Students are responsible for meeting the full requirements for graduation as set forth in the College Catalog. Counselors assist students in planning their program of study, but the final responsibility for meeting education requirements rests with the student. Students must complete a Petition to Earn an Associate Degree form the semester prior to graduation. The deadline to file a Petition to Earn an Associate Degree is October 1st for Fall graduates and March 1st for Spring & Summer anticipated graduates.

Minimum Graduation Requirements to be eligible for graduation with an Associate degree: The student must meet ALL of the following requirements:

• Have passed all courses specified and required in the student’s chosen program of study.
• Have earned a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.0 on all required courses attempted at the College.
• Have taken and passed at least 12 semester units in residency at CMC.
• Have paid all financial obligations owed to the College.
• Have filed with the Office of Student Services a petition to earn an associate degree (graduate) one semester prior to the student’s final semester.

Honors at Graduation Copper Mountain Community College encourages scholarship among students through formal recognition of those who graduate with honors. Grade point average (GPA) is cumulative and includes all college work completed at CMC and all degree-applicable coursework completed at other colleges/universities. To recognize academic accomplishment, students completing associate degree programs with prescribed cumulative grade point averages are recognized at the college commencement exercises and degrees awarded, as honor students.

Petition for graduation with an Associate degree by filling out the following form. If you intend to receive more than one degree, please fill out one form per degree: Petition to Earn an Associate Degree  Important! Please be sure to have official transcripts from all the colleges you have attended on file in the Admissions and Records Office. Your degree cannot be conferred until ALL official transcripts with ALL degree-applicable grades earned at all transfer colleges attended are on file. Whether or not you plan to participate in the Commencement Ceremony, you must apply for a graduation evaluation of your records by March 1st, if you wish to have a May graduation date posted on your transcript.

Graduating students participating in Commencement will receive a separate email containing their cumulative GPA (calculated through the previous fall) and honors if applicable. The District recognizes academic accomplishment by awarding associate degrees with Highest Honors, High Honors, and Academic Distinction designations. All degree-applicable work from all transfer colleges attended will be included in the computation of the cumulative grade point average for graduation honors. To recognize academic accomplishment, students completing associate degree programs with prescribed cumulative grade point averages are to be recognized through the college commencement exercises and degrees awarded as honor students. Academic Renewal requests prior to graduation will not be processed for graduation honors. Graduation with Honors is the most comprehensive academic honor because it is cumulative. While President’s List and Honor Roll awards are made on a semester basis, Graduation with Honors is based on all degree-applicable grades earned at all transfer colleges attended, with a final overall GPA no less than 3.50. All transcripts from other colleges must be on file in the Office of Student Services prior to filing a “Request for Evaluation”. Board Policy 6540.2: “All degree applicable work from all transfer colleges attended will be included in the computation of the cumulative grade point average for graduation honors.” Requests to disregard transcripts containing degree-applicable work with poor grades cannot be honored. Academic Renewal requests prior to graduation will not be processed for graduation honors. Commencement is held the last day of the spring semester when the majority of spring grades have not yet been received or posted to transcripts and commencement programs are already printed. For the purpose of the commencement ceremony, honors will be calculated on grades earned through the previous fall semester. However, final grades for spring & summer graduates will be available and included in the calculation of honors for notation on the official transcripts, which will be available several weeks AFTER commencement. If you are graduating with Academic Distinction, High Honors, or Highest Honors, it will be noted as your name is announced during the commencement ceremony, and printed in the commencement program. Student honors status is based on one of the following cumulative GPAs:

1. Student cumulative GPA is based on all degree applicable lower division grades earned at all colleges attended through fall 2022 equals 3.90 – 4.00. Student will graduate with Highest Honors. OR
2. Student cumulative GPA is based on all degree applicable lower division grades earned at all colleges attended through fall 2022 equals 3.75 – 3.89. Student will graduate with High Honors. OR
3. Student cumulative GPA is based on all degree applicable lower division grades earned at all colleges attended through fall 2022 equals 3.50 – 3.74. Student will graduate with Academic Distinction. OR
4. Student cumulative GPA is based on all degree applicable lower division grades earned at all colleges attended through fall 2022 is below 3.50. Student GPA qualifies you for graduation, but not for honors status.

If a student questions their assessment of honor status, they can double-check it by adding ALL degree-applicable lower division units from ALL colleges on file through the end of the fall semester, not counting repeated courses. If there are any transcripts from the quarter system, student must convert the units to semester units prior to calculating the grade point average (GPA). Multiply quarter units by .66 before adding to semester units. Then add up all grade points following the same guidelines, including quarter to semester conversions. Divide the points by the units to arrive at the GPA. If student calculation results in a different honor status than reported above, student may contact Student Services, by May 1st to have it double-checked. Then, if a change is warranted, the new honor status can be entered before Commencement programs go to print. Recalculation of GPA the day of commencement in order to be announced is not possible.

Honor Graduate Speaker The Honor Graduate Speaker is chosen from a select group of students graduating from Copper Mountain College with “Highest” or “High Honors.”  This recognition is bestowed on students who have a cumulative grade point average of 3.75 to 4.00, through the previous fall semester and includes grades for all degree applicable work from all transfer colleges attended in the computation of the cumulative grade point average. Towards the end of March, students meeting the GPA requirement, will be invited to complete an application and submit an essay to be considered as the Honor Graduate Speaker at Commencement. In April/May, the Commencement Committee will review received applications and hear applicant’s speeches. Within a week, the selected applicant will be notified.  

The Commencement ceremony is often referred to as “Graduation”. But in reality there is a difference. The Commencement ceremony is just that, a ceremony. It is an end of Spring semester celebration for students projected to successfully complete all of their graduation requirements by the end of that Spring or Summer semester. Students completing all their requirements by the end of the previous Fall semester also participate in the upcoming Spring ceremony. Students do not receive an actual degree at the commencement ceremony. Confirmation of degree completion will not take place until after official grades for spring and summer are posted. It is highly recommended that students meet with their Counselor prior to their last semester in order to review their records and ensure all graduation requirements will be met.

Graduation refers to the semester in which a student has officially and successfully completed all of their graduation requirements. You must apply for the semester in which you plan to graduate by submitting a Petition to Earn a Degree form to jramstorf@cmccd.edu. Once grades are posted, the student’s record will be evaluated and a degree will be made available for mailing 6-9 weeks later. Students can graduate either at the end of the Fall, Spring, or Summer semesters, or in between. There is only one Commencement ceremony that takes place each year, at the end of the Spring semester, to celebrate graduation from the previous Fall, upcoming Spring and Summer semesters.

Dos and Don’ts for Commencement Day:

If you want to participate in Commencement you must abide by the following guidelines:

• DO remember to attend the rehearsal at 9a.m. on the day of commencement at the Bell Center.
• DO remember to iron your gown before the event (cool iron).
• DO remember to bring extra bobby pins to secure your cap (optional).
• DO wear the cap straight, pulled down over the forehead. Caps should be worn at all times during the ceremony by men, except during the National Anthem.
• DO make sure your tassel is draped over the left front corner of the cap.
• DO show up to the Bell Center Gymnasium by 4:45 pm SHARP to start lining up.
• DON’T bring any illegal substances or alcoholic beverages with you to the event. Coolers, bottles, and alcoholic beverages are NOT permitted at the ceremony.
• DON’T wear leis, adornments, RN or VN pins, other embellishments or decorate mortarboards. You will be asked to remove any of these items prior to the ceremony and may not be permitted to participate if you refuse.
• DO leave all personal belongings (coats, purses etc.) at home or with family.
• DO plan to line up with your friends who are graduating and enjoy your accomplishment!!

When Will I Receive My Degree? Spring 2023

Students graduating in Spring 2023, who have met ALL graduation requirements, your degrees will be available for mailing after the August 2023 Board of Trustees meeting, which at this time is scheduled for August 10th. The reason for this is:

• ALL grades have to be entered and posted. Anticipated date this year: June 1st.
• The bulk of reviewing degree audits for requirement completion is completed in June and July.
• There are 100+ degree audits to review to ensure students met their spring 2023 requirements.
• After reviewing them, the Dean of Student Services reviews each one and signs off on them.
• They are then posted to the student’s transcript, which is a multi-step process.
• Degrees are printed and sent to the Board of Trustees for signatures.
• Student Services generally receives the degrees on the Monday after the BOT meeting and then begins emailing students to notify them their degrees are available for mailing.

PLEASE NOTE: At other colleges, this process can take up to 6 months.

When degrees are available for mailing, you will receive an email in your CMC student email. Please reply to this email with your complete mailing address; your degree will then be mailed to you. 

If you do not provide your mailing address by email, your degree will not be mailed. We must have written verification of a mailing address.

Please allow 2-3 weeks for the mailing process.