be addressed to diploma@luc.edu.
Availability Diplomas
Below is an estimated time frame for Diploma availability, based on completion term:
- Fall Graduate Business Students: Late December.
- Fall Graduate and Undergraduate Students: Early February, the following year
- Fall Law School Students: Mid February, the following year
- Winter Graduate Business Students: Mid March
- Spring Graduate, Graduate Business, Undergraduate Students: Late June
- Spring Law School Students: Late July
- Summer Graduate Business Students: Late September
- Summer Graduate and Undergraduate Students: Late September
Diploma Distribution
Diploma Mailing. Diplomas are mailed to either the student's Permanent Mailing Address or their Diploma Mailing Address, as recorded in LOCUS. Students are requested to verify the accuracy of their address information and to make the necessary correction(s) in LOCUS.
Diploma Pick-Up. Using LOCUS, students wishing to pick up their diplomas in the Office of Registration and Records should use the Diploma Mailing Address fields and enter: PKUP-Office of Registration and Records, 820 North Michigan Avenue, Ste 510, Chicago, IL 60611. Please notify the Office that you have done so by sending an email to diploma@luc.edu. Don’t wait. As soon as you know that you that you will be picking up your diploma enter this address information. Students will need to present their LUC photo identifications (or other government issued photo identifications).
Diploma Mailing Notification. Students are notified by e-mail when their diplomas are placed in the mail. If you are picking up your diploma please allow 5 days for delivery to the Office and call (312.915.7221) ahead to verify that your diploma has arrived and is available for pickup. If the Office of Registration and Records does not receive the pickup request before the diploma has been ordered, the student’s Permanent Address will be used for delivery.
Diploma Replacement
Return of mailed diploma. Should a diploma be returned to the Office of Registration and Records due to an undeliverable address, the graduate will be notified by email, using their luc.edu email address, or the email provided on the special order form. Returned diplomas are held for five years and will be re-mailed at no cost to the graduate, once a corrected mailing address is received. Once destroyed, a $50.00 replacement fee will be assessed.
Recent graduates and those placing special orders are asked to notify the Office of Registration and Records if delivery has not been received within one year. After one year, a $50.00 replacement fee will be assessed.
Diploma Replacement. Diplomas damaged in shipment will be replaced at no cost to the recipient. The damaged diploma must be first returned to the Office of Registration and Records.
Duplicate diplomas may be ordered by using the Diploma Replacement order form. The fee is $50.00 for the first and $25.00 for each additional diploma. Duplicate diplomas will carry, in small lettering, the text, “Duplicate” in the lower right corner of the document.
All questions regarding diploma orders should be addressed to diploma@luc.edu.
Commencement Ceremony
Students who complete their Degree Requirements within an Academic Year (Fall, J-Term, Spring or Summer) are invited to attend Loyola's Commencement Ceremony which takes place in May at the end of the Spring Term.
The Commencement Ceremony for Arrupe College students takes place in August.