Student Handbook

2.03 Graduation - Completion of Degree Requirements

Graduation Requirements

Students intending to complete a degree or certificate must complete all course and credit requirements at the acceptable standard of a 2.0 GPA or C average. The student's advisor can provide program advisement guides to inform the student of progress toward graduation.

All lower division undergraduate credit hours awarded within the prior ten years will apply towards the completion of the graduation requirements. Credits more than ten years old will receive careful consideration. In conjunction with the Division Chairs and the VPAA, the Registrar reserves the right to examine any courses over ten years old to determine their currency and applicability to existing curriculum and programming before credit is accepted. Note: Nursing programs are an exception to this 10-year rule. The science courses used for nursing programs expire at seven (7) years per the Colorado Community College nursing policies.


Guarantee of degree in 2 years

The Colorado Community College System (CCCS) colleges have adopted a set of guidelines to define the conditions under which a student can expect to graduate with an Associate of Arts (AA) or Associate of Science (AS) or Associate of General Studies (AGS) in two years. The CCCS colleges guarantee that if the scheduling of essential courses is found to have prevented a student from completing all course work necessary for an AA or AS degree from a specific Colorado Community college in 60 credit hours, and 2 years (24 months), that college will provide tuition plus any fees for all courses required for completion of the degree requirements. Students must satisfy all the conditions described below to be eligible for this guarantee.


To be eligible for the above guarantee, the student must:

  1. Enroll at the same community college for at least four consecutive fall and spring semesters.
  2. Have completed all required remedial coursework before the beginning count of two years.
  3. Enrolled in and have passed an average of 15 credit hours each of the four consecutive semesters.
  4. Earned a grade point average of 2.0 for each semester.
  5. Earn a C or better in all course work.
  6. Met with an academic advisor during the 1st and 3rd semesters of study.
  7. Have a recommended plan of study signed by the student and their advisor no later than the start of the second semester of study.
  8. Follow the signed recommended plan of study.
  9. Documentation proving requirements were all satisfied. (Advising records, transcripts, etc.

Graduation Application

Students who expect to graduate must complete an Application for Graduation by the advertised deadline for the semester in which they plan to graduate. Applications for Graduation are available in the Records Office. Applications received after the deadline may be delayed within the evaluation process.

Credits Completed in Residence

Students must satisfactorily complete a minimum of 15 credit hours at the institution from which the Degree is offered. For Certificates, at least 25% of the credits must be completed in residence. Online courses with registrations through the home college will be included in residency hours.