Awarding of Posthumous Degrees

Posthumous Undergraduate Degrees A posthumous undergraduate degree shall be awarded at the request of or with concurrence of the family of the deceased if, at the time of death, the student was 15 or fewer semester hours short of the semester hours required to complete the degree the student was seeking and the student had a minimum Valdosta State University cumulative GPA of 2.00. Additionally, a posthumous degree may be awarded through the normal process of petition for a waiver of the university’s graduation requirements. A request for a posthumous degree should be made to the Office of the Registrar. If the degree is to be awarded, the appropriate dean will consult with the family about how and when the degree will be awarded.
Posthumous Graduate Degrees: A posthumous graduate degree shall be awarded at the request of or with concurrence of the family of the deceased if, at the time of death, the student has substantially completed the requirements for the degree, including capstone or research projects such as a thesis or dissertation. The student should also have a minimum Valdosta State University cumulative GPA of 3.00.
• To award a posthumous doctoral degree, the student must have been admitted to candidacy and made tangible progress toward completion of approved research. For example, the student should have produced a dissertation in at least draft form or some other product that was acceptable to the student's advisory committee as indicating the expected mastery of material and independent capability in research.
• For the award of a posthumous master's degree, the nominee should have completed or been in the final semester of all course work, including thesis or other capstone experience hours.
If the degree is to be awarded, the appropriate dean will consult with the family about how and when the degree will be awarded.
Posthumous Certificates of Achievement: If the deceased student does not meet the criteria above, the family could apply for the awarding of posthumous Certificates of Achievement for undergraduate and graduate students who meet the following:
• At the time of his/her death, the student must be enrolled in classes leading to his/her degree.
• The process of granting the certificate will begin when the Office of the Registrar is notified of the student’s death.
• The family will be mailed a copy of the certificate along with a letter of condolence from the president. Please note that the refund of monies for enrollment in classes is covered by the University System of Georgia Board of Regents “Refund Policy” as outlined in the undergraduate and graduate catalogs.

Please complete the section below to request a Certificate of Achievement.