The Berklee Online academic year consists of four (4) semesters: Fall, Winter, Spring, Summer. The academic year begins with the fall semester and ends with the summer semester. For example, the 2024-2025 Academic Year began with the Fall 2024 semester on September 23 2024 and ends at the conclusion of the Summer 2025 semester on September 21, 2025.

Great question! Participating in commencement and graduating from the Bachelor of Professional Studies program are two separate things.

Participating in commencement happens when you are twelve (12) credits or less away from completing your degree requirements by the end of the spring semester. Please note: Berklee Online degree students are not required to walk in commencement in Boston.

Graduating happens when you have met all of the following criteria:

• Attained at least a 2.70 cumulative GPA in concentrate courses
• Have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.00
• Fulfilled all program requirements AND complete a minimum of 120 credits for a single major or 165 for a double major
• Completed a minimum of 60 institutional credits for a single major and 105 institutional credits for a double major
• Fulfilled all financial obligations to the college

Please note: Walking across the stage in commencement does not mean that you have graduated. You will not officially graduate and receive your diploma until you meet ALL of the eligibility requirements.

To calculate this, we recommend using the following formula:

Take the minimum number of required credits for your major and subtract the number of credits you’ve completed so far:

• Single Major
• 120 credits
• -75 credits
• 45 credits*
• Double Major
• 165 credits
• -120 credit
• 45 credits*

This is the number of credits you will need to complete over the next four semesters (fall, winter, spring, and summer) in order to graduate. Please cross-check this with your remaining requirements in your progress page. If you have taken Berklee Online courses that do not apply to your degree, it is possible you actually have more courses you need to complete.

* Note: if you are deficient credits or you are in the guitar major, this number may not be in an interval of three (3).

Subtract the number of credits you plan on taking over the next few semesters from the total number of required credits remaining:

• 45 credits
• -12 credits (Fall 2024)
• -12 credits (Winter 2025)
• -12 credits (Spring 2025)
• -9 credits ( Summer 2025)
• 0 credits

If this number is zero (0) or a negative number, you will likely be eligible to graduate within the academic year.

To determine if you will be eligible to participate in the Berklee College of Music Commencement Ceremony, follow the same formula as you would for determining if you will be eligible to graduate but stop after the spring semester:

• 45 credits
• -12 credits (Fall 2024)
• -12 credits (Winter 2025)
• -9 credits (Spring 2025)
• 12 credits

If the number you receive after you account for credits you plan to complete is twelve (12) credits or less, you will likely be eligible to participate in the commencement ceremony.

Please note that if you plan to apply for prior learning credit with the hope to become eligible for commencement, you will need to submit your portfolio no later than the winter semester. If you are not approved for all of the courses you are seeking credit for, this may impact your eligibility to participate in the ceremony.

Keep in mind that we can only award a maximum of 30 credits for prior learning.

Students who received transfer credit for a course that is less than three (3) credits to fulfill a 3 credit requirement will need to complete additional credits in order to reach the minimum number required to graduate (120 credits for single major; 165 credits for double major).

Please be sure to account for any credit deficiencies in your graduation planning.

For guitar majors only: You will need to look through your My Progress to determine if you have any courses outside of the private music lessons that are less than three (3) credits.

For all other majors: To determine if you have a deficiency, divide your total number of completed credits by three (3). If this is not a whole number, you have a credit deficiency.

No credit deficiency: 45 credits / 3 = 15

Credit deficiency: 43 credits / 3 = 14.3333333

Here are your options for making up credit deficiencies:

• Applying for prior learning credit:
  • If you feel you have already attained the educational equivalent of any of the classes offered at Berklee Online through previous coursework or job-related experience, you should consider applying for prior learning credit.
• Taking additional Berklee Online courses:
  • Unless you are deficient credits in the Specialization area, you can make up credit deficiencies by completing an additional Berklee Online course of your choosing.
• Completing additional external coursework in the area in which you are deficient:
  • For example, if you transferred a 1 credit piano course, you can take an additional 1-2 credits of external piano coursework that is not a private music lesson, lab, or ensemble.
    • Please note that you will first need to get your course approved by the Berklee Online Transfer Team.
    • This course will need to be taken for credit and successfully completed with a grade of “C” or better.

    • In order for us to apply the credit, you will need to request an official copy of your transcript to be sent to our office once the final grade for the course has been issued.

      Electronic transcripts can be sent directly from your school to transfer@online.berklee.edu.

      Mailed transcripts can be sent to the following address:

      Berklee Online
      ATTN: Registrar
      855 Boylston Street, 3rd Floor
      Boston MA 02116

Depending on how far away you are from meeting the eligibility requirements, there may be options available to you. If so, this information will be included in the email you receive in response to your graduation application.

Not to worry! You will not be penalized if you apply for graduation and we determine that you will not be eligible that year; we will simply request that you apply again later. It’s better to apply if you think you will be eligible to graduate than miss the application deadline and delay your opportunity to participate in the ceremony.

Your application is considered active for one academic year after you applied. If you do not complete the graduation requirements during this time period, you will need to re-submit the graduation application.

Because we must coordinate with the Boston campus for commencement, it is essential that students planning to participate in the ceremony submit their graduation application by 12:00 midnight ET on December 2. If you submit your application late, you will need to wait until the following year to participate.

Yes. We ask all students to apply for graduation by December 2 regardless if they intend on participating in the commencement ceremony. If you submit your application late, it will delay processing of your academic record and diploma order, and your name may not be listed in the ceremony program.

Keep in mind that we cannot graduate a student unless they have submitted a graduation application.

You will receive your diploma within 6-8 weeks of completing your degree requirements. Please keep in mind that instructors have up to two (2) weeks to submit final grades after the semester concludes.

Diplomas are mailed to the address you include on your graduation application. If your mailing address changes after you have submitted your graduation application, be sure to update us at graduation@online.berklee.edu.

The most common reason for not receiving your diploma is providing an old or incorrect address on the graduation application. If you believe you may have listed an old or incorrect address on the graduation application or have not received your diploma within 6-8 weeks of completing degree requirements, reach out to us at graduation@online.berklee.edu.

Another possibility is that you have not met one of the graduation eligibility criteria. If you have a hold, outstanding balance, a low in-major or cumulative GPA, and/or have not met the credit or course requirements for your program, you will not receive your diploma until all obligations have been successfully met.

If you have questions about the graduation application, fulfilling your requirements, or the commencement ceremony, please contact the Graduation Team at graduation@online.berklee.edu.

If you need assistance in selecting classes, creating an academic plan for the coming year, or have general questions about your degree requirements, please contact your Academic Advisor at advisors@online.berklee.edu.

Graduation status will not be impacted for students who meet the terms and conditions of their Academic Recovery Plan (ARP) requirements. However, academic dismissal due to SAP will result in loss of eligibility for both graduation and commencement participation. Additional information can be found under Satisfactory Academic Progress on the Academic Policies page.