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Parchments

Find details on ±«Óătv degree parchments: official certificates, replacements, certified copies, personal display options, and framing.

What is a parchment?

Your parchment is your official ±«Óătv degree certificate—embossed with the university’s name, crest, and seal, and signed by the dean, chair of Senate, and president. It includes your name, degree, graduation date, and any defining characteristics (i.e. program, field of study) where applicable. 

Your minor, if applicable, is recorded on your academic record and transcript, not on your parchment. 

Official parchments

Your official parchment is a legal document. You will only be issued one official parchment when you graduate.

If your parchment is lost or damaged, you can request a replacement for a $50 fee. You’ll need to:

  • Return the damaged original, or
  • Submit an affidavit (with a lawyer/notary stamp) confirming the loss and your personal details
  • You will need an affidavit from a lawyer, commissioner of oaths or a notary public (which must include their stamp or seal) to confirm:
    • What happened to your original degree (ie. lost, stolen)
    • Your full name and date of birth
    • Your current mailing address
    • Your degree and the year you graduated
    • We will accept a digital copy of the affidavit provided the lawyer/notary's seal or stamp is visible.

Note: Replacement parchments have the signatures of the current President, Chair of Senate and Dean and are dated the day they are reprinted. They are also stamped with red ink in the bottom left corner "Issued to replace the original dated _____" with the original graduation date written in the space provided.

Send your documents to:

Registrar’s Office, ±«Óătv University, Halifax or Truro campus.

±«Óătv uses your full legal name on both your parchment and transcript.

If your legal name changes after graduation, you may request a replacement parchment with your updated name.

Please note, that for graduates wishing to make a name change to align with their gender identity, the replacement fee will be waived.

To learn more about eligibility and the process, please contact graduation@dal.ca.

A certified copy is a photocopy of your original parchment that includes an endorsement confirming it is a true copy of the original.

Important: This does not certify that the original document is genuine—only that the copy matches the original.

Who can certify a copy?

Certified copies can be endorsed (signed) by:

  • A notary public
  • A lawyer
  • A commissioner of oaths

Request a certified copy from ±«Óătv

The Registrar’s Office can provide a certified copy of your ±«Óătv parchment.

 To request this service:

  • Your original parchment is required.

Personal parchments

A personal parchment is a non-legal parchment designed exclusively for display purposes. It is available for graduates of degree and diploma programs.

You receive one personal parchment when you graduate, but you may want to request extra copies to:

  • Display your academic achievements in multiple locations (e.g., multiple clinical or professional offices).

  • Update with your chosen name.

  • Have your name displayed in a non-latin alphabet or logographic language (e.g., Mi’kmaq, Arabic, Chinese, etc.)

Use of personal display parchments

  • Intended solely for display purposes and is not a legal document.

  • Used exclusively to showcase academic credentials achieved by the individual named on the parchment.

  • Any use beyond this intended purpose is strictly prohibited.

  • Information included will only be the student’s name. 

Non-legal status 

Personal parchments cannot be used or verified for employment, immigration, licensing, student loans, or other educational institutions.

All personal display parchments include a notation stating: “This is not a legal document and is for display purposes only.”

Request additional personal parchments

To request additional personal parchments, complete the form.

There is a service fee of $50 for each personal parchment.

If you face unforeseen challenges, exemptions to the service fee may be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Contact graduation@dal.ca with accurate and detailed information to support your request.

Graduating students

For graduating students to receive an additional personal parchment at convocation

  • Spring Graduation – March 31
  • Fall Graduation – August 31

If you request your parchment after the deadline, it will be available approximately 4 weeks after your convocation ceremony.

Alumni

Alumni can submit their request at any time. Processing typically requires 4-weeks, but there may be delays in processing your request during peak convocation periods (September and May/June).

  • Graduates from the University of King's College who have completed a degree conferred by ±«Óătv or jointly conferred by both institutions are eligible to request personal display parchments. 

  • Graduates of the Bachelor of Journalism (Honours) or Bachelor of Journalism can 

Convert your Bachelor of Laws (LLB) to a Juris Doctor (JD)

In 2011, ±«Óătv University approved a renaming of its first degree in law from Bachelor of Laws (LLB) to Juris Doctor (JD). If you are a graduate of the Bachelor of Laws (LLB) program at ±«Óătv, you now have the option to convert your degree from an LLB to a JD.

If you choose to do nothing, your degree will remain as originally awarded.

There is no time limit on converting your LLB. However, once you have chosen the Juris Doctor (JD) option, you will not be able to return to the original designation of Bachelor of Laws (LLB).

The replacement parchment will be printed in English, reflect the degree name as Juris Doctor and bear the signatures of the current Dean, President and Chair of Senate. The date on the parchment will be the date the replacement is produced. The lower left-hand corner of the parchment will bear a red ink stamp with the words “Issued to replace original Bachelor of Laws dated _____”, which will be the date the original LLB was awarded.

When the degree is converted, the official university record will also be adjusted and the change noted. The conversion will be noted on the transcript as follows:  Bachelor of Laws:  DD-MM-YYYY, followed by the comment:  Converted to Juris Doctor:  DD-MM-YYYY. One copy of the revised official transcript will be enclosed at no cost with the new parchment.

  • If you have lost your original LLB parchment, you must submit an affidavit from a lawyer, commissioner of oaths or notary public (which must include their stamp or seal) to confirm the loss, stating your full name, date of birth, current address, graduation year, degree and circumstances of the loss.

  • Replacement parchments can be couriered to you or picked up at the Registrar’s Office. Please indicate your preference when completing the form.

Parchment framing

The Campus Bookstore offers custom frames for your parchment at any time of the year. Shop in-person, or order online and have the frame shipped to you.