Skip to main content

Commencement Application

We know you are excited and ready to graduate, however, there are a couple of things you need to do NOW, so that you can smile and walk across the stage at Commencement.

Students anticipating completing one or more program requirements should follow these steps prior to Commencement:

1. Apply
Contact your advisor to confirm program completion and complete an Application for Commencement. You can request your advisor submit a graduation application on your behalf OR complete a student initiated graduation application through Self-Service. See instructions for completing a student grad app here. If your advisor is submitting an application for you, be sure to tell them exactly how you would like your name to appear on your diploma and the best address to mail it to. Applications will not be accepted after the deadline, so make sure to get them submitted ahead of time. 

Once an application has been submitted, you will receive a confirmation email to your SCC email address. Be sure to check the application information in                  the email. Updates to completed applications can only be made by contacting the Registrar's Office via email at registrar@SouthwesternCC.edu or calling 828.339.4219.

2. Clear Debts
Check with the Business Office and/or Financial Aid Department if you have an outstanding account balance or you received a student loan while attending SCC.

  • Students must pay all debts owed to the College at the Business Office, Library or to whomever necessary to clear any student record holds.
  • Complete Financial Aid Exit Counseling if you received student loans at www.studentloans.gov. Contact the Financial Aid Office for further information.

3. Get your Graduation Kit

  • Get your graduation kit (cap, gown & tassel) from the SCC Bookstore. The bookstore can be reached by calling 828.339.4222. This is the only fee associated with graduation (approximately $40).
  • You may also order announcements and class rings at an additional cost through Herff Jones if desired.

4. Send Your Pictures
We want to make sure you feel like the super star you are at the commencement ceremony and we also want to make the occasion special for you and your family and friends.
We are asking that you send us your favorite pictures so that we can use them in a presentation during the commencement ceremony.
You will need to send the pictures to Tyler Goode, SCC's Director of Public Relations.

Please make sure:

  • You are in the picture
  • You include your name and program of study in the email
  • The picture is appropriate for presentation during the ceremony
  • The picture is in the preferred format:
    • landscape(horizontal) is preferred over portrait(vertical)
    • at least 1 MB in file size or 1,000 pixels wide
  • You send the picture to Tyler at t_goode@SouthwesternCC.edu

SEND YOUR PICTURES TODAY! YOU DON'T WANT TO BE THE ONLY GRADUATE WHO ISN'T REPRESENTED!

If you have questions regarding the presentation or your photo, please contact Tyler Goode.

**You can also contact Tyler if you would like your picture taken somewhere on campus for use in the ceremony.**

5. Attend Rehearsal
TBD – If/when rehearsal is scheduled, it will be on the College Calendar. Rehearsal is traditionally held in the Norman K. Myers Auditorium of the Balsam Center. This building is located on the Jackson Campus in Sylva.

6. Celebrate
The ceremony is traditionally held in the Balsam Center's Norman K. Myers Auditorium. Check our Commencement FAQ and Instruction pages for details as they are announced.

**Graduates should meet in the lobby on the 2nd floor of the Balsam Center no later than 30 minutes before the ceremony begins to check in.

Need Special Assistance?
If you or a guest need assistance to get into the auditorium, navigate the stairs to the stage, move across the stage, hear or see the ceremony, or any other activity related to graduation, please contact the Office of Learner Accessibility & Equity at 828.339.4398 or accessibility@southwesterncc.edu or visit the Jackson Campus Balsam Center, Room 129A for assistance. 

7. Check your mail
Diplomas will be mailed to the address you provided on your graduation application approximately 6 to 8 weeks following graduation.
Also keep an eye on your SCC student email. 2-4 weeks following graduation, you will receive an email with instructions on how to claim your official e-diploma.

For help with the accessibility of this website, please use this form.