Lost Diplomas: What to Do If You Misplace Your Diploma Certificate

If you lose your diploma certificate, you may be at a loss as to what to do about it. We take a look at your options when it comes to lost diplomas.

It’s crazy to think that something you work so hard for over a period of multiple years can be gone in an instant. Unfortunately, this happens all too often with lost diplomas.

Whether it’s a high school completion certificate, an undergraduate or a graduate diploma, there’s no guarantee that this precious piece of paper won’t get misplaced. It doesn’t matter how much you cherish your diploma or where you decide to display it – there’s always some level of risk that you’ll lose it.

Thankfully, your diploma doesn’t have to be lost forever. Whether you lost it during a move or you somehow managed to stain the original copy, you have options.

Here are 5 things you can do if you’ve lost your high school or college diploma.

Let’s get started!

1. Contact the Educational Institute Who Issued Your Original Diploma

The easiest way to replace your lost diploma is to go straight to the source.

High school diplomas can be reprinted by the high school you earned this certificate from. Most will just require you to contact them and give them a bit of time to find your file and issue your new diploma.

College and university diplomas are a bit trickier. These will usually charge a fee for any copies of your diploma after the original has been issued – and it’s not a small amount, either.

Oh, and you have to be the one who requests this form. Due to the FERPA act of 1974, only you have the ability to inquire about and access your personal school records.

You can’t have your family members take care of it for you.

2. Gather the Information Needed to Request a New Diploma

Most requests for a new college or university diploma are pretty intricate.

You can’t just send an email or even a written letter with your signature. You’ll likely have to provide some sort of government-issued form of personal identification – like your social security number, driver’s license, or maybe your passport information.

Don’t send these at random!

Take the time to research what your higher education institution requires in order to issue a diploma. Make sure you send the necessary payment with your paperwork if you want to get your new diploma as quickly as possible.

If you can’t find the diploma request requirements you’re looking for, check the office of the registrar. These are usually listed somewhere on a university registrar’s website or you can call the office directly.

3. Reach Out to District Authorities if Your School Closed

What if you need to replace your high school diploma and your high school has closed down?

Don’t worry – you can still access your high school files, but you’ll have to do a little more digging to find them.

The best thing to do is contact the district office of the school district you attended. Even if your school is no longer open, the district probably is.

If the district has merged with another district, find out which one it has been combined with and reach out to those offices. You can research the current public high schools in your area for guidance.

Keep in mind that this process is a little different if you went to a private high school.

4. Do One More (Extensive) Search

Here’s a thought: double check every possible place that your lost diploma could be, and check the most unlikely places, too.

You never know, it could pop up where you least expect it and save you the trouble of having to jump through all the hoops mentioned above.

Check your current workplace and don’t hesitate to reach out to your old employer if you just switched jobs. Contact your old landlord and talk to your roommates/family members that you share a home with and see if they’ve noticed your diploma laying around anywhere.

Search your car, your work bag/briefcase, and the place where you keep your personal files.

This may sound silly, but it does have the potential of leading you straight to your original diploma!

5. Purchase a Fake Diploma

If you’re absolutely sure that there’s no getting your original diploma back, you may want to consider purchasing a fake diploma. This is a lot more straightforward than having to contact a registrar’s office or hunt down school district officials.

Not to mention, it kind of takes the pressure off keeping track of your new diploma. Once you’ve realized how simple it is to replace a diploma with a fake that looks just like the real thing, you don’t have to worry about losing it anymore.

If you do happen to lose it or stain it again, all you have to do is purchase another.

Having the option to buy a fake diploma it’s a great safety net to use, especially if you know you have a tendency to lose things.

Replacing Lost Diplomas Made Simple

There’s no need to complicate your life when you’re moving or switching jobs. These are some of the most common situations in which people lose diplomas, but they’re stressful enough as-is.

If you do realize that you’ve lost diplomas during a transition like this, the best thing you can do is purchase a fake diploma. The process is simple, straightforward, and super efficient. It gives you a diploma that looks just as good as the real one you originally had.

Click here to browse all the diplomas we offer and order your new one today!