I took an extra semester in college, fulfilling my requirements in December, 1996, instead of May, 1996 as originally intended. My college’s official graduation date (that gets printed on diplomas) for winter graduates is the following March (for me, March '97). By default, the alumni affair’s office treats me as a member of the class that graduated in May, 1996 for reunions, etc., which is my preference as well.
The way I always understood it is that “Class of XX” is a way to define a particular cohort that is expected to graduate on some nominal date usually 4 calendar years and 8 semesters later. When you actually graduated isn’t really germane to your class year.
For example, I am actually Class of 1995 in college… but graduated in 1996. If I’d have graduated on time after 8 fall/spring semesters (4 years), I’d have been graduating in May 1995. Had I graduated in 1994 after taking summer school and passing a particular class on the first try, I’d still have been Class of 1995.
I was Class of 1995 from the minute I was accepted as a student in 1991, regardless of when I graduated.
The college I work at calls this Fall’s entering freshmen “the class of 2020.” However, we also note that they matriculated in Fall of 2016. So if the degree requirements change in, say, 2018, they still go by the rules that were in effect in Fall of 2016.
Interesting. I was '97, but I took a gap year (more or less) and I’m pretty sure I get referred to as class of '98. At least that’s what my alumni mailings have me believe. I get reunion stuff for '98, not '97.
I’ll bet that if you’d rather get mailings for and attend the reunions of the Class of 97, the alumni association would be happy to accommodate you. It’s in their interest to have happy, involved alumni.
Probably dependent on when you actually enrolled in school- if you were class of 93 out of high school, but took the 93-94 school year off, and enrolled in college in the 94-95 school year, they’re going to think of you as Class of 98.
So, it was after winter quarter of my junior year in college. So I took off in April '96 and returned Jan '97. I took classes through spring of '98, when I should have graduated after spring of '97 if I hadn’t taken any time off after enrolling and attending my freshman year in '93.
Actually, looking at my login page for my alumni association, I do have “class year” filled out automatically and uneditable for 1998, but I do have an optional “preferred reunion class year” that I can edit, if I want to. But it looks like “officially” 1998 is my class year.
My college rarely referred to students as “class of”. Usually it was just “freshmen”, “sophomores”, etc. I finished coursework, and went through the commencement ceremony, in December 1990. My diploma is dated January 1991. The alumni association considers me “Class of 1991”.
Weird… your school must do it different than mine then. I graduated in Dec 96, but started in Fall 1991, so technically the Class of 1995, although I didn’t actually graduate until a year and a half later. All the alumni stuff still lists me as Class of 1995 though.
I don’t know for sure, since I don’t really care or worry about my graduation - but calling someone by “year of admission plus 4” just seems confusing when some graduate much later, some still have not graduated, etc. It kind of makes sense to associate by year of admission, since that’s probably your maximal socialization cohort, or the people you typically hang around with; but referring to graduates by the year they actually get their diploma makes a lot more sense and is simpler.
Mine was always
High school - Class of 73
College - Class of whenever I get enough credits
Not … really.
Back when my alumni mag had a column of semi-notable alumni achievements, they were listed by degree/year. E.g., BS 88, MS 90. I’d generally not recognize those with my graduate year but once in a while someone from a year or two later.
Ditto sites like classm***s.com.