Graduation Information - Credit

All commencement ceremonies for Credit students will be held in the Gymnasium on the main (Amnicola Highway) campus.

COMMENCEMENT DATES

Fall 2024 graduates - Friday, December 13, 2024
10am - 11am
HPF Building (Gymnasium)

Spring 2025 graduates - Friday, May 9, 2025
Summer 2025 graduates - invited to participate in the Spring 2025 Ceremony.

Chattanooga State’s live stream will update with each individual campus event.

 

Intent to Graduate Forms

Submission of the form will initiate the graduation process. To receive your degree or certificate, participate in commencement or receive a printed diploma, this form must be submitted, signed by advisor and processed. 

Please note that it is the responsibility of each student, along with your Academic Advisor, to ensure all necessary requirements have been met for degree or certificate completion. Closely review all Graduation Requirements before submitting an intent to graduate form. Each student must meet with an Academic Advisor to complete an Intent to Graduate form. Submission of the form will initiate an invitation to participate in commencement, posting your credential on your transcript and printing your diploma. Intent to Graduate Forms are available in TigerWeb under Student Forms.

6 Steps to Graduating

 

ChattState Exit Exam & Placement Survey

If you are graduating with an Associate Degree, you must complete the Online College Exit Exam within your final semester in order to receive your degree. The critical thinking test will take about one hour to complete. A unique link will be emailed to your ChattState account around the following dates: 

  • Fall Graduates – November
  • Spring Graduates – March
  • Summer Graduates - June 

It will take about one week for Tiger Tracks to update once you have completed the exit exam & career placement information.  

Major-specific testing may also be required.

 

Exit Counseling for Student Loan Recipients

If you have received a student loan through Chattanooga State's Financial Aid Office, you should complete an on-line exit interview to review your loan amounts and loan servicer information at studentaid.gov/exit-counseling/. After you graduate, you start the 6-month grace period for student loans, and at the end of six months you will begin repayment. It’s important to stay in contact with your federal student loan servicer(s) so that your loans do not become delinquent or go into default. If you get behind on default on your student loan payments, it can impact your credit score, or the Department of Education can garnish your wages or take payments out of your tax return each year. Student loan delinquency or default can also affect your ability to borrow other loans for important things like a home or auto.

 

Commencement Ceremony

Each participating graduate may receive up to six (6) guest tickets to their ceremony.   

Graduates will receive their guest tickets at the Grad Finale event the month prior to Commencement. Every guest, regardless of age, MUST have a ticket to enter the ceremony.  

Tickets are issued for a specific ceremony time, not for a specific seat.  Ticketed guests may sit in any available seat.  We recommend and request that groups of guests arrive together, enter together, and sit together.  We expect that all seats will be used at each ceremony, and we have not allocated "buffer seats" between groups of guests.  

It is our goal to open the doors to ticketed guests 30 minutes before each scheduled ceremony.  This will depend on the actual duration of the preceding ceremony.  


Location, Arrival Time, & Duration 

All ceremonies will be in the Gymnasium (HPF Building) on the main (Amnicola Highway) campus. Please arrive 30 minutes before your scheduled ceremony time, and come dressed in your regalia (cap, gown, cords/medals, etc.). Ceremonies will start promptly at the published time and will likely last around 45 minutes. Graduates should line up in Branch Center lobby. 


Photos

Professional photographs will be taken, and you will have the opportunity to order prints through the photography company. You will receive more details at the ceremony. 

 

Parking & Access

Graduates and guests should park in Lot P1, the Visitor Parking Lot. All ceremonies will be held in the Gymnasium (HPF) building, which is number 4 on the campus map.


Accessibility & Accommodations 

If you or any of your guests have accessibility needs or wish to request accommodations, please email Dr. Kristi Strode, the Director of the Center for Access and Disability Services. Her email is kristi.strode@chattanoogastate.edu. Typical requests might include that you or your guests cannot navigate stairs, or that your guests need to sit in a place where they can read the live captioning. The planned route for graduates includes a few stairs into the HPF building.

Participation in commencement ceremony does not guarantee your degree will be awarded. Final grades are due by noon on the day of commencement but are not available to view until the following week. Then, the Records office reviews each student to award or deny degrees. An email will be sent to your student account once a decision is made.

 

Grad Finale Event & Cap/Gown Pickup 

Join us for a fun drop in event to celebrate your graduation. The following offices will be available to meet with: Bursar, Alumni, Marketing, Bookstore, Records, Educational Opportunity Center, and Jostens. You will also pick up your cap, gown, and guest tickets at the Grad Finale event.  

  • Fall 2024 Graduates – Tuesday, November 12, 2024 (9am-4pm)
  • Spring 2025 Graduates – April 8th & 9th 2025  

 

Designating Someone Else to Pick Up Your Regalia

If you choose to have someone else pick up your cap and gown, you must complete and submit the Cap & Gown Pick-up Permission Form. The person you designate will need to know your A# and present a photo ID matching the name you provide on the online form.

 

Diplomas, Replacements, and Transcripts

Diplomas

Questions regarding diplomas can be sent to graduation@chattanoogastate.edu. Diplomas will be mailed each term approximately 6-8 weeks after final grades are posted. They are sent to the mailing address on file with the following schedule:

  • Spring graduates: July
  • Summer graduates: October
  • Fall graduates: February

 

Replacements

A diploma/certificate replacement can be obtained free of charge. Any holds will need to be cleared before we can print the replacement. Original signatures will not be on replacement diplomas. Please allow 3-4 weeks for replacement diplomas to be processed/mailed. Requests should be emailed to graduation@chattanoogastate.edu and include:  

  • Name while attending
  • Current Name if different
  • Name you wish to have on your diploma
  • Student ID/A# (if known)
  • Date of Birth (month, date, year)
  • Degree or Certificate
  • Program Name
  • Year graduated
  • Mailing Address
  • Phone #
  • Email

 

Transcripts

Once you have been awarded your degree an email will be sent from notify@ngwebsolutions.com with detailed instructions on ordering your transcript through The National Student Clearing House. Under Processing Details, select “Current Transcript-Process As Is” and allow 3-4 days for processing.

 

TN Reverse Transfer 

The Tennessee Reverse Transfer Program is a process that allows transfer students who are currently attending a four-year school to combine four-year college credits with community college credits to receive an associate degree. For more information visit https://www.tn.gov/tnreversetransfer.html

 

Questions?

If you have questions or need additional information regarding the graduation process or Commencement Ceremony, email graduation@chattanoogastate.edu