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On August 4, 2026, American Public University System combined with Rasmussen University and Hondros College of Nursing to form a single higher education institution. American Public University System (the System) now includes American Public University, American Military University, Rasmussen University, and Hondros College of Nursing. The System is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and is a wholly owned subsidiary of American Public Education, Inc. (APEI). We are continuing to update our website to reflect our new structure.

 
AMU Doctoral Handbook
In this section

Last Revision: August 21, 2026

General Graduation Information

Graduation and Conferral of Degree

Unlike most universities that only confer degrees twice a year, American Military University (AMU) confers degrees six times a year on the first day of the months of February, April, June, August, October and December.

"Conferral date" is defined as the date on which a student's degree is officially awarded. Due to outstanding financial obligations, outstanding grade appeals, or established conferral schedules, students may actually complete their degree many months before their degree is officially conferred.

The student’s Graduation Application must be requested at least 60 days prior to their projected conferral date. The graduation application is available after the completion of Milestone 2. The student must select a projected conferral date that is at least 9 calendar days after their last course end date. The instructor 8-day grading period should be considered when selecting a projected conferral date. An instructor has 8 days to post the student’s final grade after their course ends. Instructors are not able to post a final grade for their courses prior to the course end date.

To be eligible for conferral of their degree, the student must:

  • Have fulfilled all course requirements in their program. 
  • Have a minimum GPA of 3.0. 
  • Have their dissertation accepted by their dissertation committee and accepted by ProQuest. 
  • Have fulfilled all program requirements for their degree within the published program deadline. 
  • Completed all course requirements within 150% of courses attempted vs. courses successfully passed. 
  • Applied for graduation and passed all applicable audits.
  • Have no outstanding balances

    Graduation applications are due 60 days before the conferral date. It is critical that students maintain an accurate shipping address in their student record. Students will incur additional charges if we need to reship misdirected diplomas or transcripts due to a shipping address that was no longer valid. A student's conferral could also be delayed if they are not receiving notifications of outstanding graduation process requirements.

    Transcripts

    A student's graduation date will not be reflected on any transcript ordered until the day of conferral, regardless of when they were academically cleared for their program.

    For more information on GPA requirements, program deadline requirements, or Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) requirements (150% rules), students should view the Before a Course Begins section of the Student Handbook.