No – Your principal residence must be in North Carolina. Residency acts pointing to one's legal residence are, for example, where you are registered to vote, where your driver's license is issued, and where your vehicle is registered.
Not necessarily – More is involved than just physical presence. A person must prove that legal residence (or domicile) has been established in the state and that it has been maintained at least 12 consecutive months prior to the beginning of the term in which they wish to be considered in-state for tuition purposes. It must be clear that their intent was to make NC their home indefinitely and they did not come to NC solely for the purpose of attending school. To determine whether domicile has been established, the classifier is required to consider a number of things in the residency review – for example, an apartment lease, home purchase agreement or canceled rent checks, a letter from an employer showing the date work began in NC, voter registration, driver's license, vehicle registration, previous year's NC income tax return, pay check stubs, a letter from a bank where an account has been established and maintained, etc. A person may not have all of these, but certainly a preponderance (or greater weight) of evidence is necessary.
No – The law is very specific. The waiting period must be at least 12 months prior to the first day of class.
No – Residency classification is based on where you maintain your principal residence.
Confidentiality of student records is the responsibility of everyone at Appalachian State as required by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) enacted in 1974.
No – Even though resident aliens have lived in NC and paid taxes for an extended period, they must satisfy the 12-month waiting period from the date that their permanent resident status was issued. The only exception would be if the green card holder is married to a qualified NC resident who is a citizen or has held a green card longer than 12 months prior to the beginning of the term and has performed residency acts in NC. The new card holder could attach to the spouse and borrow from the spouse's 12 month duration of domicile to meet the requirement. They must complete a residency application and present a copy of their marriage license and green card.
For academic advising, these students should contact the Dean's Office of the college in which they were enrolled, or the Dean's Office for University College if no major had been declared.
Only after receiving approval for readmission from the Office of Student Conduct and meeting the requirements for the appropriate forgiveness policy.
A student must receive approval for readmission from the Office of Student Conduct and meet the requirements for the appropriate forgiveness policy.
No. Former students must show 30 completed hours since last attending Appalachian State University before they will be considered for readmission under One Year Forgiveness.
Upon readmission, you may continue to take courses and repeat courses up to your limit of repeats to increase your GPA.
If you have ever attended Appalachian, you will apply for readmission through the Registrar's Office. If you've never attended Appalachian, you will apply as a transfer student.
Graduates may order a duplicate undergraduate diploma by submitting the request to order here: Undergraduate Duplicate Diploma Order.
The fee for duplicate diplomas for undergraduate students is $30 per diploma. Shipment and delivery takes approximately three to four weeks to arrive from the time orders are placed. You will receive a tracking number once it has been shipped. We do not offer PDF or digital copies of diplomas.
If you need to order a duplicate Master's or Doctoral diploma, visit https://graduate.appstate.edu/students/graduation or Replacement Diploma Order Form for Doctorate, Specialist, Master's, or Graduate Certificate.
Students who participate in the Commencement Ceremony will receive a commemorative diploma cover at the ceremony, which can be used to store their diploma.
Diploma covers are also available for pick-up after the ceremony from the Registrar's Office for students who earn their degree in the current semester but do not walk/participate in commencement.
Email graduation@appstate.edu after commencement to arrange pick up or have one sent by mail.
The diploma measures 8 ½" x 11" and the page layout is landscape.
When you Apply to Graduate, the application requires you to indicate a diploma mailing address. This is the address where your official diploma will be mailed approximately 12 weeks after graduation.
Our diploma vendor, Jostens, uses UPS as their delivery carrier for diplomas. Each diploma is packaged in a sturdy cardboard envelope and left at the door of the delivery address. Diplomas cannot be shipped to PO Boxes or campus addresses.
Note: Please provide a mailing address that reflects where you will be living two months AFTER graduation rather than where you are currently living.
Diplomas will list:
- Name entered on your Graduation Application
- Degree earned
- Major(s)
- Latin Honors (if earned)
Minors and concentrations are not listed on diplomas.
Students who completed double majors will receive a separate diploma for each major. Those who earned double degrees will receive a separate diploma for each degree.
Note: If your legal name (as it appears in Banner) is inaccurate and you wish to have it corrected, please complete and submit the Personal Information Change Request form with required documentation.
A student's App State Google account is valid as long as the student is enrolled. Access to the account is extended as a courtesy to the student for 1 year after the last attended semester. If a student becomes employed by the university the email account will terminate on the last day of university employment forfeiting the 1 year grace period.
As a matter of standard operating procedure, ITS annually deletes accounts of students who have not been registered for a class for more than 12 months, whether due to graduating, transferring, no longer being in school or other reasons.
GRADUATION: The official date that all degree requirements are completed. All general education, major, minor, certificates, internships, incomplete grades, etc. must be COMPLETE. Graduation happens three times per year: May, August, & December
COMMENCEMENT: The ceremony to celebrate a student’s achievements. Commencement only happens twice per year: May & December.
Students must apply for the term in which they will graduate, not the term in which they will participate in commencement, and they should submit their graduation application in the semester prior to their last semester taking courses.
Complete all course requirements and grades posted: | Submit graduation application by: | Apply for graduation term: | Walk in commencement ceremony: |
Spring Term | Prior Fall Term | May | Spring/May |
Any Summer term | Prior Fall Term | August | Spring/May* |
Fall Term | Prior Spring Term | December | Fall/December |
*Students completing all coursework in August may choose to walk in the following December commencement ceremony; however, students applying for August graduation will have their names appear in the prior May Commencement Ceremony program. Contact the dean’s office for information.
Please make sure any fees, including your application for graduation fee and any other outstanding balance, is paid by the end of the semester in which you are graduating.
It is a policy of the State of North Carolina that neither diplomas nor transcripts can be released if the student has an unpaid account with the University.
Graduating students should contact the following areas to ensure that their accounts are clear:
- Student Accounts Office (828-262-2113)
- Library (828-262-2818)
- University Bookstore (828-262-3070)
Note: Students who have received a federal loan (Perkins or Stafford) are required to have an "exit interview" prior to graduation. Please contact the Financial Aid Office (828-262-2190) for assistance.