Graduation Advising
Our office offers advising to OCOB students to discuss degree progress and graduation checks.
Note: For Summer, our office is open in a virtual model: Mon-Fri 10-2.
- Location: 03-100 (in-person office closed during Summer)
- Join Virtual Drop-Ins
- Phone: (805) 756-2601
- Email: cobadvis@calpoly.edu
For quick questions and/or a brief graduation check, please come into our office for drop-in advising.
If you are planning to graduate soon and would like to discuss in-depth questions and plan remaining courses, please schedule an appointment below.
Senior Projects
All Cal Poly students need to complete a Senior Project before graduating. There are some important things to note about the Senior Project requirement:
- This requirement involves enrollment in a Senior Project class.
- Most projects require permission numbers to enroll. Contact the professor prior to registration for this information.
- Some require students to reach out up to a year before completion, so we recommend thinking about your Senior Project a few quarters before graduation.
- Since there are several options every quarter for Senior Projects, we recommend you reach out to the professor leading your project of interest or speak to your Department Head for information on how to enroll.
Please refer to the links below for details on your major’s Senior Project options.
Graduation Writing Requirement
All students need to complete a Graduation Writing Requirement (GWR) in order to graduate. There are two options:
- Taking an Upper-Division C (C4 for 2019-20 and earlier catalogs) with the GWR component (not all courses have this component; options available on Schedule Builder and Catalog). Note that students must receive a C or higher in this class to fulfill the GWR.
- Completing the GWR Portfolio, a collection of past writing works and a writing reflection submitted on a Canvas site. This requires enrollment in UNIV 401, a 0-unit, non-graded course. A $35 fee applies.
Graduation Requirements Checklist
Graduating soon? Below is a typical list of requirements to ensure you fulfill in order to graduate. This list is not all-encompassing and may differ depending on the student. So, we always recommend scheduling an appointment with Orfalea Student Services when planning for graduation.
Check Degree Progress Report
- No red boxes on DPR if graduating this quarter (or if graduating next quarter and registration is complete)
- Free electives are fulfilled (meet 180-unit requirement) and other requirements (ex. GWR and USCP) are completed
- Any Report Pending or Incomplete (“RP” or “I”) grades are resolved
- Any external transcripts are sent and all transfer credit fulfills expected requirements on DPR (contact evaluations@calpoly.edu with questions on transfer credit)
- Make an appointment or drop-in our office for help checking Degree Progress
Check GPA
In order to graduate, your GPA (higher-education, Cal Poly cumulative, and major) must be at least a 2.000.
Check Minor(s)
Completion of minors is not required to graduate. If you plan to complete the minor, ensure those requirements are marked in-progress or complete on your DPR. If dropping a minor, please fill out the Drop Minor Request Form.
Check Expected Graduation Term
- The expected graduation term is assigned to students in PolyProfile under “Career Program Plans” once 72% degree completion is reached
- Change to an earlier term by filling out the Notification of Earlier Graduation Term Form
- Extend to a later term by filling out the “Request to Extend Expected Graduation” form available through the Student Form Request
Check Commencement Ceremony
- Beginning in the 2023-24 academic year, Cal Poly will no longer host Fall Commencement and will instead celebrate all graduates at Spring Commencement in Spanos Stadium. Students will be assigned to the Spring commencement of the same academic year of their expected graduation term.
- Questions regarding commencement can be directed to commencement@calpoly.edu. For more information on Spring 2023 commencement, visit the Spring Commencement Website.
Complete Graduate Status Survey
Although not required, Cal Poly graduates are encouraged to fill out the Graduate Status Survey to help Cal Poly gather data on students’ plans after graduation. Please take a moment to fill it out!
Read more detailed information on Graduation and Commencement through the link below.
Career Advising
If you have questions on your career search or are considering pursuing a Masters, the Career Readiness Center (OCOB-specific) and Career Services (Cal Poly-wide) are great resources!
OCOB Graduate Programs
If you are interested in pursuing a Masters through the Orfalea College of Business, click on the link below for information on the college’s graduate programs.