Graduation

1. Degree Audit 

The first thing to do when you reach your final year of studies is to make an appointment with your Academic Advisor as early as possible. Your advisor will run through a degree audit with you and make sure that you have met the University degree requirements, as well as all of your program degree requirements, which are listed in the Academic Calendar. If you have not met a requirement, you will have time to make adjustments to your course registration.  

2. Application to Graduate

When you believe you are ready to graduate, you can submit the Application to Graduate form found in myTrent under Academics → Forms. You should apply as soon as your course registration for your final year is finalized (e.g. early in the Fall term if you are graduating in January or Spring; early in Summer term if you are graduating in September). The deadline to apply to graduate can be found in the Academic Calendar under Important Dates, as well as at Important Dates & Deadlines.

3. Eligibility Assessment & Senate Approval 

Once the Application to Graduate is submitted, the Office of the Registrar will complete an assessment to ensure your eligibility for graduation and will notify you, by email to your Trent student account, within 10 days of the assessment outcome.  Once grades have been processed, the names of all students who have successfully completed the academic requirements for their degree are submitted to Senate for approval.  As soon as Senate approves the graduation list your academic record is updated to show you have completed your degree. You are then sent notification via Trent email that you have graduated, that official transcripts can now be ordered and that your degree will be available soon.  

4. Degree Conferral 

Your degree or diploma will be presented to you on Convocation Day, after you have participated in the ceremony and returned your graduation gown. If you are unable to attend the ceremony, you can request to have the degree mailed, or you can pick it up at the Office of the Registrar in Blackburn Hall.

If you graduated in September or January, you don’t have to wait until June to receive your degree. As soon as you are notified that you have graduated, you can send an email from your Trent student email account to registrar@trentu.ca with the subject line Mail My Degree. Include your name, student number and current mailing address. Your degree will be mailed as soon as it is available; usually within a few weeks of graduating.  

Alternatively, you can come to the Office of the Registrar to pick up your degree. Degrees are usually not available for pick-up, or to be mailed, for at least three weeks after the graduation date. For example, if you graduated in May, are unable to attend the June convocation ceremony, and you sent the email requesting your degree to be mailed, your degree will be mailed after the ceremonies (mid-June).

  • If you complete the requirements of your degree at the end of the Summer term you can graduate in September.
  • If you complete the requirements of your degree at the end of the Fall term you can graduate in January.
  • If you complete the requirements of your degree at the end of the Winter term you can graduate in May.

Unclaimed degrees will be held for two years. If you have not picked up or asked to have your degree mailed to you within two years of graduating, you will have to request and pay for a replacement degree. 

Please note that your degree will not be released if you owe any money to the University. This includes fines at Bata Library. 

5. Convocation 

Convocation ceremonies for students who graduated during the last year are held the first week of June.  Please visit Convocation for the most up-to-date information. Grads who owe the University money are encouraged to attend their convocation; however, they will not receive their degree at the ceremony. As soon as the outstanding fees are paid in full they can request to have their degree mailed.