How People Use Novelty Diplomas: Real Examples

26
FEB

A novelty diploma is a replica of a school's diploma made for display, gifts and props. The real examples below are the uses customers actually order one for: a copy for the wall while a lost original is being replaced, a graduation gift, a prop for a set or a photo shoot, and a second copy so the original can stay safe. Each one is a display use; none of them is a use as a credential. The made-to-order version for a college or university is the Perfect Match Diploma, and the high school version is the novelty high school diploma.

Real ways a novelty diploma gets used

1. A copy for the wall while the original is replaced

A common story is a lost or damaged original. A house move, a flood, a frame that fell: the diploma that hung in the hallway for years is gone, and the school or district that issued it takes its own time to reissue one. While that request works its way through, a replica laid out from the school's real design fills the empty frame. The official routes — school, district or state office — come first; lost diploma replacement options walks through them, and the replica is the stand-in, not the replacement.

2. A graduation gift

Parents and partners order a framed replica as a gift when the real diploma is still with the school, is being kept in a safe, or is simply too plain for the wall. The replica carries the graduate's name, the school, the degree and the graduation date exactly as entered on the order form, with the seal in color, gold-foil or embossed finish and the signature lines kept where the school's design carries them. It is the piece that gets framed and hung; the original stays in its folder.

3. A prop for film, stage and photography

Set dressers, theater companies and photographers need a diploma that reads as real on camera without being a real document. A replica built from a real school layout — exact wording, fonts, spacing, leading and kerning — does that job, and a school-specific design can be swapped for one of the Standard In-House Templates when the production does not want a real institution's name on screen.

4. A second copy for a second wall

People with an office and a home study, or a practice in two cities, order a second copy so one diploma can hang in each place while the original stays where it is safest. A graduate who moved abroad orders one for the family home. The copy is a display piece in both cases; the school's own document is the only one that counts as a record.

5. A milestone marker

Some orders mark a milestone rather than replace a document: a program finished years ago whose diploma was never framed, a parent's degree reproduced for a retirement wall, a reunion display. The order form takes the school, degree title, name, major and graduation date, so the replica shows the milestone as it was.

What a novelty diploma is not for

None of these uses involves handing the document to anyone as proof of anything. A novelty diploma is a replica for display, gifts and props; the maker is not affiliated with any institution and does not make documents intended for misrepresentation. Medical, aviation and maritime degrees are not made at all, some schools are excluded at their request, and there are places the maker does not ship to — the list is on Things We Can't Do. Where a novelty diploma sits next to a real one, and why that line matters, is set out in ethical uses of novelty diplomas.

What a made-to-order replica includes

For a college or university, the Perfect Match Diploma is built from the school's real design, drawn from a library of thousands of college and university designs; if a school is not on file, the maker finds it. You enter the school's full name, the complete degree title, your name as it should appear, your major and your graduation date, and choose the honors line, the size (8.5×11, 11×14 or A4), the seal finish and the signature option on the same form. A free digital proof follows, and changes at the proof stage are free. For a high school, the replica carries the school name, city and state, your name and your graduation date, printed exactly as you enter them, with a gold foil seal fused onto the diploma. The elements a convincing college replica has to carry are listed in what a college diploma looks like.

How long it takes and what it costs

Standard production is 3 business days; rush production, chosen on the order form, has the proof ready in 1 business day. After approval the diploma is printed on diploma-quality paper and shipped by UPS, with the shipping options and a UPS quote shown in the cart before you pay, or delivered as a PDF if you chose digital delivery. The Perfect Match Diploma is USD 190 at every degree level, with matching transcripts at USD 109 to 190 and a diploma-and-transcripts package at USD 289 to 349 by level; the novelty high school diploma is USD 69. The guarantee is a rework promise on the document itself: "Your satisfaction is our guarantee. If you're not happy with your document, we'll revise it until you are."

If one of these examples is yours, why people order novelty degrees lists the reasons behind each kind of order, and custom novelty diplomas for display, gifts and confidence covers the design and finish choices that make the framed copy look right on the wall.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use a novelty diploma while my school reissues the original?

As a display copy, yes — that is one of the usual reasons people order one. It does not replace the school's document and cannot be presented as it; the reissue still has to come from the school, district or state office.

Can a novelty diploma be made for any school?

Most, but not all. Medical, aviation and maritime degrees are not made, and some schools are excluded at their request; the current list is on the Things We Can't Do page.