Commencement Exercises
Attendance in the general commencement exercises shall be optional. Graduating students who choose not to participate in the general commencement exercises must inform their respective Deans at least 10 days before the commencement exercises.
Graduating students who absent themselves from the general commencement exercises shall obtain their diplomas or certificates and transcripts of records from the Office of the University Registrar provided that they comply with the above provision and upon presentation of the receipt of payment of the graduation fee and student's clearance.
Candidates for graduation with degrees or titles requiring no less than four years of collegiate instruction shall be required to wear academic costumes during the baccalaureate service and commencement exercises in accordance with the rules and regulations of the University.
Student Records
The University maintains various records of students to document their academic progress and to record their interaction with University staff and officials. Except for the directory of currently registered students, which is open to the public, students' records are generally considered confidential. The directory provides information on each student's name, ID number, college, course, classification, and college address.
The following policies govern access to student records which are confidential in nature:
- Each type of student record is the responsibility of a designated University official, and only that person or the Dean, Director or Vice Chancellor to whom that official reports has authority to release a record in the absence of said official
- Confidential educational records and personally identifiable information from those records will not be released without the written consent of the student involved. However, it shall be released without said written consent to the concerned University personnel in connection with the student's application for financial aid or in response to a judicial order or subpoena, or in a bonafide health or safety emergency.
- The responsible official may release records to University personnel with a legitimate need of the information.
- University personnel who have access to student educational records in the course of carrying out their University responsibilities shall not be permitted to release the record to persons outside the University, unless authorized in writing by the student or as required by a court order. Only the official res-ponsible for the records has the authority to release them.
- All personal information about a student shall be released to a third party on condition that no one else shall have access to it except upon the student's consent.
Withholding of Records
When a student has pending financial obligations to the University, or when he/she has been charged with an official disciplinary action, the appropriate University official may request that the student's record (e.g., transcripts, registration forms) be withheld. Units and offices shall submit before the end of each semester the names of students with financial accountabilities to the University Registrar so that the release of records may be withheld. Prior to any release of records in the case described above, the Office of the University Registrar must receive written authorization from the official who originally requested the action, indicating that the student has met the obligation.
Release of Grades
An official report of grades is routinely released to a student and mailed to him/her at the end of every semester.
Transcripts
A student's transcript of records is released by the Office of the University Registrar upon the student's completion of a program upon application by the student and presentation of a student clearance and official receipt of payment of the transcript preparation fee. "Partial" transcripts are not issued.
Official transcripts of records obtained from other institutions and submitted to the University for admission and/or transfer of credit become part of the student's permanent record and are issued as true copies with the UPOU transcript.
