Graduation

Special Events Dress Code

Participation in Convocation or Commencement is an earned privilege. Piedmont University students are expected to abide by the following guidelines for appropriate and acceptable dress. Participation is permitted at the sole discretion of Piedmont University.

Convocation:

Freshmen should dress in appropriate attire and is suggested that attendees wear dress slacks, a button-up shirt and tie or a day dress.
 
Commencement:

Graduates should dress in appropriate attire under their academic regalia. It is suggested that graduates wear dress slacks, a button-up shirt and tie or a day dress. Hoods and mortarboards are worn at Commencement. Mortarboards are to be worn squared, not tilted. Men remove their mortarboards for the invocation and again during the benediction. Women do not remove their mortarboards. Some institutions allow students to display symbols of ethnic pride and religious cloths. Piedmont’s decision is not to allow these types of cloth to be worn as stoles but to allow a graduate to display it flat on top of the mortarboard. Any unapproved enhancements to regalia will be confiscated and returned to the graduate after the service. Replacement robes and/or mortarboards will be provided.

Tassels:

The tradition of moving the tassel signifies graduation. Undergraduate students wear the tassel on the right until the degree is conferred. Once the degree is conferred, the tassel is moved to the left. Since graduate students already have the distinction of achieving graduation, their tassels are worn on the left throughout the ceremony.

Mortarboards:

The current policy is to allow decorations on hats as long as they are two-dimensional. E.g., glitter is OK, but a several-inch palm tree sticking straight up is not. Lights, bows, feathers, action figures and flowers are also not acceptable. The policy will be enforced and noncompliant hats will be confiscated for the duration of the ceremony and the graduating student will be provided with a plain hat. Confiscated mortarboards will be returned to graduates after the ceremony.

Stoles & Cords:

The Registrar's Office will distribute graduation honors stoles to undergraduate students who qualify. These include honors for Cum Laude (green), Magna Cum Laude (white), and Summa Cum Laude (gold). 

Stoles, cords and/or pins are used to distinguish a major, honor society, and/or organization. Below is a list of recognized major/honor societies and organizations for which approved stoles, cords, and/or pins may be worn with your regalia during Commencement. Students may only wear regalia associated with Piedmont University approved major/honor societies and organizations. 

Approved organization memberships:

• Fraternity/Sorority: Alpha Sigma Phi, Zeta Tau Alpha.

• Health Science Leadership Academy

• M.A.N.E.

• Piedmont Chapter of the American Marketing Association

• Piedmont University Student Nurses Association (NSNA)

• Residential Living

• Athletics: Baseball, Basketball (M&W), Cross Country (M&W), Cycling (M&W), Golf (M&W), Lacrosse (M&W), Soccer (M&W), Softball, Swim (M&W), Tennis (M&W), Track & Field (M&W), Volleyball

• SAIL

• Student Government Association

• TEAM Piedmont Student Ambassadors

Approved Honor societies memberships:

Alpha Alpha Alpha (Tri-Alpha), Alpha Chi, Alpha Lambda Delta, Alpha Phi Sigma, Alpha Psi Omega, Alpha Sigma Lambda, Natural Science Honors Program, Chi Alpha Sigma, Compass Program Honor Society, Delta Mu Delta, Kappa Mu Epsilon, Kappa Pi, Lillian E. Smith Scholars, National Society of Leadership and Success, Phi Sigma Iota, Psi Chi, Psychology Honors Program, R. H. Daniel College of Nursing and Health Sciences Honor Society, Sigma Alpha Pi, Sigma Tau Delta, Society for Collegiate Journalists, Torch of Piedmont, and Who’s Who.

If there is an organization that falls outside of the guidelines above, contact your organization's advisor who can reach out to the Registrar's Office for consideration and approval. Organizations who fail to follow the established attire policy will jeopardize the organization's future ability to be represented with adornments in future ceremonies.

Graduation with Honors

Graduation honors may be awarded to undergraduate students who complete at least 48 credit hours at Piedmont University and have a combined GPA of 3.5 or above. 

The combined GPA is a cumulative honor only GPA that is calculated using all undergraduate coursework attempted at Piedmont University and at any other institution the student has attended whether the credit transferred or not - the full educational record, including repeated courses. Hours and quality points from each institution are combined to reach the combined cumulative honor only GPA. This GPA is not used for any other purpose and is not displayed on a student’s educational record. 

Graduation with honors GPA ranges are: 

Cum Laude 3.50 – 3.69
Magna Cum Laude 3.70 – 3.89
Summa Cum Laude 3.90 – 4.00 

Recipients of graduation with honors are notified by the day prior to the commencement ceremony following final grades for the semester. Honors stoles are given out at the ceremony or mailed out with the diploma.

H. M. Stewart Award of Excellence

The H.M. Stewart Award of Excellence is awarded to the student with the highest GPA in the undergraduate graduating class. Awarded during the spring commencement ceremony, students from an entire class are eligible. (i.e. Spring 2025 eligible candidates include summer 2024 graduates, fall 2025 graduates, and spring 2025 graduates.) Spring semester grades are not included in the calculation. The student with the highest GPA (not including AP, IB, CLEP, dual enrollment, or transfer courses) is chosen for this award. If multiple students share the same highest GPA, the awarded student is the one with the most credit hours completed at Piedmont University. In the event that multiple candidates are tied for the highest GPA and number of credit hours completed at Piedmont University, both candidates will be awarded. The recipient has the honor of walking first in the ceremony and is noted in the Arrendale Library on the H.M. Stewart Award of Excellence trophy. If multiple students are awarded, recipients will process first in the ceremony in alphabetical order. Transfer students are not eligible for this award.

Graduation Charges

An application fee is due at the time of application for graduation. The fee is $100 for undergraduates. It is the student’s responsibility to be familiar with application deadlines which are posted on the academic calendars. All university accounts must be paid in full before the degree is conferred.

Late fees are assessed following the deadline published on the academic calendar. A late fee of $25 is required during the late fee period before the semester the student is graduating begins. A late fee of $100 is required during the late fee period after the semester the student is graduating begins. No late applications are accepted after the late fee period without permission from the Vice President of Academic Affairs.

Posthumous Degrees

In the event of a student’s death during his or her final term of study, a member of the student’s family will be invited to accept the diploma during commencement exercises. In order to receive a posthumous degree, the student must have completed a minimum of 90 semester hours.