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Graduation Instructions
Applying for Graduation
To graduate, a student must complete all degree requirements and have a cumulative grade point average of 2.00 or above.
Students may participate in the Commencement ceremonies without completing all graduation requirements if they are no more than six (6) credits short of completing all requirements and have a cumulative grade point average of at least 1.95. A Graduation Application must be submitted, and no degree will be awarded until requirements are met.
You must complete the following steps to graduate:
1) Apply to graduate
To receive a degree from WVU Potomac State College, students must submit a graduation application during the semester that they will be graduating. The online graduation application will require students who are seeking multiple degrees to submit a separate application for each degree sought. Students should meet with their academic advisor before completing the application to verify in Degree Works that requirements will be met.
Deadlines to Apply for Graduation December 2025 GraduationMay 2026 Graduation
How to Apply
You'll need to provide a mailing address for your diploma before you start the application process.
- Go to the portal and click on the STAR Tab
- Sign in using your username and password
- Click "Apply to graduate"
- Important: For the curriculum term selection on the first page of the application: select the most recent term in the drop down menu that is available to you (this will be different for every student, please note: this is NOT asking you for the term in which you are graduating or the term in which you started the program, this is simply the last time there was a curriculum/administrative update to your record.)
2) Register to participate
While completing the online application, tell us if you would like to participate in the graduation ceremony – options are Yes, No, Undecided. Potomac State has a May ceremony that includes graduates from August, December, and May. If you change your mind about participation after completing the application, please contact PSCAcademicAffairs@mail.wvu.edu.
3) Order required cap, gown and other optional graduation products (announcements, invitations, etc.)
Caps and gowns should be ordered online by April 5 which is the deadline for regalia to be shipped to home addresses. If you do not order your cap and gown online prior to April 5, please contact the PSC Bookstore immediately by visiting in-person or calling them at 304-788-6908 .
4) Check for any outstanding fees and holds (unpaid parking tickets, overdue library books, fees, etc.)
Students will not be awarded their diploma if there are any unpaid fees. Should any financial holds exist at the time of graduation, the diploma will instead be mailed to the Office of the University Registrar and held per the diploma retention policy. Make sure you are set to graduate by following these steps:
- Navigate to portal.wvu.edu
- Log in with your WVU ID and Password
- Select the “STAR” tab from the home screen
- Click on “Student Profile”
- Click on “Holds”
* To resolve holds, students will need to contact the office, the “Originator” listed, who has placed the hold on their account.