Graduation Requirements

To graduate from New England College, a student must fulfill the following requirements:

Bachelor’s Degree

• Completion of a minimum of 120 credits with passing grades. Some majors may require more than 120 credits (see the catalog section for your major for specific details).
• Achievement of a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.0 and a grade point average in the major (defined as all courses required for the major) of at least 2.0. Individual disciplines may have requirements which are more stringent than the general College requirement (see the catalog section for your major for specific details).
• Successful completion of the College’s Liberal Arts and Sciences Core Curriculum requirements (see the Liberal Arts and Sciences Core Curriculum  section of this catalog).
• Satisfactory completion of all requirements in the major.
• Earn at least 60 credits at New England College (of which a minimum of 24 credits must be earned in the senior year), or earn 30 credits in the senior year. In addition, a minimum of 12 credits of requirements from within the major must be completed at New England College.
• By the end of their junior year, all students should file an “Intent to Graduate” form, available at the Registrar’s Office.
• Fulfillment of the graduation requirements is the student’s responsibility. Only the Registrar (or designee) is authorized to issue official summaries of progress. To avoid unpleasant surprises, it is imperative that students check their fulfillment of requirements with the Registrar’s Office at the end of their junior year.
• A student who has earned a minimum of 108 credits by the end of the spring semester will be allowed to participate in commencement if they have a GPA, both cumulative and in the major, of 2.00 or higher.

Associate’s Degree

• Completion of a minimum of 60 credits with passing grades. Some majors may require more than 60 credits (see the catalog section for your major for specific details).
• Achievement of a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.0 and a grade point average in the major (defined as all courses required for the major) of at least 2.0. Individual disciplines may have requirements which are more stringent than the general College requirement (see the catalog section for your major for specific details).
• Successful completion of the College’s Liberal Arts and Sciences Core Curriculum requirements (see the Liberal Arts and Sciences Core Curriculum  section of this catalog).
• Satisfactory completion of all requirements in the major.
• Earn at least 30 credits at New England College (of which a minimum of 16 of the final 30 credits must be earned at NEC) or earn the final 16 credits with New England College. In addition, a minimum of 8 credits of requirements from within the major must be completed at New England College.
• Once a student has completed 30 credits, the “Intent to Graduate” form is filed.  Forms are available at the Registrar’s Office.
• Fulfillment of the graduation requirements is the student’s responsibility. Only the Registrar (or designee) is authorized to issue official summaries of progress. To avoid unpleasant surprises, it is imperative that students check their fulfillment of requirements with the Registrar’s Office before their final year.
• A student who has earned a minimum of 48 credits by the end of the spring semester will be allowed to participate in commencement if they have a GPA, both cumulative and in the major, of 2.00 or higher.

Degrees with Latin Praise

In recognition of outstanding academic achievement, the following Latin praise is awarded at graduation for baccalaureate degrees. To be eligible, at least 45 New England College credits graded A, B, or C must appear on the student’s academic record:

Summa Cum Laude: Those students having a cumulative grade point average of 3.80 or higher.

Magna Cum Laude: Those students having a cumulative grade point average between 3.65 and 3.79.

Cum Laude: Those students having a cumulative grade point average between 3.50 and 3.64.

Students with fewer than 45 credits are eligible for Cum Laude as follows: