Before Graduation

Graduation letters will be emailed to undergraduates to their ESU email address in October.

• Not graduating after all? If you do not plan to complete the degree requirements for the Dec. 14, 2024, graduation, please notify the Degree Analysis Office in Plumb Hall, Room 108H, by calling 620-341-5150, or by email to degreeanalysis@emporia.edu.
• Change of name - If your name will change prior to the December 2024 graduation and you wish to have your new name appear in the commencement program, you must report your name change to the Degree Analysis Office (Plumb Hall, Room 108H, 620-341-5150, or email) by Oct. 25, 2024.
• Senior announcements – Announcements can be purchased online, or at www.cbgrad.com.

It takes two to three weeks to process announcement orders, so we suggest that you place your order as soon as possible.

• Purchase academic apparel - Caps and gowns are ordered and paid for online or you can go to Hornet 365(Student Portal) and click on the tile 'Order Graduation Materials.' The ordering deadline is Oct. 25, 2024 for ship to store.  Ordering deadline for ship to home is Nov. 22, 2024. If you have questions, please call the Bookstore at 620-341-5214 or email bookstore@emporia.edu.
• Academic Achievement - Those graduating seniors who have a sufficiently high cumulative grade point average (CGPA) based on their last term of attendance will be recognized as outlined below. The recognition of achievement at the graduation ceremony is provisional and does not become final until all grades have been recorded. The recognition will appear on the diploma and the transcript.
• All hours counted toward the baccalaureate degree will be counted in the calculation of the CGPA for purposes of recognizing achievement at graduation. A student must have completed at least 45 hours at ESU by the time the degree is conferred to receive this recognition. (Grade point averages for Honor Students listed in the Commencement Program will be based on the work up to, but not including, the current semester.) Grade point averages for honors distinctions are:

• The Honors College recognizes students who have distinguished themselves by completing an honors curriculum, learning and practicing adaptive leadership, completing community service, and engaging in other scholarly and creative activities all while maintaining high academic standards.
• A list of students who are eligible for honor braids will be provided to the Memorial Union Bookstore. Honor braids are purchased at the Bookstore prior to graduation. Letters will be sent to students receiving academic recognition at graduation approximately two weeks before the ceremony. Students are required to provide their letter to the Bookstore when picking up the honor braid.
• PERKINS LOANS and/or STAFFORD LOANS (SUBsidized/UNSUBsidized). If you have borrowed from any of these loan programs while attending Emporia State University, you are required to complete an exit interview before leaving school. If you have received both Stafford and Perkins loans while at ESU, you are required to do an exit for each loan program. It is possible for you to complete this requirement online. Follow these simple steps:

FEDERAL STAFFORD LOANS

• Go to: studentaid.gov, hover over Loan Repayment, and choose Loan Exit Counseling
• You will need to logon using your FSA ID. If you need to retrieve this information, you may do so at studentaid.gov
• Once you are logged in click “Start”
• Choose “Kansas” and “Emporia State University” in the drop-down menus, click “Notify This School”, and “Continue”. Complete the tutorial and answer the questions throughout the tutorial. Notification of your completion of this requirement will be sent to us from the U.S. Department of Education.
• If you need assistance completing Stafford Loan counseling contact the Office of Financial Aid, Scholarships & Veterans Services, Plumb Hall 103; Phone: 620-341-5453, Email: finaid@emporia.edu, or Virtual Appointment: Bookings (choose Loans)
• ESU has paired with solutions by ECMC to provide you free assistance with your student loans. More information can be found at www.ecmcsolutions.org

FEDERAL PERKINS LOANS

After you receive a letter from Heartland ECSI with a key code:

1) Log-on to https://heartland.ecsi.net

2) Click on the Sign In or Register button on the top of the page.

3) After you have successfully created a new profile and/or signed in, you may need to connect your account to your profile. To do so, click on the Connect an Account button. When connecting your account, you will be asked to provide your Heartland Key (refer to the letter you received from Heartland ECSI). Once connected, you will be redirected to your account. To complete your exit interview on a connected account, click the school's name, then click the View Account button. Your exit interview will be listed under the documents tab.

4) If you need assistance, please call ECSI at 1-888-549-3274 or the Emporia State University Federal Perkins Loan Coordinator at 620-341-5413 or email your question to cashier@emporia.edu.

Other Important Information

For those students who are unable to complete their exit interviews online, interviews may be completed by going to the appropriate office, as follows:

• Stafford Loans, Office of Student Financial Aid, (Plumb Hall 103), 620-341-5453; toll-free 800-896-0567.
• Perkins Loans, Perkins Federal Loan Office (Plumb Hall 103P) 620-341-5340.
• Complete the Senior Survey. The invite will be sent to your ESU email account in November.
• Incomplete courses, fines (from ESU Police & Safety, WA White Library, etc.) and financial obligations - Please attend to these matters immediately. Failure to do so may result in holds being placed on your transcript and/or diploma. In order to graduate as of Dec. 14, 2024, all incomplete grades must have grade changes submitted to the Academic Records Office by the instructor by Jan. 14, 2025.
• Correspondence, extension courses, or work from another college - Students with work not previously transferred to ESU must have all official transcripts of their work sent to the Registration Office (Plumb Hall, Room 108, or sent electronically to transcript@emporia.edu.) in order for the credit to appear on their ESU transcript. All are on file with ESU. You do not need to request that another copy be sent - we only need transcripts with new work. Transcripts must be received no later than Jan. 14, 2025.
• If you are a person with a disability and need an accommodation to participate in this event, please contact Student Accessibility and Support Services (SASS) at Emporia State University during regular business hours - 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday - to request accommodations at least 48 hours prior to the event. There will be an area designated for accessible seating within the venue, and interpreters will be set up on the stage for the event. Phone: 620-341-6637  Email: sass@emporia.edu.