Graduation

Here are more infomation about Graduation

Associate Degree Information

En Route Associate of Arts or Science Degrees

ASU students who satisfactorily complete approximately 50% of the requirements for selected baccalaureate degrees may earn an Associate of Arts degree or Associate of Science degree en route to the four-year baccalaureate degree.

Why an Associate Degree?

For part-time students, or students who need to stop out due to personal or extenuating circumstances, the en route associate degree can be a valuable intermediate goal, bridging the period between matriculation and the completion of a four-year baccalaureate degree.

Requirements

A minimum of 60 hours, including the required ASU-J general education curriculum are required. Students upon entry to ASU may not declare the degree. Students will be notified of their eligibility for the degree upon satisfactory completion of the minimum requirements. Students who have not been contacted and have completed the minimum requirements may contact the Office of the Registrar for assessment of their eligibility.

Please contact graduation@astate.edu for more information.

"My first college degree is an Associate’s in Arts degree. Earning it left me with a strong sense of accomplishment. Once I earned my associate’s, I had something to call my own and to remind me of all the hard work that I had completed over a two-year period. Also, earning it left me with a craving for success, and it helped me to stay motivated to reach other goals in life. For example, while earning my bachelor’s degree, having the associate’s degree behind me served as a constant reminder of my ability to complete something important—a degree program. In all, I am extremely proud of my first college degree, an associate’s degree."
 

Lillie M. Fears, Ph.D.
Professor, Dept. of Journalism

Associate of Arts

The Associate of Arts degree may be awarded to students who are pursing the following degrees:

Associate of Science

The Associate of Science degree may be awarded to students who are pursing the following degrees:

Curriculum Outline

There is no standard curriculum outline for this degree as it is embedded in 25+ established baccalaureate degree programs that range from completion of general education and introductory courses for the major within the first four semesters to programs that may spread the general education requirements over additional semesters. It is reasonable to expect that most baccalaureate programs would allow the en route AA degree to be completed in 4-6 semesters.

A minimum of 60 credit hours (excludes remedial course work) are required.

Pre-requisites

Because the AS degrees are 'en route' towards a BS degree, students must have completed all requirements. Courses cannot be currently in progress. Students who have courses in progress that will apply to this degree should contact our office for the next commencement period if interested.

Cap & Gown Information

Cap & Gown Distribution

Before picking up your graduation regalia, please make sure your student account is cleared with Student Account Services, or that arrangements are made to clear your account. (870-972-2285). 

Cap & Gown Pickup

Cap and Gown will not be released to any student who has not RSVP’d for the ceremony. If you did not RSVP you will need to contact the Office of the Registrar in order to reserve your spot in the ceremony. You will then be able to pickup your regalia.

Regalia will be distributed at the dates/times/location below. Due to the timing of when we receive the regalia, we cannot ship prior to the ceremony.

Dates: TBA
Times: TBA
Location: First National Bank Arena, 217 Olympic Ave, Hames Room A

If you are attending the ceremony, please do not request to have your cap and gown mailed to you. If you have it mailed and do not receive it, you will have to purchase another out of pocket.

If you did not pre-order your regalia, there will be extra caps, gowns, hoods, etc. during the distribution times listed above.

If you need someone else to pick up your regalia, just let that person know whether you’re an undergrad or graduate level student to save the representative some time. If you did not pre-order, they will also need to know your height and weight.

Cap & Gown Pickup for Non-Attendees

If you are ordering your regalia as a keepsake, you may request the Bookstore to ship it beginning May 12th. The last day to place a regalia shipping order is May 31st. There will be no extensions for this deadline.

Please use the link below to order:
Regalia Shipping Order – A-State Bookstore(not available now untill 2026 spring graduation)

There is a minimum charge of $10 for mailing regalia, which is paid directly to the A-State Bookstore. Please contact the A-State Bookstore at (870) 933-9191 to pay the shipping cost and have your regalia shipped. Please contact them only during graduation week to have regalia shipped to you, as all leftover regalia will boxed up and returned after graduation week.

Doctoral Students
Unless you purchase your regalia from Brown’s Graduation, your graduation fee only covers the rental of your cap, gown, and hood. Please return it to the Registrar’s table (Hames Room A, Lower Level) after commencement.

Failure to return your regalia could result in you being charged for the price associated with it, which is quite costly.

If you plan to decorate your cap, please use appropriate materials that do not distract others from the ceremony. Inappropriate materials could include electronic devices, lights, etc.  

WALK CARDS

You will receive two cards when you pick up your cap and gown. Please bring these cards with you to the commencement ceremony. It is important that you have these for the announcer and photographer.* Please do not leave your walk cards in your car, at home/the hotel, or throw it away accidentally. These cards have important information on it that YOU WILL NEED. Please consider these cards as part of your “regalia” and come to the ceremony with them.

*For students who have already obtained your cap and gown—we will have your walk cards (and honor cords if eligible) at the Registrar’s table at the ceremony. We will be located near the entrance for you to obtain these items.)

PENDING GRADUATES

  • Please note that you DO NOT have to get an email stating that you’ve been cleared in order to participate in the ceremony. As long as you are a pending graduate AND you have preregistered/signed up, you can walk at the appropriate commencement ceremony.

  • Please continue to check your student email regularly for important information. We will send a link to provide your preferred mailing address for your diploma near the conclusion of the semester. You MUST fill this out if you want your diploma mailed to you once they are released.

For More Cap and Gown info...

Contact:
Office of the Registrar
graduation@astate.edu
(870) 972-2031

Reng Student Union, 2130

Postal Address:
PO Box 1570
State University, AR 72467

Honors Requirements

Arkansas State University recognizes the academic achievement of graduating baccalaureate-degree students with Latin Honors, “Honors Program” and “University Honors Program” distinctions. To receive distinctions, students must be seeking their first baccalaureate degree. Honor distinctions are not awarded for additional baccalaureate degrees, associates degrees, or graduate-level degrees.

Latin Honors

1. Distinctions for graduating students are determined after grades have been submitted for the first session of the graduating term for the graduation program and ceremony. Distinctions are recalculated after full-term and second session grades have been posted to award distinctions to any students who improved sufficiently to achieve a distinction.

2. In order to receive Latin Honors, students must earn at least 45 ASU-Jonesboro Institutional Hours. ASU registration for the graduating term will be included when determining if a student meets this requirement.

3. Students must have both an Overall (Cumulative) GPA and an ASU-Jonesboro Institutional GPA that meets the following requirements:

NOTE: Overall GPA is calculated by combining GPA hours and quality points for all ASU-Jonesboro and transfer coursework. (Transfer coursework may include courses taken concurrently while in high school.)

Program Honors

1. Distinctions for graduating students are determined prior to the graduating term.

2. Students who complete the Honors Program shall be recognized as graduating “In Honors”. Diplomas and transcripts will bear the designation “Honors Program”. Students who complete the University Honors Program shall be recognized as graduating “In University Honors”. Diplomas and transcripts will bear the designation “University Honors Program”.

For additional information, please visit the Honors College.

Ceremony Information

Before the Ceremony

Graduates should report straight to the assigned seat on their walk card before the ceremony.

Parking

There will be NO parking on grass surfaces on campus. All parking near First National Bank Arena will be available with the gates up. Consult the online parking map for locations not normally available during football season.

Parking map >>

Guests for the Ceremony

All commencement ceremonies are open seating for guests. Guests can sit anywhere that isn't designated as reserved. 

Clear Bag Policy

For those in attendance, please note that the university's clear bag policy will be enforced. 

Walk Cards

You will receive two cards when you pick up your cap and gown. Please bring these cards with you to the commencement ceremony. It is important that you have these for the announcer and photographer. Please consider these cards as part of your “regalia” and come to the ceremony with them.

How to Receive Your Diploma

Beginning Fall 2023, Arkansas State University has partnered with Parchment to offer a free digital diploma in addition to the paper diploma. Your digital diploma compliments your paper diploma, which will be mailed to you 10-15 business days after your digital diploma is claimed. The digital diploma can be accessed from any device at any time and shared via social media. Check your AState email account for a notification when your digital diploma is issued.

Did Not Receive My Diploma

First, log into Banner Self-Service and check your transcript to see if your degree has been awarded (this process takes several business days after final grades are posted).

If your degree has been awarded, next check if your student account has a zero balance. Diplomas will not be distributed to students who have an account balance. Contact the Student Accounts for information on paying your balance.

If your degree has been awarded and you have a zero balance, please check your AState email account for updates from Parchment on how to receive your diploma. Students will typically receive this email about 2 to 3 weeks after final grades have been reported.

Verification

Degree Verification

Arkansas State University has authorized the National Student Clearinghouse (NSC) to provide degree verification. Please visit www.studentclearinghouse.org for additional information.

Enrollment Verification

Student Requests

Students can acquire their enrollment verification by accessing astate portal, the ASU portal. Select "Banner9 Self Service Student," then from the list of additional links choose "Enrollment Verification." Students may also come to our office to pick up an Enrollment Verification letter.

High Schools, Outside Companies, Loan Vendors and Other Institutions

ASU has authorized the National Student Clearinghouse (NSC) to act as our agent for all verifications of student enrollment for outside companies and loan vendors. 

Please visit www.studentclearinghouse.org for additional information.

Apostille/Certification

If you require a transcript or diploma to be certified or apostilled, please note that this process is not immediate and we recommend that you allow sufficient time for processing. Here are the steps that you need to take for this process: 

  1. Request an official copy of your transcript and/or diploma.
  2. Request that this is notarized through the Office of the Registrar. Documents must be properly notarized by an Arkansas Notary Public or must bear the seal and signature of an Arkansas elected official.
  3. If you require this to be sent through for the Arkansas Apostille and Certification process, you can find additional information on the Arkansas Secretary of State's website.

Replacement Diplomas

Obtaining Your Diploma

Students receive correspondence from the graduation staff about diploma availability through their student email during the semester of commencement. If you have additional questions, contact graduation@astate.edu.

Replacement Diplomas

To obtain a replacement diploma, you must fill out the form below and submit it to the Registrar's Office. There is a $15 fee to obtain a replacement diploma. Diplomas cannot be scanned and/or mailed electronically.

Download the Replacement Diploma Form >>

Replacement Minor Certificates

To obtain a replacement minor certificate, you must fill out our the form below and submit it to the Registrar's Office. There is a $15 fee to obtain a replacement certificate.

Download the Replacement Minor Form >>

Apostille/Certification

If you require a transcript or diploma to be certified or apostilled, please note that this process is not immediate and we recommend that you allow sufficient time for processing. Here are the steps that you need to take for this process: 

  1. Request an official copy of your transcript and/or diploma.
  2. Request that this is notarized through the Office of the Registrar. Documents must be properly notarized by an Arkansas Notary Public or must bear the seal and signature of an Arkansas elected official.
  3. If you require this to be sent through for the Arkansas Apostille and Certification process, you can find additional information on the Arkansas Secretary of State's website.

Graduation Fee

 

This $45 fee is required of ALL students when filing an intent to graduate, even if not participating in the ceremony. The fee covers the processing of the paperwork, the printing of the Commencement Program and the Diploma and cover. This fee will be processed once the online intent form is completed. 

If a student is unable to graduate at the end of the semester for which the intent to graduate application has been made, the student will not receive a refund of the graduation fee and will be required to pay the fee on each subsequent intent to graduate application.

Online Intent to Graduate Form

The online intent to graduate form can be submitted through Self Service by following these steps:

 

    1. Login to astate portal

    2. Select 'Banner9 Self Service Student'

    3. From the additional links choose 'Graduation Application'

    4. Select a curriculum term
      1. This may not be the same as your graduation term

    5. Choose a program and, if the curricula is correct, select 'Continue'
      1. If you do not meet the requirements or have already completed your intent form there will not be a program for you to select
      2. If you have a double major (two majors in the same degree) both majors will be listed under the same program
      3. If you have a double degree the programs will be listed separately and you'll have to file twice, once for each program

    6. Select the date you intend to graduate

    7. Select whether you intend to attend graduation and click 'Continue'

    8. Select the name you want to appear on your diploma and click 'Continue'
      1. Enter this exactly as you want it to appear. Middle initials and suffixes (ex. Jr.) should include periods. Do not use all caps.

    9. Select a payment method and click 'Continue'

    10. If everything on the intent summary is correct click 'Submit Request'
View directions with screen shots >>

 

When the online intent to graduate form is completed an automatic email is sent to your campus email account notifying you of the receipt and directing you to the Graduation Tracker.

 

Graduation Tracker >>