Graduation

Registration for the 2020 Virtual Commencement Ceremony is now closed. The deadline to RSVP was July 11.

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 8-week Fastrac (session end date: October 4, 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.

The last day to order your Cap & Gown products online is TBD 2020. Orders placed after this date may incur additional fees.

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’s annual Commencement Ceremony will be held virtually on Saturday, July 25, 2020. 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 even while sheltering in place as needed.

Will I be able to participate in an “in-person” ceremony in the future?
If/when an “in-person” ceremony is scheduled in the future, those who participate virtually will be invited to attend “in person” or similar

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.

RSVPing to Attend / Eligibility

Who is eligible to walk in the ceremony?
Any Trident 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 2020 Fastrac session.
• Doctoral candidates who have successfully defended their dissertation by the end of the Spring 2020 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 attend?
RSVP by July 11th, 2020. If you completed a certificate, associates, bachelors or masters program within the last year or are expected to do so by the August 2020 session, you should have received an email inviting you to RSVP on June 17 with details and links. If you did not receive that email message, please contact commencement@trident.edu.

What do I need to do after I RSVP to participate? 
Submit a photo and/or video to be included in the virtual processional – Deadline: July 11^th.

• 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 2020 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 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 2020 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’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 processing time is 6-8 weeks from the end of the final session. However, Trident is transitioning its diploma fulfillment to a new service and this has caused a delay in processing diplomas for students who completed their programs in the January and February sessions. We expect to have all of these shipped by the end of May – including the upcoming March session grads.

Is there a digital version that can be emailed to me prior to receiving the printed version?
Not currently, but for May session and forward, every graduate will automatically get the e-diploma AND the hard copy paper one.  If a previous grad from both trident or ICDC wants to order a digital copy, like a graduate from 3 or 5 years ago, they can do so for $5. All duplicate diplomas moving forward will be from Trident at AIU with the current 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.