Registrar

General Information About Your Paper Diploma

• Degree seeking students who attend either our December of May commencement ceremony receive a diploma cover.  
  • No covers are issued for certificates.
  • Commencement is for ceremonial purposes only, no degrees are awarded or presented at this time. More information on our degree conferral timeline can be found here.
• Diplomas state the student's degree and graduation honors (if applicable). For example: Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) or Bachelor of Science (B.S.).
  •  Students pursuing two majors that lead to different types of baccalaureate degrees (e.g., B.A. in English and B.S. in Psychology) will receive two separate credentials.
  • Students pursuing two majors that fall under the same baccalaureate degree (e.g., B.S. in Economics and B.S. in Finance) will receive one credential.
• Majors and minors are only listed on transcripts, not on diplomas.
• The name that appears on the diploma/certificate is the student’s primary name, unless the student designates a degree name or a preferred name in RamPortal. We strongly recommend that students review their current Diploma Name visible on their Graduation Status & Application card in RamPortal to ensure accuracy.
  • Please note: The Diploma Name listed will appear on the published commencement materials and your paper and digital credential.  Your current/legal name will appear on official transcripts.
    • Preferred names or diploma names must align with the university naming standards.
    • Find instructions for How to Change a Preferred Name.
    • For More information on the Preferred Name Policy.
• Students must clear all holds in order to receive their diploma or certificates.
• Paper credentials (diplomas and certificates) are mailed and digital credentials made available to all students who have met graduation requirements and cleared all holds, according to the following schedule. 
  
  

  Degree Conferral Term	Commencement to Attend	Degree Conferred /  Digital Credential Received	Paper Credential Received
  Fall	December	mid January	late February
  Winter	December	mid February	late March
  Spring	May	mid June	late July
  Summer*	May	mid September	late October

   Note: *WCU awards degrees at three points in time over the summer.  Students who complete all degree requirements by the cut off date will be considered for that conferral date. Paper and digital credentials are ordered soon after degrees are conferred. 

 

Lost Diplomas/Certificates

Students who have lost their original diploma or certificate or who did not receive a digital copy at the time of conferral but now wish to have their diploma/certificate digitally, can opt to order a replacement copy through our Parchment platform.  Students DO NOT need to place a re-order request for their initial diploma, it will be automatically ordered after we confer your degree.

• Parchment Ordering Site
• Instructions on ordering a replacement.