Graduation

Petition survey

Students expecting to complete their degrees or walk in Olin’s May commencement ceremony must complete an on-line petition survey. This survey indicates the students’ intent to complete their Olin degree and initiates the final degree audit process. This survey is typically available six months prior to commencement.

Graduation walk policy

Degree candidates are allowed to walk in one ceremony for their degree. Students who are off sequence may walk with the class with which they entered or with their actual degree year class. If the choice is to walk with the entry year class, the student must file a degree plan for completion of the degree by March 1st of the walk year and must be within 16 credits of completing said degree.

Conferral dates

Olin College confers degrees yearly each May and has only one ceremony per year.

Completion date

When a student completes their degree requirements at the conclusion of the fall semester, their record will be marked as complete with a degree pending. The student must apply for their degree conferral in the following May ceremony. Their record will then be updated to graduate following the May date.

Student right-to-know act: Retention and graduation rates

Under the Student Right-to-Know Act, educational institutions are required to disclose to current and prospective students their retention and graduation rates. The calculations below are in accordance with the formulas and definitions of the United States Department of Education.

The retention of first-time, first-year students who return in the following fall semester is 99% for the 2021 cohort of new students.

The graduation rate is defined as the percentage of first-time students who complete their degree program within 150 percent of the normal completion time for that degree (six years for an Olin bachelor degree). For the 2017 entering class, the graduate rate is 92%.

Additional information is available from the Registrar and the Office of Institutional Research & Decision Support.