Ideally, all students should meet at least once a semester with their assigned student success coach to discuss academic plans. If you are unsure of your eligibility to graduate, please call 708-656-8000 ext. 2250 to schedule an appointment with your advisor.

It’s easy! We now have an online Student Self-Service menu that enables all candidates to apply for graduation online. Please refer to our PDF handout guide to view all steps. 

All programs listed at the initial log-in of your graduation application are those that are listed as active in our student account system. At one point, you may have selected these programs when you first applied to the college but had not updated this information with either your student success coach or admissions department.  

Before proceeding with the application, be sure to contact your student success coach or visit Admissions (1st floor, Building B) to update your program of study. Once you have completed the process, you can then complete your graduation application.  IMPORTANT: If you are unsure of which program you are applying to, please visit your student success coach immediately. 

Once you complete the information and payment portions of the application, you will receive an automated email to your Morton account. Please read the message in its entirety as it contains important information on next steps. 

If you have incorrectly entered information on your application (misspelled name, wrong diploma address, etc) you should be able to log into your application before the deadline to make corrections.  If you are unable to make changes, please email us at MortonGrad@morton.edu as soon as possible. We will work with you! 

Great question! There is a key difference between the two. A student can apply for graduation in any term. This includes: summer, fall and spring. Applying for graduation (also known as petitioning to graduate) indicates that you intend to finish your degree (s) or certificate(s) by the end of the term. For example, students who are in their final semester of their program this spring term should apply for graduation before the April 1st deadline to ensure that their transcripts and diploma reflect a spring graduation date. Summer and fall semesters have specific deadlines as well. Please be sure to visit this site regularly for any updates on deadline dates.

Commencement is the ceremony that occurs every year in May to celebrate our graduates. Participating in commencement is completely optional but strongly encouraged.

Students who graduated in the summer and fall terms preceding the commencement date are invited to participate. For example, students who graduated during summer 2025, fall 2025 and spring 2026 are invited to participate in the May 2026 commencement ceremony. All graduates should indicate if they are participating in commencement on their graduation application.

If you have already submitted your graduation application, please email us at MortonGrad@morton.edu indicating that you would like to participate in commencement. Please note that we have a firm deadline to place all cap and gown orders. We will try our best to accommodate each request; however, participation in commencement is not guaranteed. 

The fees associated with Commencement are non-refundable.

If you wish to participate in the ceremony, there is a $39 Commencement Participation fee. This includes the cap & gown, diploma mailing and diploma cover.

If you wish not to participate in the ceremony and just want to receive your degree or certificate, there is an $11 Diploma mailing fee per degree or certificate. This fee also applies if you receiving more than one diploma.

Students deciding at a later date to participate in Commencement after paying the $11 diploma fee will be charged an additional $28 (includes cap & gown and diploma cover).

Payments may be made online through your Panther Portal under Student Self-Service-Financial Information or in person at the Cashier’s Office located in the One Stop Center. A). 

NOTE: If you opt not to submit payment when you initially submit your application, you will automatically be assessed the $11 diploma fee on your student account. All fees must be paid by the graduation application deadline. Diplomas or transcripts will not be released for students with outstanding balances.

Graduation fees are non-refundable. You cannot transfer payment to future semesters.

If you are deficient credit or have failed to meet the requirements for your program, you are responsible for submitting a new application during the next graduation petition cycle. 

Graduating is contingent upon your successful completion of all program and institutional requirements. Your graduation audit and application are reviewed twice to ensure that you have completed your requirements successfully. The first review is conducted by your student success coach during the semester and the final review is conducted by the Credential Analyst/Degree Auditor at the end of the term. With the volume of applications, it may take approximately 8-10 business weeks after the end of the term for all graduation audits to be reviewed during the final reviewing stage. Students who successfully completed their requirements will be mailed a diploma during this timeframe. Those who were deficient will receive a letter in the mail and notification to their Morton email account.

With the volume of applications, it may take approximately 8-10 business weeks after the end of the term to receive the diploma in the mail. 

Students are responsible for keeping their mailing addresses up-to-date for diploma delivery. 

Students can apply for TWO (2) credentials per term. Should you have questions pertaining to your graduation eligibility, please visit your student success coach.

Feel free to reach out to your student success coach or one of our clerks in the Admissions department. The phone numbers are: 708-656-8000 ext. 2250 for our Student Success Coaches and 708-656-8000 ext. 2346 for Admissions. We are conveniently located on the first floor of Building B. You can also email us at MortonGrad@morton.edu.  We are more than happy to help!