Diploma & Stand-Alone Certificate Information

Diploma & Certificate Sizes

• Undergraduate, Graduate & Specialists Diplomas are 11" x 14" in size.
• Doctoral Diplomas are 14" x 17" in size.
• Stand-Alone Certificates are 11" x 14" in size.

 

What will appear on my Diploma?

For Undergraduate students, your diploma will state your diploma name as indicated on your Graduation Application, your degree earned (Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, etc.), and your major (English, Criminology, etc.).

If you achieved honors status, your Latin Honors designation (cum laude, summa cum laude, magna cum laude) will also be displayed on your diploma.

If you graduated with a double major, your diploma will list both majors (Accounting and Finance).

If you earned dual degrees, you will receive two diplomas (Bachelor of Arts in English / Bachelor of Science in Psychology). Concentrations & minors are not listed on diplomas, but they are listed on academic transcripts.
Undergraduate students who graduate from the Honors College will have their diploma printed with the Honors College seal.

For graduate students, your diploma will state your diploma name as indicated on your Graduation Application, your degree earned (Master of Arts, Specialist in Education, etc.), and your major (English, Special Education, Doctor of Education, etc.).

Concentrations are not listed on diplomas, but they are listed on academic transcripts.

 

Diploma Name

The name on your diploma will be the same as it appears on your official transcript; please check your transcript in Self-Service Banner.  If you need to make changes to your name, then please complete a Legal Name, Legal Sex, and SSN Change Form (PDF, 287K).

Variations of a candidate’s official name may be printed on a diploma. Variations of a name must be requested when submitting a Graduation Application. Acceptable variations are listed below:

Middle names may be complete, initialed, or omitted, but must match the student record.  (e.g., John Quincy Adams, John Q. Adams, or John Adams).
Suffixes such as Sr., Jr., III, etc., may be used
Hyphenated maiden-married last names may be used, provided the candidate’s record has documentation to verify the names. A Name Change Form accompanied by a Certificate of Marriage will be required if a name change has not been processed since the marriage. In all cases, verification will be based on information that is in the candidate’s record and not provided verbally.
Special accent marks may be requested and recognized linguistic marks will be placed on the diploma, if possible.  Please email graduation@westga.edu with your request.
The following variations are not acceptable:
No nicknames or names enclosed by parenthesis or quotation marks will be included as the diploma name.
No prefix or suffix relating to a title or credential is allowed (e.g., Dr., DMD, Esq., Mrs., Mr., etc.).

 

Withholding of Diplomas

Students must fulfill all financial obligations before their diploma or certificate will be released. The Registrar’s Office will not be able to issue diplomas to students who owe money to the institution. Students should check their Self-Service Banner and review any email correspondence concerning financial holds or obligations.

Per the Undergraduate & Graduate Academic Catalogs Business Policy:
Students are responsible for meeting all financial obligations to the University when they fall due. West Georgia reserves and exercises the right to deny admission, to withhold transcripts and other educational records, to cancel the enrollments of students, and to delay the graduation of students who fail to meet promptly their financial obligations to the institution. Each student is responsible for keeping informed of all registration and fee payment dates, deadlines, and other requirements by referring to the official calendar and announcements published in the course bulletin, students UWG email account, and other printed and posted announcements.

Students should expect to receive their diploma in the mail 6-8 weeks after their official graduation date. Diplomas will be mailed to the address provided at the time the student applied for graduation. Students should provide a mailing address where they will be able to receive mail 6-8 weeks after graduation. To view the address provided during the application process, follow these steps to view your Graduation Application in Self-Service Banner.

To view your submitted Graduation Application, logon to Student Self-Service and select the "View My Graduation Application" link. By viewing your Graduation Application you can verify your intended term of graduation, your ceremony attendance preference, the name to be printed on your diploma and your diploma mailing address. You may request to update the information listed on your Graduation Application by completing the Graduation Information Update Form.

If your Diploma Mailing Address is incorrect, please complete the Graduation Information Update Form at least one week prior to your official graduation date.

Students who earn embedded certificates will have their certificates mailed separately from their diploma. Academic departments are responsible for awarding and sending embedded certificates. The Registrar's Office will provide your diploma mailing address to the academic departments for them to use when mailing your embedded certificate. Contact the sponsoring academic department for more information.

Replacement Diplomas can be ordered by completing the Replacement Diploma Request Form online and by paying the $35 fee (per diploma) online with a credit/debit card or electronic check.

For standard orders, it may take up to 12 weeks after your order is placed to receive your new diploma. Rush orders and shipping is available for an additional $25.95. Rushed orders will be delivered in 10-20 business days from the order date. You will receive confirmation emails when your order has been placed and when your order has shipped.

If you graduated from West Georgia College or The State University of West Georgia prior to January 12th, 2005, your replacement diploma will indicate "University of West Georgia" with the following disclaimer: "This diploma replaces the one originally issued from West Georgia College or State University of West Georgia".

If you're ordering a replacement diploma where the diploma needs to be certified by a Registrar to prepare it for Apostille / Great Seal authentication, please select that checkbox when you order. There is no additional charge for this service. Diplomas that need to be certified must be shipped to UWG prior to shipping the diploma to you. This will extend the processing time (even if the rush option is chosen).

Replacement Diploma Request Form

Official documents issued in one country and intended to be used in another country must be authenticated in order to be recognized as valid. If the foreign country is a member of The Hague Convention, an Apostille is required. If the foreign country is not a member of The Hague Convention, the Great Seal is normally required. The Hague Convention country membership list. 

If a student has accepted employment in a foreign country or is returning home to a foreign country, he or she may need to have an official transcript and/or diploma legalized by either an Apostille or the Great Seal. Most foreign countries require the diploma versus a transcript, so it is important to find out which is required. Additionally, please be sure to obtain the required documentation prior to leaving Georgia.

The University of West Georgia does not apostille diplomas, rather the Registrar's Office is able to prepare your diploma for apostille services. Individuals who wish for a Registrar to prepare their diploma for apostille services must either present their original diploma to the Registrar or order a duplicate / replacement diploma. The Registrar will prepare the diploma for apostille services and will seal the diploma in an official envelope. Individuals wishing to have their diploma or transcript prepared for apostille services should reach out to the Graduation Team at graduation@westga.edu for more information.

• Authentication of American Academic Credentials for Use Abroad
• Georgia Superior Court Clerks' Cooperative Authority Apostille
• State of Georgia Great Seal Information