Graduation

Graduation is a game event that occurs when completing university or high school.

The Sims 3: Generations
Graduation returns in The Sims 3: Generations. There is no specific graduation party as there is in The Sims 2: University, however. Teen Sims can graduate either from Community High School or Boarding School if they are enrolled in either one.

Community High School graduation
Teens' regular activity of going to school every morning in the school bus or doing homework as they arrive at home will end as soon they receive a graduation notification, which will happen approximately 4 days before their birthday. This notification is intended to make sure that teens have prepared as well as they can for those last days of school.

The graduation is usually held at City Hall, in the morning of the day after they become young adults. There will be another notification, and grads will change into a graduation robe. On the graduation day, all Sims in the household will get a day off, and all other child or teen Sims in the household will get a day off from school.

The grads will wait for all Sims in their household to get ready, then they will go to City Hall together. The player should wait until the graduation ceremony is over.

Grads can graduate either as a valedictorian or simply as a graduate, depending on their grades and achievement during school. If the Sim graduated with an A, they'd graduate with highest honor, B honor, C merit, D pass, and F fail. Valedictorian grads will receive the Valedictorian medal in their inventory and also the Valedictorian moodlet, which lasts 10 days. Regular grads will receive the I Graduated moodlet, which also lasts 10 days. In addition, all grads have the chance to get another medal, as they're nominated for things, such as "Most Likely to Take Over the World" or "Most Likely to Write Best-Selling Novels". Grads also get a framed graduation diploma and have the option to "Toss Diploma", which later can be found in their inventory.

After the graduation, grads' relatives will have option to "Give Graduation Gift". They will also receive graduation moodlets depending on their relation to the grads.

Boarding School graduation
Teen Sims enrolled in Boarding School will also graduate right after they age up. They will go back home, wearing special graduation robes and a diploma to display in their inventory. The graduation robes they wear is determined by the types of Boarding School they're enrolled in.

Graduation bugs
Some bugs with graduation have been reported.


 * Sims won't have graduation ceremony after they age up.


 * Sims enrolled in Boarding School come back home before their graduation, and never graduate or they graduate from Community High School, not from the boarding school they were once enrolled in.

The Sims 3: University Life
Graduation ceremonies in University Life take place on the Saturday after the graduating Sim's finals. After the Sim finishes their finals they'll receive their diploma on that same Friday or Saturday. If they receive their diploma on Friday, they'll be able to invite fellow Sims to the graduation ceremony. They will still be able to invite Sims if they receive their diploma on a Saturday, but the invited guests may not arrive on time.

On graduation day, Sims should arrive early outside the school's Annex and successfully attend the ceremony - failure to do so may result in them being unable to obtain the extra trait. Unlike The Sims 2, graduates are only given a few hours to say their goodbyes before being sent home.

Upon arrival back to their home neighborhoods, the Sims will have higher salaries in jobs that pertain to their degrees.

Sims who have already attended the University can enroll again from their phones.

Due to a path-finding bug, having too many Sims crowding the door may prevent a graduating Sim from attending the ceremony. This is partly due to the lack of entrances into the graduation ceremony, resulting in traffic jams.

Occasionally, due to a bug, a Sim attending the graduation ceremony may come out without actually having graduated, or are missing their diploma.

Trivia

 * On normal speed, if you move the camera close to City Hall or the Annex, you can hear "Pomp and Circumstance", a common graduation song. Additionally, the names read out over the song are those of the developers.

The Sims 4: Discover University
Graduation ceremonies take place the morning after a student gets notified that they have passed their remaining courses. Attendance is optional, but should the player choose to go, their Sim will be taken to their university's stadium, dress in graduation robes and join other graduates. The ceremony takes place inside the stadium, so it is not visible to the player. When the graduates emerge, they will toss their graduation caps up in the air and every graduate in the current household will be given a graduation photo.

A few hours after the ceremony, the player's household will be transported back to their home (or university housing) and diplomas will be placed in their inventories. If they live in university housing, they will have to move out to a residential lot.