A complete listing of graduation requirements can be found in the Academic Catalog. Students are responsible for fulfilling these requirements and are encouraged to consult with their academic advisers and resident assistants in planning their course schedules. Students are required to check their online transcript and program evaluation each term for completeness and accuracy. Questions should be directed to the Registrar's Office.

Briefly, students must earn at least 210 credits with a minimum grade point average of 2.0 to graduate. They are expected to show proficiency in written English and in a second language, complete the Recognition and Affirmation of Difference requirement (RAD) and four (4) terms of physical education, take 60 credits of "distribution" courses, complete all courses required for the major (all of the above with grades of S or C- or better), and pass a comprehensive examination or senior integrative exercise. A maximum of 36 credits in applied music may be counted toward the credits required for graduation; a maximum of 12 credits for participation in music 185-199 may be counted toward graduation.

In June of each year the Academic Standing Committee (ASC) makes a final review of the records of all seniors. In the case where a student began his or her 12th and final term at Carleton theoretically capable of graduating, and did not subsequently drop a course from his or her registration, the ASC may permit the student who has not completed all requirements for graduation to participate in commencement "with an asterisk" even when such a student will not receive a degree and is not considered a graduate of the College. The ASC's underlying presumption is that students have planned their programs so as to complete all requirements by the end of their twelfth term. The asterisk, then, serves to cover last-minute situations.

The student who begins his or her 12th and final term at Carleton without being theoretically able to complete the degree is not allowed to participate in commencement without having satisfied all degree requirements and should be prepared to complete the remaining work at another institution following the current regulation for transfer of credit. In some cases--for example when the student must complete the senior integrative exercise or courses required for the major--the student may be required to complete additional work at Carleton, or may be suspended or dismissed. When a student has made up all deficiencies in graduation requirements, the degree is awarded. The student is eligible to participate in commencement the following June.

See also academic progress, latin honors at graduation and writing requirement.