A student fixing his graduation cap

Applying for Graduation | Commencement | Degrees and Diplomas | Visa Letter | FAQs

Applying for Graduation

Students must submit a graduation application through SURFS by the stated deadline for the term they are planning to graduate.

Graduation Term Submission begin date Submission deadline date
Fall 2025 July 1, 2025 September 19, 2025
Spring 2026 October 27, 2025 February 13, 2026
Summer 2026 March 27, 2026 June 26, 2026
Fall 2026 July 1, 2026 September 18, 2026

Students who submitted a graduation application but are later removed from the applicant/candidate list by their school/program are required to submit a new graduation application for the next term in which they are eligible.

Commencement

Go to the University of Maryland Graduation Celebration  webpage for more information.

Schools/Programs may hold graduation ceremonies for their graduates.  For more information, contact the Student Affairs or Records and Registration Office in your School/Program.

Degrees and Diplomas

Degree Posting and Diploma/Certificate Mailing Schedule

Degree Posting on Transcripts: Approximately 2 weeks after the end of the semester or when your School/Program certifies you to graduate.

Receiving Diplomas:

  • Spring (May) Graduates
    • Diplomas:  Student who are awarded a degree can expect to receive their diploma mailed to the address provided on the graduation application in 4-6 weeks.
    • Certificates: Students who are awarded a certificate can expect to receive their certificate mailed to the address provided on the graduation application by mid-July.
  • Summer (July) Graduates
    • Diplomas/Certificates will be mailed to the address provided on the graduation application by mid-September.
  • Fall (December) Graduates
    • Diplomas/Certificates will be mailed to the address provided on the graduation application by EARLY FEBRUARY.

Certified Electronic Diploma (CeDiploma)

Effective Summer 2020, in addition to the printed diploma, UMB graduates are eligible to receive a digital copy of their diploma. 

Access Your Digital Diploma or Certificate

You will receive an email with a link to download your credential when it is available from our trusted partner, CeCredential Trust®.

To request a new download link, please use the CeCredential Trust site to resend the link.

Be sure to register for your free account directly on the CeCredential Trust® website in order to have lifetime access to your CeDiploma.

Learn more here: CeCredential Overview page.

If you have any questions, please email registrar@umaryland.edu with your name and student ID. We wish you the very best in all your future endeavors.

For security, the CeDiploma is designed to retain its digital character at all times. You may print the validation results if required. Please direct any questions or concerns to the Office of the Registrar at registrar@umaryland.edu.

Students with an outstanding financial obligation will not receive their diplomas/certificates.  For more information, contact the Office of the Registrar at registrar@umaryland.edu.

Visa Letter

Please contact your School/Program Records and Registration Office to obtain graduation invitation letters.

Frequently Asked Questions

Students should contact their schools' Registration Office. 

Contact your school registration department for next steps!

If you have applied for graduation in the past and did not graduate, you will not be able to complete a new graduation application. You will need to contact your school/program for assistance, a manually application will be completed on your behalf. 

30-days before graduation the Office of the Registrar will send an email asking for you to verify information for graduation. A link will be provided for the preferred name diploma request form to complete. If you complete the form requesting to update your preferred first and or preferred middle name, it will be changed for your diploma/certificate only. Otherwise, the name on your SURFS account will be the name displayed on your diploma.  

If you do not receive an email from (registrar@umaryland.edu) contact your school.

Complete the Request to Change Personal Information form and provide the supporting documentation to be processed.

In 2 - 4 business days your name will be changed in SURFS. After that we will also confirm the name for my diploma/certificate within 30-days of graduation via email (from registrar@umaryland.edu). 

To ensure the change of personal information appears on the diploma this change needs to occur 30-days prior to graduation, after you will be required to pay additional fees to receive a new copy.

30-days prior to graduation the Office of the Registrar will send an email asking for you to confirm your address! Contacting the Office of the Registrar is the only way to update your diploma/certificate mailing address.

If you do not receive an email from (registrar@umaryland.edu) contact your school. We are unable to mail your diploma and or certificate to an international address, please provide a United States postal address for delivery, email registrar@umaryland.edu with the USA address.

Contact the Office of the Registrar at registrar@umaryland.edu with a picture of the diploma/certificate you received and provide the correct spelling/ name that you were expecting. You may be requested to mail the diploma/certificate to the Office of the Registrar prior to receiving the corrected one.  If the spelling or preferred name was initiated by you, you would need to request a new one, in which you will incur additional fees for ordering a new diploma/certificate.

The Office of the Registrar will send an email 30-days prior to graduation to have you confirm your degree and major. The diploma will list degree and major only.  The certificate will list the program and concentration only.  If you do not receive an email from (registrar@umaryland.edu) contact your school. If you receive a degree or certificate with incorrect program, major and/or concentration please contact registrar@umaryland.edu.

Contact your school and they will provide you with next steps!

Check with your program, most programs require a cap and gown to attend the graduation ceremony!

All caps and gowns are picked up at the bookstore located in the Campus Center Building at 621 W Lombard Street, phone number is 410-328-7788.

Students may request a degree verification online via Forms and Services - Office of the Registrar (umaryland.edu).  Your degree verification will reflect degree and or certificate as conferred, and date.

Students may request a transcript online via Forms and Services - Office of the Registrar (umaryland.edu) 2-3 weeks after graduation. Your transcript will reflect your degree and or certificate as conferred.

You will receive an email 3-4 weeks after graduation with a link from CeCredential Trust to download your diploma.

YES, All students who have borrowed a federal loan while enrolled at UMB are required to complete exit counseling with Federal Student Aid. To resolve this requirement, please log on to Federal Student Aid's exit counseling page 
Failure to complete exit counseling will delay the production of your diploma.

If you have any additional questions, please call the Office of the Registrar at 410-706-7480 or email us at registrar@umaryland.edu.


Updated: 11/1/2023 12:51:30 PM