Graduation

Registration for the 2021 Virtual Commencement Ceremony will open in March. The deadline to RSVP is July 10.

For questions or cancellations please email commencement@trident.edu.

Bachelors or masters students: You are eligible to participate in the Graduation Ceremony if you are in your final session on or before the Summer 2021 session or August Fastrac 2021.

Doctoral students: To participate in the Graduation Ceremony, you must complete all of your requirements, including successfully defending your dissertation, by June 30, 2021.

If you completed your graduation requirements and degree clearance in a prior session and received approval from the Registration Office, you may participate in this or any future Trident Graduation Ceremony.

Degree Clearance: If the Office of the Registrar has not contacted you during the first month of your final session, please email your request.

A cap and gown may be ordered here. Class sashes and honor cords (for graduates with a 3.4 or higher GPA) are also available through this independent vendor. Orders will be shipped directly to you.

You can place an online order for your Trident Graduation announcements and invitations. If you have questions, call 800-433-0296.

You can place an online order for frames for your diploma or graduation photographs.

You can place an online order for your Trident class ring. If you have any questions about your ring order, please contact our representative, Ms. Maryann Bettendorf, at 657-220-5038 or mabettendorf@yahoo.com.

Ceremony Location / Date / Time

When and where is Commencement?
Trident University’s annual Commencement Ceremony will be held virtually on Saturday, July 24, 2021. Time: 11:30 am PDT (12:30pm MDT, 1:30 pm CDT, 2:30 pm EDT). The ceremony will be held online and the link to access the event will be delivered prior to the event.

Why aren’t we having an “in-person” ceremony this year?
Although we would love to celebrate with you in person, we are unable to do so this summer due to the current state of the COVID-19 pandemic. Trident’s virtual commencement ceremony will enable graduates and their guests to participate safely from the comforts of their own home.

Will I be able to participate in an “in-person” ceremony in the future?
Yes. When an “in-person” ceremony is possible, those who participate virtually will be invited to attend.

How can friends and family attend and watch the ceremony?
Information on how guests can attend and watch from all around world (and in the comforts of their home), will be sent prior to the event.

What is a virtual commencement like?
Much like a traditional, in-person graduation ceremony, the virtual graduation ceremony serves as a culmination of the hard work and effort you have put in to earn your degree. There will be student speakers, a presidential address, tassel turn, and a graduate processional slideshow featuring each graduate who RSVP’s for the event.

RSVPing to Attend / Eligibility

Who is eligible to walk in the ceremony?
Any Trident University graduate who meets the following criteria is eligible to participate:

• Completed a Certificate, Associates, Bachelors or Masters program within the last year or are expected to do so by the end of the August Fastrac 2021 session.
• Doctoral candidates who have successfully defended their dissertation by the end of the Spring 2021 session. (Doctoral graduates may have additional options. Please refer to your Student Success Advisor or to Michelle Boyd at commencement@trident.edu)

How do I RSVP to participate and what do I need?
Graduates must RSVP by July 10th, 2021 if they would like to participate in the virtual graduation (if you do not RSVP, you will not be recognized or have a processional slide). If you completed a certificate, associates, bachelors or masters program within the last year or are expected to do so by the August Fastrac 2021 session, you should receive an email inviting you to RSVP in June with details and links. If you did not receive that email message, please contact commencement@trident.edu.

Submit a photo and/or video to be included in the virtual processional – deadline: July 10th, 2021.

• Photos and videos are not required to take part in the virtual ceremony but are recommended to help personalize your processional slide.
• If you only RSVP and do not submit a photo or video, a slide will appear with only your name and degree listed.
• If a photo or brief video clip is submitted, it will be included on a processional slide in your honor.

Are there other ways to participate in the virtual ceremony?

1. Student Speaker Videos (Optional) – send in an inspirational message for the class of 2021 and you may be featured in our student speaker segment.  A 15 to 30 second video highlighting your motivation to earn your degree; or what this degree means to you; how you hope this will inspire others, or something else. It’s your time to inspire!  Follow these general video guidelines prior to submission.
2. Tassel Turn Video Submission (Optional) – undergraduate students wishing to take part in a group turning of the tassel in honor of your conferred degree, purchase (or borrow) regalia and send in a video.  5 second video moving your tassel from right to left Follow these general video guidelines prior to submission.

What happens after I RSVP?
The Registrar’s Office will review your request to participate in the ceremony and ensure that you are eligible to “walk” this year. If they determine that you are eligible, a confirmation email will be sent to your Trident email address, so please be sure to check there.

I graduated in a previous year but could not attend at the time. Can I participate in this year’s virtual ceremony?
Yes. If you are a Trident University graduate from a past year, we would be glad to have you join us to celebrate this year.

Regalia

Will a cap/gown be required for the 2021 virtual commencement?
Regalia is not required to participate in the virtual ceremony; however, we will display students’ photos and/or video clips in the processional.  Graduates may choose to purchase regalia and wear it in these photos and videos, but do not need to. Graduates who wish to have regalia must purchase the cap and gown regalia package for their degree. If you plan to walk at a future “in person” commencement, you will need to have the official Trident regalia through www.cbgrad.com.  

When is the deadline for ordering regalia?

• For all bachelors, masters, and most doctoral students: Because regalia is not required for this year’s virtual ceremony, there is no deadline. Note, you should order ASAP if you would like to have regalia in your processional photo submission.
• For self-selected doctoral students ONLY: Doctoral graduates who will be teaching at a university may wish to purchase higher quality regalia because they will be wearing it more than once in the coming years as they participate in commencement ceremonies each year. If a doctoral graduate is interested in made-to-order academic quality regalia, please contact commencement@trident.edu as soon as possible, with the understanding that this process can take up to two months.

I am graduating with a bachelors or associates degree. What regalia do I need to order? What extras can I order?
Your Cap & Gown package ($49.99) comes with a gown, cap, and tassel. All associate and bachelor graduates may, but do not need to, order the White Sash with Gold Trim ($46.95), which is worn around the shoulders with Trident’s seal and year of graduation embroidered on it. Those graduating with a GPA of 3.4 or higher may purchase the Gold Honor Cord ($15.00) if they so choose.

I am graduating with a masters degree. What regalia do I need to order? What extras can I order?
Your Cap & Gown package ($59.99) comes with a gown, cap, tassel, and masters hood. All Masters graduates may, but do not need to, order the White Sash with Gold Trim ($46.95), which is worn around the shoulders with Trident’s seal and year of graduation embroidered on it. Those graduating with a GPA of 3.4 or higher may purchase the Gold Honor Cord ($15.00) if they so choose.

I am graduating with a doctoral degree. What regalia do I need to order? What extras can I order?
Your Cap & Gown package ($69.99) comes with a gown, tam (doctoral cap), tassel, and doctoral hood. All Doctoral graduates may, but do not need to, order the Achievement Stole ($35.00), which is a sash worn around the shoulders with Trident’s seal and year of graduation embroidered on it. There is no Honors distinction among doctoral students, so the Gold Honors Cord should not be purchased.

What are Trident’s colors? What color should my regalia be?
Trident University’s school colors are navy blue and “old” gold. All Trident caps and gowns are navy blue. Masters and doctoral hoods are black on one side with navy blue and old gold panels and a velvet strip of material in the color of the graduate’s degree / discipline.

Ordering Class Rings/ Graduation Announcements / Diploma Frames

To place an order for a class ring, please visit our vendor, Herff Jones, at: www.herffjones.com/college/rings

To place an order for personalized graduation announcements, please visit our vendor, Balfour, at: www.cbgrad.com/school/trident. To place an order for a Trident University diploma frame, please visit our vendor, Framing Success, at:  https://www.framingsuccess.com/

Graduation Fee

What does the $150 Graduation Fee pay for?
The Graduation Fee is not related to the Commencement Ceremony. This fee covers costs associated with graduation processing. For example, completing the degree verification, updating external portals, and issuing a diploma and transcript. Please note that no diplomas will be awarded at the Commencement Ceremony – instead, you will receive your diploma and transcript in the mail after your degree audit has been completed.

Diplomas

How long does it take for my diploma to be mailed to me, do I have to wait until the commencement ceremony in July before it can be sent?
Normal delivery time is approximately 8 weeks from the end of the final session. However, from March to July our vendor experiences high volumes of diploma orders, so the delivery time may be extended to 10 weeks and rush requests are not permitted during this time.

Is there a digital version that can be emailed to me prior to receiving the printed version?
Yes, we send an electronic copy of your diploma to your primary personal email when we place the order for your physical copy. This occurs 4-6 weeks from the date grades post for your final session.  If a previous graduate from Trident wants to order a digital copy, they can do so via Parchment for a nominal fee. All initial and duplicate diplomas moving forward will be from Trident University International with the current American InterContinental University System administration.

Other Questions

I have a question that isn’t answered here. Whom do I speak with?
Email commencement@trident.edu or contact Ms. Michelle Boyd at 714-816-0366 ext.2180