Graduation

An application for graduation (accessed through Navigator) must be submitted online and will go to the Records Office on the Raymond Campus. These applications should be submitted prior to the deadline published in the college calendar the semester the student plans to graduate. No degrees or certificates will be awarded until all degree requirements have been met, including the payment of all fees owed to the College.
Courses that begin with a 0 level designation will not count towards the number of credits required for graduation (ENG 0124).
A student may graduate under the requirements of the published Catalog for the current year or under the graduation requirements of the published Catalog for the year the student entered Hinds Community College under that program of study. Requirements, however, may not be divided between the two. Students completing programs are eligible for participation in formal graduation exercises.

Graduation exercises are held in the fall and spring semesters. A student may meet the requirements for graduation by complying with one of the following:

1. Select a specialized field of study and follow the Associate of Applied Science curriculum which is outlined for it in the Hinds Community College Catalog, or
2. Follow the General Program requirements for the Associate in Arts, which are given in the “Academic Programs of Study” section of the Hinds Community College Catalog, or
3. Comply with the catalog requirements of the first two years of a specified four-year accredited college or university to which the student will transfer. This transfer curriculum must calculate to a minimum of 62 transferable hours. Sixteen of these transferable hours must be drawn from and include at least one course from each of the following areas (even if they are not contained within the first two years of that chosen program of study): Humanities/Fine Arts; Social/Behavioral Sciences; and Natural Science/Mathematics. The courses selected should be survey courses rather than applied courses.
4. A minimum quality point average of 2.0 is required in order to graduate. The 2.0 GPA may be calculated using either of the following methods; both calculations will only include courses completed at Hinds Community College:

• GPA of 2.0 calculated on all hours attempted
• GPA of 2.0 calculated on only those courses required for graduation

If a student has previously attended or is currently attending another institution and has met one of the above-mentioned criteria and has completed at least 16 semester hours at Hinds CC, he or she may transfer back, from a regionally accredited institution, the number of hours needed to graduate from Hinds. (Example: Student completes 16 hours at Hinds CC under the General Program of Study for the AA degree. Student may transfer back 46 hours of completed coursework from a regionally accredited institution applicable to this degree.) The transferring back of up to 46 hours to complete a Hinds Community College degree excludes programs that require special admissions or have accrediting restrictions.

Picking Up Your Cap and Gown

• Hinds’ bookstore will be handling the orders for and the distribution of the graduation gown packets for each campus. You will receive a link to the bookstore website in your graduation approval e-mail. You will be able to place your graduation gown packet order on the website and to view details about picking up your order.

• Your gown is a keepsake and does not have to be returned. Hang up your gown so the wrinkles will fall out. Be sure to bring all parts with you to the ceremony – cap, gown, tassel, velvet stole and any approved honor society stoles you may have acquired. You may decorate your graduation cap.  Please click here for decorating guidelines.

Instructions for the Day of Graduation

Attire

• Please note that only official Hinds Community College graduation attire shall be worn.  Official graduation attire is that attire sanctioned by the college to be worn during graduation commencement exercises. Attire from national honor organizations, such as Phi Theta Kappa, is an example of approved attire.
• Your graduation cap should be worn flat on the top of your head with the tassel placed to the right, front side of the cap until your degree is conferred.
• You should report in proper attire, which includes dress clothes and dress shoes that are good for walking long distances and walking up and down stairs.
• Please do not wear corsages.
• Men, you should remove your graduation caps for the invocation and benediction.

When to Report

• There is no rehearsal for the commencement exercises. Therefore, unless otherwise specified, you must report at least thirty minutes prior to your assigned commencement exercise. You must be on time or you will not be allowed to march in the commencement.

Special Assistance

• Graduates requiring special assistance should contact the District Admissions Office at 601.857.3212 to arrange special accommodations. A Hinds staff member will be available to assist graduates with special needs.

Personal Belongings

• Purses, cell phones, and other personal belongings should be left with family members or guests. You will not be allowed to take these items into the ceremony.

Walking Across the Stage

• When you walk across the stage, you will hand a card to a reader announcing your name. A vice president will be presenting students with a 3.2 or higher cumulative GPA with an honor cord. Another vice president will hand you a diploma cover, shake your hand, and say “Congratulations.” Please look at the vice president, say “Thank You,” and continue off the stage to your row and wait for the signal to be seated.
• You and your guests are encouraged to agree upon a meeting place outside of the building after the ceremony for family pictures and fellowship (weather permitting). The lobby area will be very crowded.

After the Ceremony

• There will be a photographer available before and after the ceremony for formal cap and gown pictures. The photographer will also be taking pictures of you as you receive your diploma cover on stage during the ceremony. You will be contacted by the photographer within a few days of the graduation via e-mail. This photographer is not affiliated with Hinds Community College.
• After the ceremony, please pick up your diploma where you checked-in. If there is an error in spelling or degree, please return to the area where you checked in so that your diploma may be reprinted after the correction is made.

Live Stream

• Hinds Community College is proud to announce the live stream of our commencement exercises. Current and previous commencement exercises can be viewed here.
• Please share this information with family and friends who may be unable to attend the ceremony. Hinds Community College is proud of your accomplishments and we take great joy in sharing this celebration with as many virtual guests as possible.

Questions? Contact:
Chandra Frazier
Chandra.Frazier@hindscc.edu
P: 601-857-3868 or 601-857-3914

Please check back for information regarding our HSE graduation.

Picking Up Your Cap and Gown
When: TBA
Time: TBA
Location:
Hinds Community College
Cain-Cochran Hall
Raymond, Mississippi

Graduation Rehearsal

Date: TBA
Time: TBA
Location:
Hinds Community College
Cain-Cochran Hall
Raymond, Mississippi

NOTE: You will receive your cap and gown first which you may wear for your photograph. You will be given further instructions at rehearsal.

Graduation Ceremony

When: TBA
Time: TBA
Location:
Hinds Community College
Cain-Cochran Hall
Raymond, Mississippi

NOTE: You must return your gown after the graduation ceremony. You will be billed for $40 if your gown is not returned. Please make sure your name is checked when you return your gown. You may keep your cap and tassel.

Suggested Attire for Graduation

All graduates should wear black shoes. Men should wear dark pants, white shirt and tie. Ladies should not wear large or gaudy jewelry. Ladies should wear dresses and neutral hose.

Photographs

Photographs will be made immediately after graduation rehearsal on Friday, June 22, 2018. Men should wear a white shirt and tie for the photograph. All graduates will wear their cap and gown for the photo.

• The commencement exercise will start promptly at the scheduled time, so guests should report at least 30 minutes prior to the start of the commencement exercise.
• The doors to the main seating area will be closed 5 minutes prior to the start of the commencement exercises. Guests arriving after this time will be directed to a holding area as space is available. Live viewing of the ceremony will be available.
• To prevent crowded hallways, please do not accompany your graduate to the graduate check-in and assembly area. Please go directly to the main seating area to acquire a seat.
• Graduates will not be allowed to wear corsages or to carry personal items into the ceremony. Please assist them by holding these items for them until after the ceremony.
• Guests should stand during both the processional and the recessional parts of the ceremony. Please allow all graduates to exit the auditorium during the recessional before leaving your seating area.
• Please remind your graduates of their opportunity to have a formal cap and gown picture made with a photographer before or after the ceremony. Also, remind them of the opportunity to receive photos of them receiving their diploma on stage during the ceremony. Your graduate will receive proofs of these photos via e-mail within a few days of graduation for possible purchase. Your graduate will also receive proofs from the photographer several weeks after the ceremony. This photographer is not affiliated with Hinds Community College.
• Please hold the applause for your graduate until all of the graduates for that degree have been presented. This will allow those guests around you to hear their graduate’s name called. Your assistance withholding applause for individual graduates will aid us in properly recognizing each graduate participating in the commencement exercise.
• Hinds Community College is proud to announce the live stream of our commencement exercises. Current and previous commencement exercises can be viewed here. Please share this information with family and friends who may be unable to attend the ceremony. Hinds Community College is proud of your accomplishments and we take great joy in sharing this celebration with as many virtual guests as possible.