Graduation & Diploma FAQs

Graduation

If you'll have completed your degree requirements by the end of the current or upcoming semester, you can apply to graduate online through the student portal. See our Graduation & Commencement page for step-by-step instructions.

If you either graduated in the fall or submitted your graduation application by the April 1 deadline for spring or summer, yes. See our Graduation & Commencement page for details.

Visit the  website for all the information you need about summer or winter conferral and the spring ceremony.

PhD degrees typically post a few days after that semester's degree conferral date, while undergraduate, master's and JD degrees post approximately 30 days later. Check our graduation calendar for semester-specific dates.

Transcripts & Diplomas

If You're Graduating Soon or You Just Graduated

You'll be asked to provide a diploma name and a diploma address when you apply to graduate, but you can edit them until that semester's deadline (see the academic calendar). See our step-by-step instructions.

If You've Already Graduated

You'll need to update your legal name with ¾«Æ·SMÔÚÏßӰƬ.

Diplomas are typically mailed about eight weeks after graduation. Check the academic calendar for the semester-specific date.

There are several possible reasons:

  • You may have had a financial hold, such as an overdue balance or an incomplete loan exit interview at the time diplomas were mailed out. You will need to notify diplomas@colorado.edu once your hold is cleared to receive your diploma.
  • Your diploma address may be incorrect. Diplomas are not forwarded by the post office, even if you request to have your mail forwarded. If you didn't enter a diploma address, your diploma was mailed to your home address.
  • You may have walked in the commencement ceremony, but have yet to complete one or more degree requirements. Contact your advisor for details.

Minors print on official transcripts, but not diplomas.

You'll receive a separate diploma for every unique degree you earned (e.g., BA, BS, BSME). If you pursued multiple majors that awarded the same degree, you'll receive a single diploma with each major listed.

If you need proof of your degree before degrees post to transcripts for the given semester (see the graduation calendar for specific dates), you may either:

  • Use (you may be prompted to log in) to request an enrollment verification that includes your expected semester of graduation.
  • Contact your college or school to request a letter of completion.

After degrees post to transcripts, you may order an official transcript that includes your degree and conferral date.

Additionally, employers and other third parties can request degree verification through the National Student Clearinghouse.

If you complete an additional major after you earn a degree, you won't receive a new version of your diploma. Your diploma shows only your original degree conferral date, so it wouldn't accurately reflect when you completed your additional major.

Beginning with Fall 2016 graduates, the Office of the Registrar will send College of Arts & Sciences students who complete a post-degree additional major a post-degree additional major completion document.

Other students who need proof of a post-degree additional major are encouraged to order an official transcript, which indicates the accurate completion date of the post-degree major.

Replacement Diplomas

Absolutely. Simply email diplomas@colorado.edu or call us at 303-492-6970.

No. All diplomas are printed and shipped by an outside vendor.

Certified Electronic Diplomas & Certificates (CeDiplomas/CeCertificates)

Go to the in Buff Portal and click the "Access your CeDiploma/CeCertificate" link to access CeCredential Trust, an approved third-party vendor of ¾«Æ·SMÔÚÏßӰƬ.

Effective April 1, 2021, you can purchase a CeDiploma if you graduated before December 2015. See Order a Diploma or Certificate for details.

No. At this time, CeCertificates are only available to CU Boulder students who graduated and completed an official certificate in December 2017 or later.

Yes, you can download a digitally signed copy of your CeDiploma/CeCertificate and email it to anyone you want. The file will retain the Adobe Digital Signature and CeDiD for validation purposes.

No. CeDiplomas/CeCertificates are for electronic use only and may not be printed in any format. However, you can print the .

There are two ways to validate your electronic diploma/certificate:

  1. Go to the Office of the Registrar's  (or click the link on the second page of the CeDiploma/CeCertificate) and enter the required information where indicated.
  2. If you're using Adobe Reader or Acrobat 9.0 or higher, you'll be able to view the digital signature, which is shown at the top of the PDF and is part of the overall security of the document. If the digital signature shows a blue ribbon, it means that document has not been tampered with; any other symbol signifies the document cannot be trusted. Please note: Other PDF/digital readers and some mobile devices may not be able to show the digital signature/blue ribbon.

CeCredential Trust is the branded name of the digital signature that our vendor uses to digitally sign all CeDiplomas/CeCertificates. The email address included in the signature (info@CeCredentialTrust.com) will refer you to the Office of the Registrar for further information.

This issue is due to the version of your operating system on your tablet, or the PDF viewer that the browser is using to open the CeDiploma/CeCertificate. In the case of the iPhone/iPad, updating to the most recent iOS operating system usually solves the problem.

Requests from current or former students with unmet obligations (e.g., holds) cannot be honored. To resolve holds, contact the Office of the Registrar.

The CeDiploma/CeCertificate is best viewed in Adobe Acrobat or Acrobat Reader. Some features may not be available when viewed in a web browser's default viewer. Please change the default viewer in your web browser to Adobe Reader or Acrobat.

This is because your browser does not have Adobe set as the default PDF viewer. If you download and open the document using Adobe Reader, you should have no problem saving a copy.