2024 Commencement Information

Academic Garb

All caps and gowns must be ordered online at herff.ly/fran. All cap and gown orders need to be ordered by March 26 to pick up in the Franciscan Bookstore (starting on May 6). The ordering deadline to ship your cap and gown home is April 12. A shipping fee applies to regalia that is shipped to homes. Of course, you may feel free to borrow a cap & gown from a previous graduate–so long as they received the same degree (BA, MBA, MA, etc.) and you are the same height. Keep in mind that gowns for graduate degrees are longer than those for undergraduate degrees, and each graduate degree has a different color hood. 

RSVP

Students who have submitted an application for graduation and indicated on the application they would be attending the commencement ceremony will receive 5 guest tickets for family and/or friends. Graduation applications are due by Friday, March 29, 2024. If you would like to change your attendance status, please email [email protected] prior to Friday, March 29, 2024. Information on ticket distribution will be announced soon. Contact the Registrar if you have questions regarding tickets.

Event Photos

A photographer from Graduation Foto will be taking photographs at commencement of each graduate receiving his or her diploma from Fr. President Dave Pivonka, TOR in front of a green screen. You will receive wallet-sized proofs of these photos after commencement. Orders may be made online at graduationfoto.com or by calling 800-482-0321. Questions may be emailed to [email protected].  

Grade and Graduation Eligibility

After submitting their graduation application, each student will receive a degree audit from the Registrar’s Office indicating whether or not he or she is in satisfactory progress to graduate. If any deficiencies are indicated, they should be resolved immediately. Students with unresolved deficiencies, or who are otherwise not in satisfactory progress to graduate (low GPA, etc.), will not be permitted to participate in the commencement ceremony for that degree. 

Degrees

Students who complete more than one major will only receive one degree. Those students with majors in both a BA and a BS program will automatically receive a BA degree. If you would like to receive a BS instead you must notify the Registrar no later than Friday, April 12, 2024. Students will participate only in the commencement ceremony which corresponds with their degree. 

Graduating with Honors

Undergraduate Students earning a 3.5 overall GPA or higher may be eligible for academic honors (cum laude: 3.50-3.69, magna cum laude: 3.70-3.89, or summa cum laude: 3.90-4.00). Transfer students must have earned at least 62 credit hours at Franciscan University to be eligible for honors. Students receiving academic honors will wear a gold honor cord for commencement. These cords will be distributed at the same time as tickets. Since final grades for the Spring 2024 semester will not be submitted until after the commencement ceremony, honor cords will be handed out based on GPA at the end of the Fall 2023 semester. Final Honors, printed on diploma and transcript, will be determined after all grades have been received. 

Diplomas

Diplomas do not include major or minor areas of study because the degree conferred and attested to by the diploma is simply “Bachelor of Arts,” etc. The major is separate from the degree. Majors and minors are listed on the transcript, which is most often requested by employers. 

All diplomas will be mailed in June to the address submitted on the back of their graduation application. 

Diplomas will not be sent unless all requirements, as stated in the University catalog, are complete; as well, the student’s financial obligation to the University must be satisfied. 

Transcripts

Transcripts showing the conferral of a degree may take up to two weeks to be available, but students may submit a request for an updated transcript and indicate “Hold until statement of degree is available” to make sure the conferral date is indicated before the transcript is sent. If an initial transcript is needed before the semester is over, a separate request must be submitted. Important: Account balances must be paid in full before transcripts are released. 

ADA Accommodations

If you will need special accommodations (i.e. for a wheelchair) please contact Dave Fatula at [email protected]. 

Parking

Due to the large number of guests on campus, parking is limited. If you park on campus, please follow the directions of the security guards and student staff assisting them.

Shuttles 

Shuttles Guests staying at The Inn and Suites at Franciscan Square and Wingate by Wyndham on University Blvd. or Holiday Inn, Fairfield Inn & Suites, and Comfort Inn in Weirton, WV are encouraged to leave their vehicles at the hotels. University shuttle vans will transport guest from these hotels to campus. Shuttles will run from Steubenville/Weirton hotels on the following schedule:

• Steubenville hotels: Friday, May 10, every 15 minutes from 4 p.m.- 10:30 p.m
• Steubenville Hotels: Saturday, May 11, every 15 minutes from 7:30 a.m. – 4 p.m.
• Weirton Hotels: Friday, May 10, every half hour from 4 p.m. -10:30 p.m.
• Weirton Hotels: Saturday, May 11, every half hour from 7:30 a.m. – 4 p.m.

ADA Accessibility

If you have a guest who will need special accommodations (i.e. for a wheelchair) please contact Dave Fatula at [email protected].