Diplomas
Diplomas are not given out at the commencement ceremony but are mailed six to eight weeks after the close of the quarter to the diploma address you indicated on your degree application.
Your diploma will be mailed to the address you posted on your degree application. Changing a mailing or permanent address does NOT change the diploma address. If your diploma mailing address has changed, please update your diploma mailing address by telephone at 360-650-3985, in person at the Registrar’s Office, or via the Web4U Address Change Form.
The name that appears on your diploma is the name you indicated at the time of degree application. A change of your official name with the University does not change your name on your diploma. If you have a degree application on file in the Registrar’s Office and wish to change the name on your diploma, you must contact Degree Evaluation at 360-650-3985 or by email prior to the end of your graduation quarter.
Diplomas are inscribed with the college, degree title, your name, date of award (always the last Friday of the quarter), and academic honor (if applicable). Majors and minors do not appear on your diploma; they are part of the degree posting on your official transcript.
Diploma covers are issued at commencement ceremonies. If you do not plan to attend commencement, you can purchase a cover at the Western City Center (the Herald Building at 1155 N. State Street, 360-650-3353).
Certificates of Achievement are awarded for the following programs: Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, Geographic Information Science, Web Content Developer, Web Programmer, and e-Commerce Developer.
Please note, WWU does not issue Teaching Certificates. These are issued by the state. You can find more information about the process through the Woodring College of Education Certification Office.
Certificate of Achievement applications and replacement forms can be found under the Student Resources tab on this website.
If you have further questions, you can email or call 360-650-3701.
Replacement or Duplicate Diplomas
You may order a replacement diploma for $45 by filling out the Diploma Replacement Form.
NOTE: Replacement diplomas will bear the signatures of the current University President, Provost, Dean and Trustee and have the words "Replacing the original document issued by Western Washington University" printed at the bottom.
Paying for your replacement diploma:
- You may mail in a check for $45 made out to WWU with your Diploma Replacement Form.
- You may pay the $45 online with a credit card (there is a 2.75% charge when using a credit card making the total $46.24). To do this, please email your completed and signed Diploma Replacement Form to Heather.Christianson@wwu.edu. Your account will be billed and you will be sent an email about paying online.
Obtaining an Apostille
Definition: An apostille (pronounced "uh-pos-till") is a stamp or seal verifying the authenticity of an official document. Only 50 countries recognize an apostille so please research if the receiving country is part of the 1961 Hauge Convention. In the U.S., apostilles are issued by the Secretary of State for the state in which the document was issued.
To obtain an apostille for your WWU diploma, you must:
- Verify your document needs an apostille by ensuring the receiving country was part of the 1961 Hague Convention – if not, you may need a Certificate of Authenticity (also issued by the WA Secretary of State's Office) or you may need a notarized document.
- If your original diploma has left our office, you will need to order a replacement diploma. We will contact you if there are any questions about your order. Once the order is placed and the payment is complete, we will send your diploma to the address provided.
- You will need to get the diploma to the WA Secretary of State’s office for the apostille. For information on obtaining an apostille, please visit the WA Secretary of State's website on apostilles.
Who Should I Contact About Diplomas?
Heather Christianson | Commencement Support
Email: Heather.Christianson@wwu.edu | Phone: (360) 650-2079