Graduation

To graduate, you must complete faculty and program requirements in the program you were admitted to and registered in. It is your responsibility to meet all faculty and program requirements before graduation.

At the time of graduation from an undergraduate degree, you must be in Satisfactory Standing with a minimum CGPA of 2.00. Certain faculties may require a higher CGPA for graduation.

You should contact your advisor (graduate students should contact their department) early in the graduating year to make sure you will meet your program requirements by graduation time.

Once your record has been approved for graduation, your unofficial and official transcripts will indicate the notation “Degree Granted” after approval by the University Senate. At this point, your academic record is deemed as final and no further record changes may be requested at this time (e.g., grade changes).

• Fall term graduation (courses completed by the end of December; transcript will indicate “Degree Granted” in February after approval by the University Senate; diploma will be conferred at Spring convocation): You must apply on Minerva by the end of November.
• Winter term graduation (courses completed by the end of April; transcript will indicate “Degree Granted” in May after approval by the University Senate; diploma will be conferred at Spring convocation): You must apply on Minerva by the end of February.
• Summer term graduation (courses completed by the end of August; transcript will indicate “Degree Granted” in October after approval by the University Senate; diploma will be conferred at Fall convocation): You must apply on Minerva by mid-May.

For more information on applying to graduate, refer to the Apply to Graduate.

Minimum Residency Requirement

The total number of McGill credits required to graduate is known as the minimum residency requirement. You must successfully complete a minimum of 60 McGill credits to obtain a McGill undergraduate degree. Some programs have specific requirements on the type of credits that must be completed at McGill. For example, two-thirds of all program requirements must be completed at McGill. For specific information refer to your faculty's section of this publication.

Students completing a second undergraduate degree at McGill must successfully complete a minimum of 60 McGill credits to obtain their degree. You should check with your Faculty advisor for any conditions applicable to the McGill credits required toward your degree.

Graduate students should confirm their minimum residency requirements for graduate programs. This information is listed for each faculty, and you can also access it through the faculty's graduate pages.

Most undergraduate students and non-thesis graduate students (master's, certificates, diplomas) must use Minerva to apply to graduate (go to Student Records > Apply for Graduation for Your Primary Curriculum). It is your responsibility to inform the University of your intention to graduate. You need a minimum residency requirement of 60 credits at McGill to qualify for a McGill undergraduate degree. For more information, see Graduation. The minimum CGPA required to graduate is 2.00, and you must be in Satisfactory Standing.

The Application for Graduation is available on Minerva when you register for your final year (e.g., U3 or U4), except if you are in the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences or Faculty of Dental Medicine and Oral Health Sciences, where you are automatically flagged for graduation in your final year.

Once you apply to graduate, you are authorizing the University to:

1. include your name and image in the McGill Convocation programs, web streamed convocation broadcast, and other convocation-related communications.
2. to have your ID, name, degree and ceremony provided to the academic regalia provider for the purposes of Convocation preparation.
3. to have your ID, name, email, degree and ceremony provided to the convocation photographer for the purposes of Convocation preparation.
4. to have your name, email, degree and confirmation of graduation sent to your professional order, if you are in a professional program (e.g. Engineering OIQ, Nursing OIIQ), for licensing or accreditation purposes.

If you want to opt out of your information being sent to any of the above (1, 2, 3, or 4), you must complete an Opposition Form by March 15 for Spring convocation, and September 15 for Fall convocation.

Deadlines

• Fall term graduation (courses completed by the end of December; transcript will indicate “Degree Granted” in February after approval by the University Senate; diploma will be conferred at Spring convocation): You must apply on Minerva by the end of November.
• Winter term graduation (courses completed by the end of April; transcript will indicate “Degree Granted” in May after approval by the University Senate; diploma will be conferred at Spring convocation): You must apply on Minerva by the end of February.
• Summer term graduation (courses completed by the end of August; transcript will indicate “Degree Granted” in October after approval by the University Senate; diploma will be conferred at Fall convocation): You must apply on Minerva by mid-May.

If you miss one of these deadlines, contact your faculty's Student Affairs Office immediately.

Note for the Faculties of Arts and Science (including B.A. & Sc.): If you miss the above deadlines to apply to graduate in Minerva, you can submit a Graduation Term Change Request. However, it is important that you also meet with a Faculty advisor Arts OASIS or SOUSA to talk about your options and the effect that your request may have on your studies. For more information, see the Academic Advising website.

Note for Continuing Studies: The minimum residency requirement of 60 credits does not apply to the School of Continuing Studies certificates and diplomas.

Note for Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies: If you miss one of these deadlines, you must follow the procedures on the GPS Graduating page. The Application for Graduation is available on Minerva for students in non-thesis programs who have registered for their final year. To ensure that you have met the requirements for graduation, you should refer to the program requirements found under each faculty's Graduate section in the McGill Course Catalogue. Students in a doctoral program should refer to Regulations Concerning Theses.

Note for Physical and Occupational Therapy: You must be in Satisfactory Standing with a minimum CGPA of 2.30 to graduate.
 

As a graduating student, you can view the status of your graduation record on Minerva during the Faculty review and approval process (go to Student Records > Graduation Approval Query). The Graduation Approval Query form becomes available to graduating students in early January for Fall term graduation, in early April for Winter term graduation and in early September for Summer term graduation.

If you meet all requirements for graduation, your graduation record will indicate Faculty Approved on the Graduation Approval Query, and your transcript on Minerva will display the Degree Granted notation after the approval of degrees by the University Senate and according to this schedule:

• Late February, for Fall term graduation (courses completed by the end of December, Convocation in Spring)
• Late May, for Winter term graduation (courses completed by the end of April, Convocation in Spring)
• Late October, for Summer term graduation (courses completed by the end of August, Convocation in Fall)

See Graduation and Convocation website for information regarding convocation ceremonies.

Note for Medicine and Dentistry: The Application for Graduation is available on Minerva when you register for your final year (e.g., U3 or U4), except if you are in the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences or Faculty of Dental Medicine and Oral Health Sciences, where you are automatically flagged for graduation in your final year.

The following sections describe honours that may be conferred at graduation.

Dean's Honour List

If you are graduating with an undergraduate degree, you may be awarded the designation Dean's Honour List under the following conditions:

1. you have completed a minimum of 60 McGill credits toward your degree; and
2. you are in the top 10% of your faculty's graduating class; this calculation is based on the CGPA.

Note for transfer students: This designation may be withdrawn if your CGPA at another university or in another faculty at McGill is not comparable to the CGPA earned in your graduating faculty.

Distinction

If you are graduating with an undergraduate degree, you may be awarded the designation Distinction under the following conditions:

1. you have completed a minimum of 60 McGill credits toward your degree; and
2. you are in the top 25%, but below the top 10%, of your faculty's graduating class; this calculation is based on the CGPA.

Note for transfer students: This designation may be withdrawn if your CGPA at another university or in another faculty at McGill is not comparable to the CGPA earned in your graduating faculty.

Note: The Faculties of Education, Dental Medicine and Oral Health Sciences, Law, Medicine and Health Sciences, and the School of Continuing Studies do not assign the designation of Distinction to graduating students.

Note: The designation of Great Distinction is no longer awarded at graduation. Prior to September 2009, Distinction and Great Distinction were awarded at graduation according to faculty-specific regulations. You can find these rules in the faculty chapters of the 2008–2009 Undergraduate Programs Calendar or any earlier version.

Faculty of Science Dean's Multidisciplinary Undergraduate Research List

The Faculty of Science Dean's Multidisciplinary Undergraduate Research List recognizes Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) and Bachelor of Arts and Science (B.A. & Sc.) students who have participated in substantial and broad undergraduate science research. To be placed on the Faculty of Science Dean's Multidisciplinary Undergraduate Research List at graduation time, you must have completed at least 9 credits of research-based courses, taken for a letter grade; where qualifying courses are either specified in the list of approved science research courses or are pre-approved by the Faculty of Science, for other undergraduate science research courses.

Furthermore, considering all qualifying science research-based courses on your transcript at graduation time:

• at least one course, worth at least 3 credits, must be from a different unit than the other research-based courses; and
• every qualifying course must have been completed with a grade of C or above; and
• the average GPA over all qualifying courses must be 3.0 or above.

NOTE: Exceptionally, courses taken in Winter 2020, Summer 2020, Fall 2020, and Winter 2021 with grade of S (Satisfactory) will count as qualifying courses, and will count toward the 9-credit requirement, even though they will not be counted in GPA calculations.

If these requirements are met, the mention “Dean's Multidisciplinary Undergraduate Research List” will be recorded on your transcript at graduation time.

Application

No application is necessary if you have taken courses from the approved list; all B.Sc. and B.A. & Sc. graduating students' records are considered by the Faculty of Science.

In exceptional circumstances, if you have taken a science research course not already on the approved list and wish for this course to be counted toward the Dean's Multidisciplinary Undergraduate Research List, you must apply. A qualifying course involves a science research project as its primary focus, culminating in a substantive written report. Ineligible courses include reading courses;  and ; and courses offered by the Faculty of Arts. For information on how to apply, please contact your advisor in the Science Office for Undergraduate Science Advising (SOUSA) at least four months prior to graduation (e.g., February 1, for June graduation; July 1, for November graduation; August 1, for February graduation).

Honours and First-Class Honours for Faculties of Arts and Science (including B.A. & Sc.)

As a graduating student registered in an Honours program, you may be recommended for Honours or First-Class Honours by your department(s) to the Faculty, only under the following conditions:

• you must complete all requirements imposed by the department
• for Honours, the CGPA at graduation must be at least 3.00
• for First-Class Honours, the CGPA at graduation must be 3.50 or better
• students in a Joint Honours program must satisfy the above criteria for both Joint Honours components
• some departments have additional requirements which must be met before you are recommended for Honours or First-Class Honours (please consult the relevant department)

Students in an Honours program whose program GPA or CGPA is below 3.00, or who did not satisfy certain additional program requirements, must consult their advisor to determine if they are eligible to graduate in a program other than Honours.

Honours and First Class Honours for Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences

Departments may recommend to the Faculty that graduating students registered in an honours program be awarded Honours or First-Class Honours under the following conditions:

• you must complete all Honours program requirements; for Honours, the CGPA at graduation must be at least 3.00;
• for First-Class Honours, the CGPA at graduation must be at least 3.50;
• some programs may impose additional requirements, which must be met before you are recommended for Honours or First-Class Honours.

Students in an Honours program whose CGPA is below 3.00, or who did not satisfy certain program requirements, must consult their academic advisor to determine their eligibility to graduate in a program other than Honours.

Outstanding Achievement for Schulich School of Music

Departments may recommend to the School that graduating students be awarded Outstanding Achievement in recognition of superior performance on an instrument or voice or in an academic discipline.