Graduation Procedures

• Diplomas are shipped out approximately two-three months after the student’s graduation date.
• UW diplomas list the graduate’s name, the degree earned, and any applicable honors.
• Minors and most major/options are NOT PRINTED on UW undergraduate diplomas. In most cases, it will reflect “Bachelor of Arts” or “Bachelor of Science” only.
• All UW diplomas are 8.5 by 11 inches

Diploma Name and Diploma Mailing

Approximately six weeks after graduation, the Office of the University Registrar in Seattle will send graduated students an email with a link to a form where students can indicate a preferred diploma name and mailing address. Effective with the Summer 2021 graduating class, the diploma name does not need to match the student record name. The form may be used to indicate a preferred name, hyphens, spaces, lower/upper case letters, accents, or other special characters. If a student does not complete the form, or misses the deadline provided in the email, the diploma will be printed using the student record name and mailed to the permanent address per UW records.

Undeliverable Mail

Please note that the University of Washington will not be responsible for undeliverable diploma mail. Graduates may request and purchase a replacement diploma in the event their diploma does not arrive to the provided diploma mailing address or is not returned to the Registrar’s office by the postal service

For any questions regarding the diploma name or delivery, please contact diploma@uw.edu.

Replacement Diplomas

The University of Washington offers students the ability to directly order replacement diplomas through an online ordering system and to pay for the order charge, plus applicable shipping and handling fees, with a credit card. Students may order a replacement diploma issued in the name of their choice.

To purchase replacement diploma, log into the Replacement Diploma Request Portal and follow the instructions to purchase. There will be an opportunity to enter the name preferred on the diploma as part of the order form. Note that there is a $20.00 charge plus any applicable shipping and handling fees.

Certified Electronic Diploma (CeDiploma)

For students graduating June 2016 or later, alumni may download a Certified Electronic Diploma at no charge.  For more information, visit Certified Electronic Diploma (CeDiploma).

A degree may be awarded to a student who dies prior to the completion of degree requirements if the following guidelines have been met:

1. Request is made by a family member(s);
2. Student was within two quarters of graduating;
3. The Dean/Director of the school/department attended by the student approves the awarding of the degree.

Procedure

The family must submit a formal request (posthumous degree form) to the student’s academic department. The department will then review the student’s record and a graduation degree audit will be given to the dean or director of the student’s department for a final determination.

If approved, the formal request will be returned to the Office of the Registrar for action (degree posted and diploma ordered) and the Office of the Registrar will notify the family. If it is denied, the Dean or Director of the student's department will notify the family and include a letter of explanation.

At UW Tacoma, Deans and Directors have full authority over the awarding of a posthumous degree within the department they represent.