This tutorial applies to undergraduate and Master of Management students only. If you are a graduate student within the College of Graduate Studies, view these instructions.
About graduation
To graduate from UBC, you must submit a formal application for graduation. In Workday, this is called the “Program Completion Application”. If you do not submit a Program Completion Application, you will not officially graduate or be included in a graduation ceremony even if you have fulfilled all of your program requirements.
Before you apply to graduate
First, review the graduation application dates for Spring and Fall.
Then, make sure your student status is “Active”. To check your student status:
1. Log into your Workday account at myworkday.ubc.ca.
2. On the Workday home screen, click your user icon in the top right corner.
3. Click the “View Profile” button in the pop up menu.
4. You’ll be brought to the “Summary” page by default. Here, you can review your Student Status.
How to apply for graduation
First, go to your Academics app
1. Log into your Workday account at myworkday.ubc.ca.
2. On the right side of the page, in the “Your Top Apps” menu, click the “Academics” app.
Next, go to Graduation
Once in your Academics app, you will be brought to the “Academics” page by default.
1. Click the “Graduation” tab in the top menu.
2. In the “Graduation” menu to the right, click the “Apply for Program Completion” link.
Complete your Program Completion Application
Once on the “Apply for Program Completion” page, confirm your Academic Record. If you only have one Academic Record, this field will be prepopulated. If you have more than one active Academic Record, select the one you are applying for.
1. Double-check your name. This field will also be prepopulated.
2. In the table, check the “Apply” box to select the program of study. Only your primary program of study can be selected in this application, but you will graduate with all of your ‘In Progress’ programs of study, even if they don’t show here. If you have more than one program of study, make sure your secondary programs are correct before submitting your application (e.g., if you have a minor or a second major).
To confirm your programs of study in Workday:
i. On the Workday home screen, click your user icon in the top right corner.
ii. Click the “View Profile” button in the pop-up menu.
iii. Click the “Academics” tab in the left menu.
iv. By default, you’ll be viewing the information under the “Overview” tab in the top menu where your programs of study will be listed.
You can learn how to declare a minor or second major (program of study) with our step-by-step instructions.
3. Enter your Expected Completion Date (ECD) according to the conferral period you are applying for:
- May Graduation: Enter April 30
- November Graduation: Enter August 31
i. The ECD date entered does not impact your academic record or the date you actually meet/met program requirements.
ii. Even if you have already met program requirements for your program of study, you must enter an ECD of April 30 for May graduation or August 31 for November graduation.
iii. If you select an ECD that does not match the current application window when you are applying, you will receive an error message.
4. Check the “Confirm” box at the bottom.
5. Check that the information is correct. Once your application is submitted, you will not be able to edit it or make changes to your program of study.
6. Click the orange “Submit” button at the bottom left of the page.
Review and complete your application
1. Review your “Program Completion Status” to make sure your application was successful. Your status should read “Applied for Completion”.
2. Click the orange “Done” button.
Submit your Program Completion Questionnaire
After submitting your Program Completion Application, review the Program Completion Questionnaire sent to your “My Tasks” inbox.
Confirming your graduation ceremony attendanceAt the top of the questionnaire, you will see a link that directs you to provide details for your graduation ceremony attendance. This link is not yet active, and more information will be provided at a later date. |
1. Click the “My Tasks” icon at the top right of the page, which should now show a red notification. Alternatively, you can select the task on the Workday landing page under “Awaiting Your Action”.
2. Click on the inbox notification titled “Apply for Program Completion Event” to open the questionnaire.
3. Review the questionnaire in detail. Read the links to important information.
4. Complete the questionnaire by selecting “Yes” or “No” for each question.
5. Review your answers before proceeding. Once you submit, you will not be able to make changes or view your responses.
6. Click the orange “Submit” button at the bottom left to submit the questionnaire.
Commonly encountered problems
You may come across the following error message while filling out your Program Completion Application:
Error: The selected expected completion date doesn’t fall within an academic period available for completion.
You will see this error message if the application period for your chosen graduation date has not yet opened, or if you enter an Expected Completion Date that is too far in the future. Refer to the application periods and expected completion dates listed above.
Error: You must meet the class standing required to apply for program completion
This error message means you either do not meet the year level requirement to submit a program completion application for your program or the program is not applicable for conferral (e.g. Unclassified Studies is not applicable for conferral).
Late Applications
If you miss the graduation application deadline, you will need to request a late application. Late applicants will only be considered if there is sufficient time to adjudicate the application. Otherwise, applicants will have to reapply during the next available convocation period.
Please email gradapps.okanagan@ubc.ca to request a late application. You will be advised if your late application is accepted.
After your application has been processed, you can submit the Program Completion Questionnaire with the steps above or view your Program Completion Status.
