Degree & Graduation Requirements

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Graduation Requirements

Students must meet requirements as stated in the Undergraduate Catalog at the time of their admission or in the Catalog for the year in which they graduate.

Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) Degree Requirements

  1. Seven satisfactory semester contracts;
  2. Three satisfactory Independent Study Projects (ISPs);
  3. The satisfactory completion of 31 academic units (a unit being equivalent to a full-semester course or an ISP);
  4. The satisfactory completion of the General Education requirements as determined by the students' year of entry. 
  5. Demonstrated competency in Civic Literacy1;
  6. A satisfactory Baccalaureate Examination (usually in the form of an oral defense of the senior project);
  7. A satisfactory Senior Project or Thesis, accepted in final form by Library staff.

Please note: A student who seeks to graduate with the minimum number of contracts should plan for satisfactory completion of an average of least 4 academic units per contract. However, a student’s individual pace within the program may require additional time to complete graduation requirements.

Associate of Arts (A.A.) Degree Requirements

The Associate of Arts (A.A.) degree is available to students who have completed the following requirements:

  • Satisfactory completion of at least 15 academic units (equivalent to 60 semester hours)
  • The completion of the appropriate NCF general education requirements as required by the students' year of entry
  • At least 7.5 academic units completed in residence at New College
  • The world language admissions requirement, if waived when the student was admitted to New College.

Students who have met the requirements for an A.A. degree will be notified and invited to request an A.A. degree if they so desire. Students may request an A.A. degree by submitting an Application for Graduation with the Office of the Registrar. The A.A. degree will not be awarded to a student who has already received a B.A. degree.

Early Graduation

A student may graduate after the completion of six contracts by successfully petitioning the Provost’s Office, prior to beginning their sixth semester, for a waiver of the seventh semester. A Thesis Prospectus/Area of Concentration form must be submitted either before or with the petition.

A student graduating in six semesters is expected to complete an academic program comparable in content to that of a student graduating in the standard seven semesters. The work must be of superior quality. The student must have met both the general education requirements and his or her Area of Concentration requirements, and have satisfactorily completed 31 units (a unit being equivalent to a full semester course or ISP). The student must obtain the support of the senior thesis sponsor and a second faculty member signing the Thesis Prospectus/Area of Concentration form. All other academic requirements must be met in order to graduate early.

Failure to complete all graduation requirements by the end of the sixth semester voids any prior Provost approval of an early graduation petition and requires enrollment for a seventh semester.

The requirement of four on-campus contracts cannot be waived by a request for early graduation. Thus, a transfer student who enters New College with credit for three contracts is not eligible for early graduation.

Extra Contracts or Semesters

Specific academic programs may require the completion of contracts beyond the seven required for graduation. Students registering for contracts beyond the seventh are typically required to engage in full-time academic work.

Degree Conferral

Upon recommendation from the Student Academic Status Committee, the New College faculty, in its executive session, votes to approve the conferral of all bachelor degrees. New College awards degrees in January, May, and August each year for all students who have completed the requirements of their respective degree prior to established deadlines. Diplomas are distributed to graduates following the degree conferral date. All students graduating in August or January are invited to participate in the following May commencement ceremony.