Frequently Asked Questions
Ceremony
If you’re eligible for commencement, you’ll receive an email invitation via your NSU student account about two months before commencement. This email contains information on how to complete the Commencement Participation Form (CPF) and order a cap and gown directly from the NSU Bookstore vendor, Oak Hall Cap & Gown. Completing the form reserves your space in the appropriate commencement ceremony. Refer back to NSU’s Commencement page for updates and additional information as commencement approaches.
If this is the first commencement ceremony that’s taken place since your degree conferral, you’ll be automatically invited to participate - so long as you weren’t invited to participate in a prior year.
Otherwise, each college determines its participation requirements. If you have any questions, check with your academic program office or visit its commencement page for clarification on requirements
Nova Southeastern University’s commencement ceremonies are held at the Rick Case Arena at the Don Taft University Center on NSU's campus in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Reference the dates and times page for information about your college’s schedule.
No tickets are required for guests to attend our commencement ceremonies.
Live Streaming: All NSU Commencement ceremonies will also be video streamed in real time. Visit the NSU Commencement home page and click on the "Commencement Ceremony Live" link for access. All NSU Commencement video streams are archived approximately one week after the ceremony.
Diploma
At commencement, you’ll receive a certificate of congratulations when you are called to the stage and announced as a candidate for graduation. In order to receive a diploma, you must go online and complete an Application for Degree.
After conferral, you’ll receive an email (in your NSU inbox) that will tell you when to expect your diploma in the mail. It takes several weeks from the conferral date to receive your diploma, including additional time during the larger conferral months: April, May, August, and December. Please note that diplomas cannot be shipped to a P.O. Box or a APO/FPO address.
If your address changed after you applied for your degree, you must update your mailing address in SharkLink and also email the Coordinator of Degree Conferrals and Diplomas at diplomas@nova.edu. Should you find any discrepancies with your diploma, immediately email us at diplomas@nova.edu.
In order for your degree to be conferred and reflect on your transcript, all program requirements must be completed, all grades must be officially posted on your academic transcript including transfer of credit/s, and all obligations (tuition and fees paid, library books returned, equipment returned, bookstore obligations met, etc.) need to be satisfied in SharkLink.
If your address changes after you’ve applied for your degree, you must update your mailing address in SharkLink and email the Coordinator of Degree Conferrals and Diplomas at diplomas@nova.edu. If your address is incorrect in SharkLink and/or the Coordinator did not receive your email, your diploma may be delayed and you may incur additional fees.
Your Application for Degree is first approved by your academic program office. Then, it’s submitted to the Office of the University Registrar for conferral. The date that you met all academic requirements appears on the transcript, but NSU use the last day of the month in which it was approved by the program office as the official degree conferral date, which appears on both your diploma and transcript.
Even though you may have completed all graduation requirements and received final grades prior to the end of a term, the end date of the term is what determines the month your degree is conferred - not the last day of class.
The Office of the University Registrar will still confer your degree, but your transcripts and diploma will be held until all transactions have been paid in full via NSU eBill. For additional payment information or questions, please contact the Bursar’s office by email at bursar@nova.edu or by phone at (954) 262-5200.
You can order a replacement diploma by submitting an online Request for Replacement Diploma.
All NSU replacement diplomas are provided in the current format and are 11” x 14” in size. Replacement diplomas display the signatures of present-day university administration but show the original date of conferral. The notation “Diploma Re-Issued” appears at the bottom-right corner of the replacement diploma.
A $30 payment, per copy, must accompany your request for a replacement diploma. Any replacement requests will not be processed until all outstanding financial obligations to the university are satisfied. Please allow approximately two weeks to receive your replacement diploma.
NSU acknowledges that many of our students choose to set their preferred names for use within internal university systems. However, it is important to note that, at this time, only legal names will be written on diplomas and transcripts.
If you have legally changed your name, and would like this name reflected on your diploma and transcripts, you must fill out the Data Change Form and provide additional documentation.
If you’ve noticed errors in previous communications, please correct the error in your SharkLink account.
Disability Accommodations
If you need accommodations during the commencement ceremony, we encourage you to reach out to the Office of Student Disability Services either via email, at disabilityservices@nova.edu, or phone, at (954) 262-7185, at least two weeks in advance of the event. Please have the following information at the ready when you reach out:
- First and Last Name
- Student N Number
- Phone Number
- Date and time of the commencement ceremony
- Summary of accommodation needed for commencement ceremony
For more information on ceremony accessibility, including parking, elevators, and seating, please visit our Commencement Accommodations page.
Regalia
Regalia can be purchased through the NSU Bookstore.
Please note that you must have proper academic regalia to participate in commencement. NSU’s customized regalia, which are blue for baccalaureate candidates and gray for master’s, specialists, and doctoral candidates, are available exclusively through the NSU Bookstore.
The purchase price of regalia varies according to the degree attained. Undergraduate and Master’s degree regalia is yours to keep. If you’re a doctoral candidate, you may either rent or purchase your deluxe regalia. Rentals must be returned to the bookstore or Shark Store within seven days after commencement; failure to do so will incur a charge of the full purchase price. Please note that rented deluxe regalia will not be available for shipping due to the process that requires a candidate’s signature at checkout. Rental regalia can be picked up at the NSU Shark Store in the Don Taft University Center.
The deluxe regalia cap includes a fitted tam. For correct tam sizing techniques, click here.
Health Professions Division (HPD) candidates who are automatically charged for regalia in their last didactic course and do not pay the cap and gown fee are still required to order regalia through the NSU Bookstore online portal.
Candidates who purchase regalia and wish to have it shipped domestically must place their order no later than the final deadline of that particular commencement ceremony. Individuals requesting international shipping must allow a minimum 6-8 weeks for delivery.
For questions regarding the ordering or renting of regalia, call the NSU Shark Store at (954) 262-4799 or email regalia@nova.edu.
If you decide not to participate in commencement and your regalia hasn’t shipped, your purchase can be refunded. You’ll be reimbursed for the full purchase price of regalia prior to commencement. No refunds will be given after the date of the ceremony.
If your regalia was already shipped, you can return it to the NSU Bookstore at the Fort Lauderdale campus with the original sales receipt or mailed back along with the original sales receipt. The NSU Bookstore’s mailing address is 3300 S. University Drive, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33328-2004.