Program Review Process

The program review process begins when you submit the online Graduation Application. Once you submit your Graduation Application, the following processes are triggered:

• Academic Audit – A Registrar Services Specialist III must review the student record and confirm that all program requirements for completion have been met.
• Finance Audit – The APUS Finance Office must confirm that the Student Account has no outstanding balance or monies owed.
• Library Audit – The APUS Librarian must confirm all books or materials reserved from the library have been returned to APUS and there are no outstanding fees.
• Learning Outcomes Assessment – If you are an Associate or Bachelor student, you might be required to complete an unproctored Learning Outcome Assessment (LOA). For detailed information about the LOA process, please visit the Learning Outcomes Assessment website.
• Direct Loan Exit Counseling - If you have used federal student aid to cover any portion of your college costs, you may be required to complete Direct Loan Exit Counseling. Our financial aid office will contact you by email to provide the link for exit counseling. Exit counseling provides important information you will need as you prepare to repay your federal student loan(s).

If you do not have all clearances for graduation  prior to your conferral date, you will be notified by email that your conferral has been moved to the next available date. Your final diploma will not be mailed until you complete all of the program audit requirements.

My Graduation Information Online

You may track your graduation process in your online campus under “My Graduation Info.” The information in this section is updated once you apply for graduation. The information below will explain each of the fields listed under the graduation audit section.

• Auditor: The Registrar Services Specialist III will be with the student throughout the graduation process.
• Projected Conferral Date: This is the date selected by the student during the application process, identifying when they anticipate graduation from the American Public University System.
• Declared Conferral Date: This is the date that the Registrar Services Specialist III confirms as the conferral date the student is eligible for once the academic audit has begun.
• Graduation Application: Once the Graduation Application has been submitted electronically, the status will state, “Submitted“, and a date will post.
• Academic Audit: This field will remain blank until the initial academic review has been completed. Once the initial academic review is completed, one of the following statuses below listed:

Status Definitions

• Clear: You have successfully completed all academic requirements for your current degree.
• Grades Not Posted: You have registered for all courses needed to complete the current degree; however, not all course grades have been posted.
• Incomplete Grade: You are currently on a course extension or have additional courses to complete your program.
• Ineligible: You failed final course requirement, or do not meet minimum GPA requirement for your degree.

Finance Audit and Library Audit

These will be completed once you have been cleared academically for graduation. A status of “Not Clear” will show if you have an outstanding issue with any of these reviews. You will not be able to receive any transcripts or have your diploma shipped if you have any outstanding balance.

End of Program Survey

During the first quarter of 2018, APUS began transitioning our End-of-Program (EOP) Survey from a graduation requirement to a non-graded required assignment in the ‘final course’ of each program.

If you have questions about your End of Program Survey, please contact [email protected] and include your Student ID so that we can look up your record and promptly assist you.

Learning Outcomes Assessment (LOA)

If you are required to complete the LOA, you will be emailed directly from the assessment team within a week of submitting your Graduation Application. For detailed information about the LOA process, please visit the Learning Outcomes Assessment website.

Once all graduation requirements have been successfully completed, you will be notified by email with your final clearance date.

Questions regarding your LOA should be directed to [email protected].