Commencement

It’s easy to confuse the terms graduation and commencement. Commencement refers to the specific ceremony‚ officiated by the provost of the University, where you celebrate your academic accomplishment with your peers, family and friends. It’s also a time for the University, president, deans, program directors, faculty and staff to pay special tribute to you for your outstanding efforts in earning your degree.

Graduation is the process of submitting an online graduation application, completing all academic requirements for your degree and settling all financial obligations, among any other requirements. The administrative process of degree conferral, or when your degree is officially awarded, will indicate your official date of graduation.

Graduates from any campus or online may choose to attend any ceremony by which they are academically eligible.

The graduate’s preferred name will be the default name printed on the diploma and in the commencement program unless the preference is changed. You may verify what is on file by going to the Rasmussen Student Portal Account Center > My Profile > Preferred Name and Pronoun Update. You will see your current information; follow the instructions to submit a change to your preferred first name or add a pronoun.

Graduates may change their default name no later than four weeks prior to the ceremony date.

Eligible graduates will receive an email invitation to register for commencement. This email will contain a link to the registration site. The deadline to register is four weeks prior to each ceremony. Registering by this date is essential to guarantee your participation.

If you do not receive an invitation, please contact your advisor.

Yes, graduates can choose to register for virtual attendance. Virtual graduates will be honored as a group during the ceremony. Specific names will not be read during the graduate recognition portion.

Guest numbers are based on anticipated graduate numbers and the capacity of each commencement venue. Specific guest counts can be found on the commencement location tabs above.

Visit Graduation Source to place your regalia order. All regalia orders must be placed two weeks prior to your ceremony.

Your regalia package includes cap, gown, tassel and graduation stole (decorative sash). Any special honors cord you’ve earned will be available for pick up during the commencement check in process and are to be worn throughout the ceremony as a recognition of your special achievement. Honors will be based on the quarter prior to commencement and may not be representative of the honors you will graduate with.

Graduates who choose to participate virtually are not required to wear regalia but can choose to wear them.

Honors are based on the student’s most recently completed quarter. For students in Pending status, honors at commencement may not be the same as honors at the time of graduation.

Graduation Honors
Rasmussen University recognizes outstanding academic achievement by awarding honors to graduates who meet minimum qualifications. Graduation honors will be noted on the diploma and transcripts of students, and they will receive gold cords for the commencement ceremony as a symbol of this achievement.

Certificate, Diploma and Associate’s Degree Honors
Students who complete all graduation requirements and earn a cumulative grade point average of 3.50 or higher will graduate with honors.

Bachelor’s Degree Honors
Students who complete all graduation requirements and earn a cumulative grade point average of 3.50 or higher will graduate with one of the following honors:

• Cum Laude: Bachelor’s students who earn a cumulative grade point average of 3.50–3.669
• Magna Cum Laude: Bachelor’s students who earn a cumulative grade point average of 3.67–3.749
• Summa Cum Laude: Bachelor’s students who earn a cumulative grade point average of 3.75–4.00

Master’s and Doctoral Degree Honors
Students who complete all graduation requirements and meet the following requirements will graduate “with Distinction”:

• GPA requirement 3.85 or higher for courses completed at the graduate level (5000 and above)

Rasmussen has secured discounted rates to at least one location near each commencement venue. Visit the commencement tabs above for details and booking instructions.

It is recommended that you wait to book travel accommodations until your commencement registration has been confirmed.

Yes! You can apply to be a student speaker at the commencement ceremony. On the commencement registration form online, there is a section where you can indicate your interest. The deadline to express your interest is two months prior to each ceremony.

The Commencement Committee will review applications based on factors such as academic achievement, public speaking experience and the content of the proposed speech. Speeches should be approximately three to five minutes in length and generally focus on themes of legacy, community, resilience and the future.

More information regarding each commencement venue will be included in graduate communications leading up to the ceremony. Check the commencement locations tabs above for more information as it becomes available.

Graduates and their guests should plan for 1.5-2 hours to park and enter the commencement venue. There will be opportunities to interact with various members of the Rasmussen community during this time. Graduates will line up and process into the ceremony space. There will be a more detailed schedule for each ceremony in future communications.

Yes, once the live stream is available, family and friends can access it on this page underneath the "Rasmussen Commencement 2025 Dates" section. The link will also be included in the graduate Know Before You Go email leading up to the ceremony.

Diplomas generally arrive at a student’s address 10–12 weeks after the end of the final quarter in the program.

An academic audit is completed on all graduates prior to a diploma order being placed. Graduates receive their diplomas via the United States Postal Service; they are sent directly from the printer to the student. Diplomas will be sent to the address on file at the time of program completion.

Diplomas are issued to graduates once all debt to the University has been resolved. If 12 weeks after the end of the quarter you graduated and you have not received your diploma, you can check on its status by calling 952-230-3092.

Graduates may request a replacement diploma. The current fee is $23 per replacement diploma, collected prior to the diploma order being placed.

Replacement diplomas show the date the degree/certification was awarded and will bear the signatures of the current Rasmussen University administration. Requests can be made by calling 952-230-3092.

If you need an official transcript reflecting your graduate status to be mailed to you or a third party (employers, licensure agency, other institutions, etc.), you can order it through National Student Clearinghouse.

Please note that it may take 10–15 business days after the last day of your final quarter for your transcript to reflect your status as a graduate. Students are only processed as graduates once all grades are finalized an added to the academic record and an audit is performed.