Parchments
What is a parchment?
Your parchment is a scroll of paper embossed with the name, crest and seal of Dalhousie University and signed by the Dean of your Faculty, the Chair of Senate and the President. It includes your name, the date, your degree and any defining characteristics (ie. program, field of study) where applicable.
Replacement parchments
If your parchment is lost or damaged, we are able to provide a replacement. There is a $50 replacement fee, and payments can be made here. You will need to return the damaged original, or if you are unable to provide the original, 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.
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.
Please send your original parchment or affidavit to:
- By mail
Registrar's Office, Dalhousie University
PO Box 15000
Halifax, NS B3H 4R2 - By courier
Registrar's Office, Dalhousie University
125 - 6299 South Street
Halifax, NS B3H 4R2
Registry, Dalhousie University (Dalhousie Agricultural Campus)
62 Cumming Drive, Cumming Hall, Room 202
Truro, NS B2N 5E3
For further assistance, please contact convocation@dal.ca.
Conversion of Bachelor of Laws (LLB) to Juris Doctor (JD)
In 2011, Dalhousie 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 Dalhousie, 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.
To have a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree converted to a Juris Doctor (JD), graduates must complete and return the Application for Change of Degree Designation form [PDF - 472kB], along with the appropriate fee, and your original LLB degree to the address above.
Replacement parchments can also be picked up at the Registrar’s Office. 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.
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.
There is no time limit on conversions. However, once a graduate has chosen the Juris Doctor (JD) option, they will not be able to return to the original designation of Bachelor of Laws (LLB).