Graduation Requirements

In the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences .

Graduation Requirements for the Bachelor of Science

Graduation Requirements for the Bachelor of Science

Non-Cornell Credit Policies

1. Non-Cornell credit includes:
   
   • advanced placement credit; 
   • credit earned at an accredited college or university;
   • credit earned through the Ithaca College and Wells College Exchange Programs;
   • credit earned through a Cornell Abroad or CALS exchange program.
2. Non-Cornell credit is accepted by CALS when:
   
   • the credits are earned at an accredited institution;
   • the credits do not duplicate course work already completed at Cornell;
   • the credits have not been applied toward high school graduation requirements (Please note, a student earns credit in high school for successfully completing the AP class. If the student would like to earn credit in higher education they are required to take the AP exam administered by the College Board. If the student receives a sufficient score on their AP exam as approved by the respective department, the score on the AP exam will award the student credit/exemption out of a course.)
   • the grade earned is “C” or better; and
   • an official transcript is sent directly to the CALS Registrar’s Office from the college/university where the credits were completed.
     

3. A student may apply a maximum of 60 non-Cornell credits toward his or her graduation requirements.
   
   • If more than 60 non-Cornell credits have been completed, the CALS Registrar’s Office will work with the student to determine which credits best fulfill CALS graduation requirements.
   • Advanced placement credits (this includes all non-Cornell credit earned before a student’s first semester in a college/university) are limited to 30 credits.
   • Cornell Abroad (not CALS exchange) credits are limited to 15 credits per semester, 30 per academic year.
4. Non-Cornell credits are recorded on the graduation summary and can be applied toward CALS credits, distribution requirements, and major requirements.
   
   • Non-Cornell courses that are similar to courses offered in CALS are recorded as CALS credits on the graduation summary and count toward the minimum of 55 CALS credits required for graduation.
   • Non-Cornell courses that are equivalent to Cornell courses that fulfill distribution requirements are recorded under the appropriate distribution area on the graduation summary.
   • Non-Cornell courses that are equivalent to endowed courses can be applied toward distribution requirements or general electives; however, these credits do not count against the maximum of 55 endowed credit hours.
   • If a course has no comparable course at Cornell, staff in the CALS Registrar’s Office determine how the credit should be applied.
   • Faculty advisors determine how non-Cornell credit will be applied toward major requirements; the CALS Registrar’s Office determines how non-Cornell credit will be applied toward CALS graduation requirements.
5. Students who have already matriculated into CALS and are planning to take courses at another institution should complete a transfer credit pre-approval form before completing the course work. Pre-approval forms are available in the CALS Registrar’s Office in 140 Roberts Hall.
6. During the regular academic year, students can be enrolled in courses at both Cornell and another institution.

College Credit Earned While in High School

If a student is enrolled in a college or university course during his or her high school years up to 30 non-Cornell credits will be given only if all the following criteria are met:

1. Course cannot be used to fulfill high school graduation requirements.
2. Course/section must be a standard course available to all students registered in the college.
3. If taught in a high school, the high school must be a satellite location, one of several options available to all students taking the course.
4. Instructor must be a faculty member (includes adjunct) at the offering college.
5. An official transcript must be sent to the CALS Registrar’s Office by the offering institution. It is the student’s responsibility to request an official transcript.
6. Both the college form and high school form must be provided to confirm that all credit earned in high school meets these criteria. It is the student’s responsibility to request that the college and high school complete these forms. Forms are available in the CALS Registrar’s Office, 140 Roberts Hall.

Each condition must be met for credit to be accepted.

Students who have taken courses that do not meet transfer requirements may earn credit by taking an appropriate CASE examination offered by the department.

Please note: Cornell University does not accept credit for courses sponsored by colleges but taught in high schools to high school students, even if the college provides a transcript for such work. Students who have taken such courses may, however, earn credit by taking an appropriate examination as described in the Advanced Placement  section of this catalog.

Graduation Procedures

1. The progress of each student toward meeting the degree requirements is recorded each semester in the CALS Student Services Office on a graduation summary. Students can review their graduation summary online at dust.cals.cornell.edu under degree progress.
2. Students who have been in residence for eight semesters and who have met the graduation requirements will be graduated. Students are expected to attend for the full eight semesters even if they have completed the graduation requirements in fewer semesters. A student who wishes to either graduate early or delay graduation must complete an additional application with the CALS Student Services Office.
3. Application to graduate. In a student’s final fall semester, he/she must complete and file an application to graduate with the CALS Student Services Office.

Deadlines to File the Application to Graduate:

January graduates: October 16

May graduates: December 18

Failure to meet these deadlines could result in a student’s name being omitted from the commencement program and/or a diploma not being available for pickup on commencement Sunday.

Student Responsibilities: It is the student’s responsibility to complete Part I of the Application to Graduate available online at dust.cals.cornell.edu; schedule a meeting with his/her faculty advisor(s) to complete Part II of the application; submit Part II of the application to the CALS Student Services Office, 140 Roberts Hall; and seek clarification from his/her advisor and/or CALS Registrar’s Office staff if graduation requirements are unclear.

Note: If a student is completing more than one major and/or a minor, the student must meet with and complete Part II of the Application to Graduate with all advisors.

Faculty Advisor Responsibilities: It is the faculty advisor’s responsibility to complete Part II of the Application to Graduate with the student, listing any outstanding requirements on the application (including courses in which the student is currently enrolled); and answer any student questions regarding major requirements.

CALS Student Services Office Responsibilities: It is the responsibility of the CALS Student Services Office to update the graduation summary of seniors before each student’s final fall semester. The CALS Student Services Office staff is available to review degree requirements by appointment.

Commencement Information: Commencement information will be provided to all graduating seniors directly by the Commencement Office. Information is also available at www.commencement.cornell.edu.