When we say that a student is "graduating", it is actually a recognition that our student is on his or her last term. This means that the student has no more than 12 units (15 units if overload) of academic courses to be enrolled.
As compared to "regular" continuing students, graduating students may request for overload (to enroll in 15 academic units), allowed cross-registration if the courses that they need are not offered by the UPOU, and are prioritized by the Faculty in giving grades. This is all done to facilitate the student's graduation.
How can you tell if you are graduating status or close to graduating status at a given term?
You can easily monitor your status by following your approved plan of study. If you keep your Plan of Study up to date every term, then you can easily know the point when the courses that you need to enroll become less than 24 units. At this point, do not hesitate to let your program chair know through email so that we can flag you as near-graduating and we can make sure that we offer the courses that you need in the next two terms, within reason. Otherwise, if you have the option to, you can start planning your cross-enrollment in a UP unit close to you.
This is important specially for students who have earned a good portion of their AA course load through Transfer of Credit. As Faculty staff, we cannot monitor each and every student individually. Although we do our best, sometimes we miss students and they end up taking longer than they should before finishing.
University policy states that graduating students must be in residence (i.e., enrolled, not LOA or AWOL) for at least one full year before graduation. This means that if you believe you will take less than a year to graduate, then take care to keep your scholastic records in good order. When in doubt, email your Program Chair or the Faculty Office for advice.
When you reach your last term, it is time to apply for graduation.