Graduands who would have graduated at commencement ceremonies at the start of November have been given an option between being conferred at a virtual ceremony, or deferring their graduation to a future date.
Students due to graduate can choose between a virtual ceremony in November, or deferring their ceremony to a live event at some time in the future.
Graduands who choose to be conferred in absentia at a virtual ceremony in November will be sent their degree parchment in the post after the ceremony.
Those who choose to defer their graduation to a live event will not yet receive a degree parchment, but can obtain a transcript from Academic Registry with their degree standing and results.
A future date for deferred graduation ceremonies has not been set.
In an email to graduands, Registrar Brendan Tangney said that College recognises that “ many of you would like, or need, to get your degree conferred so you can move on to the next stage in your career”.
“Accordingly, several virtual commencement ceremonies will take place in late November at which degrees will be conferred ‘in absentia’ without graduands being physically present,” Tangney said.
“A good model for such ceremonies has been developed and recordings of prior virtual ceremonies can be viewed on the Registrar’s website. For those conferred in this way, the degree parchment is posted to the person’s home address following the ceremony.”
The email informed graduands that “for previous online ceremonies some graduates organised Zoom parties to celebrate together”.
Graduands are to receive a message on their my.tcd.ie portal in October asking them to choose which type of ceremony they would like to attend.
“Over the summer, Academic Registry and I have been developing plans for how commencement ceremonies can take place under Covid-19 restrictions,” Tangney said
“Though there is a possibility that some live face-to-face ceremonies could be held if restrictions are significantly eased, it is not possible to offer live ceremonies in the Autumn session.”
Earlier in the year, graduands who were due to be conferred on April 7, 8 and 9 were graduated in absentia in a closed ceremony.
175 medicine students graduated from Trinity at the end of April in an online ceremony.
The then-Taoiseach Leo Varadkar addressed the new doctors in a recorded message, saying: “We live in interesting times and we need you to graduate early because there is so much work to be done as we battle this virus and try to keep the country generally well.”
Under ordinary circumstances, commencement ceremonies are typically held in the Examination Hall in Front Square.
