Graduate School – Letter of COmpletion

Who can request a letter of completion?

• Thesis-based graduate students may request a Letter of Completion to verify completion of degree requirements from the Office of Graduate Studies. Student must request it in person with a photo ID or send the request from your Mines email address.
  • Non-thesis graduate students need to wait for the degree to be awarded and request transcripts from the Registrar’s Office.

When will letters be sent?

• Letters of Completion are only sent to thesis-based students checking out early, typically more than 4-6 weeks prior to graduation.
• Students checking out 4- 6 weeks prior to graduation who request a letter of completion will need to show extenuating circumstances and the requests will be addressed on a case by case basis, subject to approval by the Office of Graduate Studies.
  • In most cases, late requests will not be approved and students will need to order transcripts through the Registrar’s Office and wait for the degree to be awarded.
• We will not provide letters of completion after the graduation date. If you need degree verification after graduation, please order transcripts or diplomas through the Registrar’s Office.

If ordering transcripts before the degree has been awarded and you need the transcript to show that the degree has been awarded, make sure to check to box to indicate that you want to “hold for degree”.

What will the letter state?

• Assuming you have met the qualification below, the letter will only state your name, the degree you are earning and that your degree will be awarded within 10 business days after the graduation date.
  • It will not state when you finished the degree, it will only state when your degree will be awarded within a specific time frame.
  • It will not state that you successfully defended your thesis
  • It will not state anything related to student grades, courses, finances, etc.

To obtain this letter, you must have already satisfied the following requirements:

1. Applied to Graduate in Trailhead
2. Must have completed all course credits and received grades for those courses.
   • Non-thesis students are only eligible to receive a Letter of Completion if checking out early and not registered for the current/future terms.
   • Thesis-based students are only eligible to receive a Letter of Completion if checking out early, only registered for research credits and those credits are not needed to earn the degree.
3. Degree Evaluation in Trailhead does not have any issues that need to be resolved
4. Obtained Thesis/Dissertation approval from the Office of Graduate Studies (Master’s thesis and PhD students only). To obtain approval you must have:
   • Met all the requirements to upload your thesis and had your thesis formatting approved by OGS.
5. Submitted completed checkout form to the Office of Graduate Studies
6. No holds on your account

To request the Letter of Completion, please contact or Roxane Aungst at 303-273-3608 or raungst@mines.edu. Letters of Completion will be sent via email to your Mines’ email.