Do 4th year marks matter for Grad school?

[retro10x]

I'm in year 3 currently.

I'll be applying for grad school in the US in the fall, and based on what I've seen on the internet and heard from others, most applications are due in December, some early January. My school is on a semester system, and our fall term grades aren't made official until January.

This means I'll be applying without any 4th year grades, which I am sure is completely normal.

However, do they usually request to see your final transcript or at least fall of 4th year grades at some point down the line? Do they do this after you have been accepted?

I have no plans on slacking during my 4th year, but it puts all the more pressure on this semester's grades if they are the last ones they see...

All opinions or experiences are welcome

Thanks,

 

[Choppy]

Graduate applicants are evaluated based on the transcripts they receive. I think it varies from school to school whether the fall semester of the fourth year is included and this would be dictated by when they want the transcripts by.

What generally happens is that "accepted" students are given an provisional offer of admission - the position is conditional until they receive confirmation that you've received your undergraduate degree in good standing and you have a limited time to provide that information (usually about six months from the time of admission).

Technically this means that your final semester does not weigh heavily with respect to your graduate application.