Completing the Degree

To qualify for the bachelor of arts degree, a student must have:

• successfully passed thirty-two full-credit courses (or the equivalent);
• spent four semesters (successfully passed sixteen credits) in residence, at least two semesters of which have been during the junior and senior years;
• completed a first-year writing seminar; this should normally be completed by the end of the first semester and must be completed by the end of the second semester in college;
• completed at least one full-credit course (or the equivalent) in each of the following five distribution areas: MCSR- mathematical, computational, or statistical reasoning; INS- inquiry in the natural sciences; DPI- difference, power, and inequity; IP- international perspectives; and VPA- visual and performing arts—these should normally be completed by the end of the fourth semester in college (the end of the student’s sophomore year);
• completed at least one full-credit course (or the equivalent) in each of the following three divisions of the curriculum: a- natural science and mathematics, b- social and behavioral sciences, and c- humanities (in addition to the required course in the visual and performing arts); and
• completed all of the requirements for an approved major.

• The Bowdoin Curriculum
• Academic Requirements
• Division Requirements
• Distribution Requirements

Upon completion of their degree requirements (see above), students must graduate and cannot enroll for additional semesters, even if they have been enrolled for fewer than eight semesters and regardless of if they are recipients of federal, state, or institutional financial aid. In addition, students should not avoid registering for necessary courses to prolong their enrollment.

Students are obligated to comply with all policies and regulations set forth in the Bowdoin College Catalogue and Academic Handbook published in the academic year during which they matriculate, but they may elect to follow the requirements from any other Catalogue published during their tenure at Bowdoin instead. Students considering this change should contact the Office of the Registrar.

See the Major/Minor Declaration & Changes page for details.

Additional resources include:

• Academic Advising and Support
• Academic Departments and Programs
• Dual Degree, Declaration of Intent 

Note: coordinate majors and interdisciplinary majors may not normally be combined with any other type of major. If a student has a compelling academic reason to pursue an interdisciplinary major with another departmental major or a coordinate major with another departmental major, they may seek an exception from the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs.

• Major/Minor Tracking
• Degree Progress FAQ
• Double-Counting Courses
• To change the anticipated date of graduation, students submit a Biographical Change Form

• The Award of Honors
• Calculation of Latin Honors
• Departmental Honors: The Honors Project

• Academic Regulations
• Withdrawing from Bowdoin
• Withdrawal Information Checklist
• College Payment and Refund Policies

• Students who complete their degree requirements in a fall semester will have their degree conferred in December.
• Students who complete their degree requirements in a spring semester will have their degree conferred in May. 
• Students who complete their degree requirements during the summer, e.g., by transfer credit, will have their degree conferred in October.

Students who have taken any time of time off from Bowdoin should update the Office of the Registrar with their new anticipated completion date using the Student Biographical Change form. This will ensure that students and advisors receive appropriate information related to their degree progress.

Students may change their degree date to a later date if they have taken a leave from the College and will need more time to complete the degree requirements. Students may declare an earlier graduation date if transfer, AP, and/or IB credits have made the student eligible to graduate early. A change in graduation date does not affect a student's class standing. 

Class standing for the current semester is based on a combination of credits earned after matriculation and number of semesters enrolled at Bowdoin. Students may email registrar@bowdoin.edu about applying for advanced class standing after registration has occurred during the semester in which they are a first-semester junior. Please note that a student’s class year/cohort, e.g., Class of 2030, never changes regardless of time away taken from the College. Once a student graduates, if a student would like to be associated with a different class year for alumni (reunion) purposes, students will be given the opportunity to communicate this preference.

All students are required to verify their final graduation date, final major/minor, and personal information for Commencement via the Intent to Graduate form distributed by the Office of the Registrar the semester prior to completion.

Students may participate in only one Commencement ceremony. 32.0 credits are required to graduate, but students are allowed to walk in a Commencement ceremony with a minimum of 30.0 earned credits and must have an approved plan in place to complete the remaining 2.0 credits by the end of the summer following the ceremony in which they walk.

When a student takes a leave of absence, they are alerted to the impact on their commencement participation several times. They are also given advice on how to mitigate this circumstance before making that choice. Students with questions about their eligibility should speak with their Dean.

All students are required to verify their final graduation date, final major/minor, and personal information for Commencement via the Intent to Graduate form distributed by the Office of the Registrar the semester prior to completion.

Eligible students may participate in only one Senior Week normally coupled with participation in Commencement.

In some instances, students who are off-cycle, e.g., due to a leave of absence, may elect to participate in Senior Week alongside the class they entered with at Bowdoin. Students may reach out to their Deans with any questions, and students will be referred to Student Activities to confirm any off-cycle Senior Week participation.

The Code of Community Standards, including the Academic Honor Code and Social Code, continue to apply during Senior Week, and students who are in violation of the code may jeopardize their ability to participate in Senior Week, Commencement, and/or the ability to graduate. Senior week is a privilege, not a right. Like other campus privileges, Senior Week may be lost as part of a conduct outcome. Students who have lost the ability to participate in Senior Week as a conduct outcome are not eligible to participate.