Baccalaureate Mass and Awards Ceremony

On the eve of commencement, all members of the SLU-Madrid community are invited to a Baccalaureate Mass, celebrated by our Campus Minister, the Rev. James O'Leary, S.J. Our annual Awards Ceremony will take place immediately following the mass. Both events occur in the Parroquia del Corazón Sagrado Corazón y San Francisco de Borja, the iconic center of Madrid's Jesuit community.               

The Ceremony

The ceremony will occur in Espacio Pablo VI, a few blocks from the Madrid campus. Each degree candidate may invite up to five guests to the ceremony.

Degree candidates will convene on the Patio of Padre Rubio Hall at 10:30 a.m. Please don't be late, as the procession to the ceremony will start at 10:45 a.m. The ceremony itself lasts approximately one hour. Light refreshments will be served after the ceremony on campus.

Caps and Gowns

Degree candidates must wear caps and gowns, which may be purchased at the SLU-Madrid bookstore before graduation. For more information about caps and gowns, contact Marta Sánchez-Paulete at the bookstore no later than May 5 by email at copies-madrid@slu.edu.

Diplomas

Diplomas are not distributed at the ceremony. Saint Louis University will send diplomas to the contact address degree candidates provide in their Degree Application Form. For further information about diplomas, contact the Office of the Registrar at registrar-madrid@slu.edu.

Public Transportation to the SLU-Madrid Campus

The Metro station closest to campus is Guzmán el Bueno (Lines 6 and 7). EMT bus service is also available: Lines 2, 45, C and F have bus stops near campus.

Hotels

Below is a list of hotels/hostels for your stay in Madrid. The places mentioned below are intended to be close to campus and downtown Madrid.

View Nearby Hotels

Students should discuss their specific degree requirements with their advisors throughout their academic careers. An advisor is there to help students plan and confirm their progress toward graduation, it is each student's responsibility to be aware of the requirements specific to their degrees and the number of hours needed to complete to graduate.

Changes in undergraduate degree requirements must be approved by the last day of the Spring semester to take effect in the following academic year. Such changes must be communicated immediately to the university registrar. Deans, by exception, may allow you to take advantage of new degree requirements immediately if the exception allows you to complete degree requirements.

The general requirements for earning a baccalaureate degree from Saint Louis University are as follows:

• The satisfactory fulfillment of each area's lower- and upper-division course requirements.
• The completion of no less than 120 semester hours of credit (excluding lower-division military science and physical education courses) with an overall grade point average of 2.0. Grade point averages are figured based on hours attempted (not merely hours passed) and grade points earned.
• At least 30 of the last 36 semester hours of your degree program must be taken at the Madrid or St. Louis campuses of Saint Louis University. Individual schools or colleges may have policies that vary from this norm.
• A degree candidate must submit an online application for graduation before the end of the second week of the semester or session in which graduation is intended. Students must be in good academic standing to apply.
• Because of the progress in various fields of learning, collegiate credits earned more than 10 calendar years before graduation will be reevaluated. If circumstances warrant, you may be required to take further work or repeat certain courses before a degree is conferred.
• Seniors with a grade of Incomplete in any course needed for graduation should clear the record and have the change-of-grade submitted on appropriate forms to the academic dean's office by April 1 for May graduation, July 1 for August graduation and December 1 for January graduation.
• All course requirements for a degree must be completed or be in progress before or during the semester for degree conferral. The University will award a degree if all required coursework is completed and needed documentation is received, within 40 calendar days of the University conferral date. Beyond 40 calendar days, the diploma's award will be deferred to the next university conferral date. See individual schools/colleges for additional graduation requirements.
• Students who participate in an internship must complete it before the official conferral of their degrees. Once the degree has been awarded, the University cannot sign an internship agreement.

Determination of honors and cumulative grade point averages will be made at the time of graduation. For the purpose of computing honors and cumulative University, departmental or college grade point averages, any grade of "I" will be calculated as an "F." Honors will not be recomputed if the "I" is subsequently changed to another grade. Any grade of "I" remaining on your record at graduation must be resolved within 30 calendar days of the commencement date. At this time, the "I" will automatically be converted to an "F."

Averages for graduation honors are computed only based on coursework taken in the schools or colleges of Saint Louis University. Students receiving a first baccalaureate degree must have completed 54 earned semester hours in residence at Saint Louis University to be eligible to graduate with honors. A student with a baccalaureate degree from another institution may be awarded a second baccalaureate degree with academic honors if at least 48 credit hours are earned at Saint Louis University, and the minimum grade point average (based on Saint Louis University course work only) is satisfied.

Graduation honors are awarded as follows:

• Cum laude for a grade point average of 3.5 to 3.699
• Magna cum laude for a grade point average of 3.7 to 3.899
• Summa cum laude for a grade point average of 3.9 to 4.0