How Much Does a Novelty Diploma Cost? Prices Explained
19
OCT
How Much Does a Novelty Diploma Cost? Prices Explained
A novelty diploma from us costs between $69 and $199 at the list prices shown on our product pages today, before any rush or shipping options. Where a given document lands in that range comes down to five things: whether it is built from one of our in-house templates or from the school's actual design, the level of the document, the paper and seal finish, whether you choose rush production, and how it is delivered. This guide sets out the current prices and explains each factor so you can see what you are paying for.
Current list prices (read from our product pages on 19 October 2026)
| Document | Built from | List price |
|---|---|---|
| Novelty high school diploma | In-house template | $69 |
| Novelty GED diploma | In-house template | $69 |
| Standard template bachelor's diploma | One of our in-house college layouts | $129 |
| Bachelor's transcript | Your course list or one assembled for your major | $129 |
| Perfect Match Diploma (associate to doctorate) | The school's actual design | $190 |
| Perfect Match Certificate | The issuing body's actual design | $199 |
Prices on the product pages are the ones that apply; if the two ever differ, the product page wins.
Factor 1: template or Perfect Match
This is the biggest single difference. A template document uses one of our own layouts — a design that looks like a college diploma but is not any particular school's — with your name, degree and date set into it. A Perfect Match document starts from the school's actual layout: wording, fonts, spacing, seal placement and signature block follow the design the school uses, recreated as closely as the law allows. The extra cost pays for sourcing the design (we hold thousands on file and track down the rest), matching the typography line by line, and recreating the seal and crest within copyright limits. If what you want is "a diploma that looks right on the wall," a template does the job; if you want "my school's diploma," you want Perfect Match. The comparison is laid out in bachelor's diploma templates vs Perfect Match replicas.
Factor 2: level and type of document
Within the Perfect Match range the price is the same from associate through doctorate — the work is matching the design, not the degree level. High school and GED documents sit at the bottom of the table. The Perfect Match Certificate (professional, training, award) is priced separately from the diplomas; like every Perfect Match document it is built from the issuing body's own design.
Factor 3: paper and seal
Printed diplomas usually ship on #65 Cougar cover, a cover-weight stock that takes foil and embossing well (the manufacturer's explanation of cover versus text weights is in Neenah Paper's FAQ). You choose the seal finish on the order form — printed in color, gold foil, or embossed — and the size: 8.5×11, 11×14 or A4. Any option that carries an extra charge is shown on the order form before payment. Signatures can be printed with our made-up in-house signatures or left blank for you to sign.
Factor 4: production time and rush
Standard production runs on business days; rush production, chosen on the order form, has the digital proof ready in one business day. We are closed at weekends, so a rush order placed on Friday is ready on Monday. Every order — rush or standard — includes a free digital proof before anything prints, and changes at the proof stage are free. The rush surcharge is shown on the order form at checkout.
Factor 5: delivery
You can take the finished document as a PDF (digital delivery) or have it printed and shipped by UPS, with a choice of services. Shipping is priced at checkout by the service you choose. If you only need the file, choose digital delivery and nothing is shipped.
What is never charged
- The digital proof and proof-stage revisions.
- Digital samples: for any associate, bachelor's, master's or doctorate design you can request a few samples before you order.
- Sourcing a design that is not yet on file — if a design isn't on file, we track it down ourselves.
What you are not buying
A credential. Every document in the table is a novelty replica for display, gifts, props and replacing a lost original on the wall. There is no record behind it, no "verification," and no affiliation with any institution; the uses we decline are listed on Things We Can't Do. If you are weighing a replica against an official replacement from your school, what to know before buying a novelty diploma and how to choose a novelty degree diploma cover the trade-offs.
Worked examples
- A framed copy of your own bachelor's diploma, no hurry. Perfect Match Diploma at $190, standard production, UPS ground: $190 plus shipping. If you only want the file for printing locally, choose digital delivery at the same $190 list price.
- A gag gift for a friend's "degree" in something unofficial. Standard template bachelor's diploma at $129, printed seal, digital delivery: $129.
- A lost high school diploma for the wall while the district processes the official request. Novelty high school diploma at $69, printed seal, UPS ground: $69 plus shipping.
- A prop needed by Monday for a Friday shoot. Any document plus rush production, placed before the weekend, with the fastest UPS service: list price plus the rush surcharge and the shipping rate shown at checkout.
How the price compares with an official replacement
For context, the official replacement of a college diploma from the school itself carries the school's own fee and wait time, which vary from one records office to the next — the two routes solve different problems. The official copy is the credential; the replica is the wall copy, available in days, matched to the school's design and not dependent on the records office's queue. Many people order both: the official replacement for the file and the replica for the frame.
What changes the price after you order
Nothing, except choices you make yourself. The proof is free, revisions at the proof stage are free, and the listed price does not change once the design is sourced. The only additions are rush production and shipping, both selected and priced on the order form before payment. If a design is not on file, we source it ourselves.
Frequently asked questions
Why is a certificate more expensive than a doctorate diploma?
The two are separate products with separate list prices; both are built from the issuing institution's own design, and the product page price is the one that applies.
Is a template diploma lower quality?
No — same paper, seal options and proof process. It simply is not modeled on a specific school.
Do prices include shipping?
No. Shipping and rush are chosen and priced on the order form; with digital delivery nothing is shipped.
Sources
- Diploma Makers product pages — Perfect Match Diploma, standard bachelor's diploma, Perfect Match Certificate, high school diploma, GED diploma, bachelor's transcript (list prices read 19 October 2026)
- Neenah Paper — FAQs: basis weight, cover vs text stock
- Neenah Paper — Paper 101: types of paper
