Graduating Early

Policy

Some students choose to complete their degree requirements and graduate one or two semesters early. If that is your plan, you may be able to apply additional AP/IPC/PMC credits to accelerate your degree. Acceleration is defined as completing the requirements for the bachelor's degree one or two semesters earlier than the original expected graduation date without an interruption in enrollment. Specifically, for students graduating in seven consecutive semesters, the two elective credits and up to two acceleration credits may be included in the 34 credits required for graduation. For students graduating in six consecutive semesters, the two elective credits and up to six acceleration credits may be included in the 34 credits required for graduation.

Note: Students may not use acceleration credits in order to compensate for time taken away from their studies.

This table shows the relationship of acceleration credits to graduation timing:

Graduating after	Maximum AP/IPC/PMC credits toward graduation
8 semesters	2
7 semesters	4 (2 AP/IPC/PMC credits at matriculation + 2 acceleration credits)
6 semesters	8 (2 AP/IPC/PMC credits at matriculation + 6 acceleration credits)

If you wish to graduate early, you should discuss your plans with your academic dean to be sure that you fully understand graduation requirements and the pros and cons of such a decision. Although you may have a keen desire now to finish at Duke and get on with your life, and perhaps save a semester or a year of tuition, you may feel differently after another semester or two. Bear in mind that your college years come at a special time in your life and are a rare opportunity for you to engage so freely and intensely in your development, intellectual and otherwise. Think twice before cutting your Duke career short. As an alternative to graduating early, even if you are eligible to do so, you might think about enriching your experience by taking a semester to travel or study abroad. Then again, you could become involved in Duke or community projects—education occurs outside of the classroom as well. Take the time to work on your communication and writing skills. If you will be seeking admission to a professional school after you graduate, note that such schools generally prefer more mature and experienced applicants. Maturity and life experiences are considered along with courses, grades, and standardized test scores.

Procedure

When you are sure you want to graduate early, you can download the Undergraduate Change of Graduation Date form (PDF, 80KB). Fill it out, have it signed by your academic dean, and he or she will notify the registrar and have your anticipated graduation date changed.

Note: The deadline to declare your intention to accelerate your degree is the end of the fifth semester of enrollment. Once you have done so, if you later change your mind, your registration will be moved back to the last enrollment window.