For Associate/Certificate Programs

Graduating from GBC with an associate’s degree or certificate requires all of the following:

• Completion of all courses in a prescribed associate degree or certificate program (a minimum of 60 credits for an associates degree and 30 credits for a certificate). You may select the program described in the current GBC catalog, or the GBC catalog at the time of your initial enrollment, provided that catalog is not more than six years old at the time of graduation. (You may not use year-to-year catalog combinations. If you have had major interruptions in completing your program, you should follow the current catalog.)
• Completion of at least 15 semester credits while in residence at GBC, regardless of the number of semester hours completed elsewhere and transferred to GBC.

  NOTE: The College will accept up to 15 credits for non-traditional education (e.g., military training, POST, work experience, etc.) and up to 30 credits can be earned by examination (e.g., CLEP, Advanced Placement, Challenge Exams). However, non-traditional or challenge credit is not applicable to all degrees and such credits do not apply to the 15 credit GBC residency requirement.

• A cumulative grade-point average of at least 2.0 on a 4.0 scale. Your GPA is based on the total credits you have taken at GBC. Your grade-point average can be determined by combining the points received for all your GBC courses and by dividing that total by the number of semester hours credited.
• Completion and filing of an Application for Graduation*. If you are a candidate for a degree or a certificate, file your application, submit the $20.00 fee, and processing will begin. Failure to apply before the application deadline published in the current Academic Calendar will result in a $5.00 late fee and a possible delay in the issuing of your diploma.
  

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• Complete fulfillment of all financial obligations with the GBC Library and the Controller’s Office.

If you fail to meet degree/certificate requirements by the end of the semester following your application, submit a new application and repay the $20.00 application fee for a subsequent graduation date.

For Baccalaureate Programs

Graduating with a baccalaureate degree requires all of the following:

• Completion courses in the prescribed degree program. You may elect to graduate under the catalog of the year of acceptance into a baccalaureate-level program or the year of graduation. Students who change their major must choose the catalog of the year of the latest change of major or the year of graduation. Whichever catalog is used, it cannot be more than 10 years old at the time of graduation. In the case of NSHE transfer students, any exceptions to this policy will be handled by the Transfer Center and the transfer agreement contract process.
• Attainment of the cumulative grade-point average required by your program and have earned no grade lower than a C- in any program requirements as specified in the program’s handbook.
• Completion of at least half the number of credits required for a baccalaureate degree at a four-year institution. A minimum number of 120 total credits is required. At least 40% of the credits required by the major must be upper division. To determine specific credit requirements, see the degree program of your choice.
• Completion of at least 32 credits in residence at GBC, regardless of the number of semester hours completed elsewhere and transferred to GBC. Challenge exam credit and other non-traditional credits do not as a part of the GBC residency requirement.
• Completion and filing of an Application for Graduation*. If you are a candidate for a baccalaureate degree, file your application, submit the $20.00 fee, and processing will begin. A $5.00 late fee will be assessed for applications received after the deadline published in the Academic Calendar. Failure to apply by the deadline may delay receipt of your diploma.
  

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• Complete fulfillment of all financial obligations with the GBC Library and the Controller’s Office.

If you fail to meet degree/certificate requirements by the end of the semester following your application, submit a new application and repay the $20.00 application fee for a subsequent graduation date.

GRADUATION WITH HONORS

During the May commencement ceremonies, GBC will distinguish certain graduates by categories of academic achievement, as follows:

• Cum Laude—Cumulative grade-point averages of 3.50 to 3.74.
• Magna Cum Laude—Cumulative grade-point averages of 3.75 to 3.99.
• Summa Cum Laude—Cumulative grade-point averages of 4.0.

Credits transferred from other institutions will not be used for academic achievement designation.

For an associate degree or certificate of achievement, students must complete 45 credits at GBC to graduate with honors. For a bachelor's degree, students must complete 45 upper-division credits at GBC to graduate with honors. The number of in-residence credits excludes credits earned by challenge and other non-traditional methods.