Degrees are conferred at the end of each quarter. Degrees are posted to students' records eight–twelve weeks following the end of term for which you applied for graduation. Diplomas will be mailed for those students covered by the Document Fee approximately four months after the end of term for which you applied for graduation. Diplomas held for Student Accounting holds will be mailed once the hold is cleared. If the hold is not cleared within five years, the diploma is then destroyed.   

Should you need proof of your degree prior to your diploma being available, please refer to the Education Verifications webpage.

Undergraduate Diplomas

Undergraduate students are required to specify an address for diploma distribution when completing the Online Graduation Application.

Changes to this mailing address may be requested using the Diploma Mailing Address Change Form and must be received by the Office of the University Registrar at least three months prior to the corresponding diploma distribution date listed below.

Minors will be shown on the diploma, but are not added to the student's record until the student has been approved for graduation by the dean's office approximately one to one and a half months after their graduation date. Concentrations, emphases, supplementary fields, focus areas, tracks, plans, options, and specializations within majors are not shown on the diploma but are shown on the transcript.

Internationally mailed diplomas are frequently lost in the mail and we recommend that international students have their diplomas mailed to a friend in the United States. When putting down the address of someone else, we suggest that you add the friend's name and the abbreviation "c/o" (care of) in the address so that the post office is not confused as to who to deliver to. For example, a friend's address would be written down as "c/o Jamie Doe, 123 Smith Street, Davis, CA 95616." Numbers in addresses such as post office boxes, apartment numbers, condo numbers and mobile home spaces should be specified (such as "Box," "Apartment," "Unit," or "Space"). Do not put down a # sign when keying the address.

Graduate Diplomas

Graduate diplomas are mailed by the diploma distribution dates listed below. Graduate students must submit the address for their diploma to be mailed by submitting the Diploma Mailing Form to the Office of the University Registrar. Diplomas for graduate students will not be mailed until we receive a diploma mailing address.

If mailing is previously requested, updates to the diploma mailing address may be requested using the Diploma Mailing Form and must be received by the Office of the University Registrar at least three months prior to the corresponding diploma distribution date listed below.

Professional Diplomas

Professional program diplomas are available for pick up at the School of Medicine Registrar's Office, School of Law Registrar's Office, and the School of Veterinary Medicine. Graduate School of Management student diplomas are available at the Office of the University Registrar unless a Diploma Mailing Form is submitted.

Professional program students may request their diploma to be mailed by submitting the Diploma Mailing Form to the Office of the University Registrar.

If mailing is requested, updates to the diploma mailing address may be submitted using the Diploma Mailing Form and must be received by the Office of the University Registrar at least three months prior to their diploma distribution date listed below.

Diploma Mailing Fees

* Check Document Fee regarding applicable Graduate diplomas.

Diploma Distribution Dates

Multiple Diplomas

If you are degree awarded as a multiple major within different colleges (e.g. AB English under the College of Letters and Science and BS Biological Sciences under the College of Biological Sciences) you will receive a separate diploma for the degree(s) earned under each college.

How Your Name Appears On Your Diploma

Your diploma will be printed with your legal name as it appears on your academic record. Should you wish to modify your name on your academic record, please submit a Name Change form along with legal supporting documentation of the change such as a photocopy of your current driver's license, passport, or marriage license. For a name change to be reflected on the diploma, the name change request must be submitted to the Office of the University Registrar at least two months prior to the diploma distribution date listed above.

To request for special characters to appear on your name and reflected on your diploma, you must inform the Office of the University Registrar by submitting a paper petition for name change form to specify the needed special characters. The request for special characters must be submitted to the Office of the University Registrar at least two months prior to the diploma distribution date listed above.

Diploma Holds

An existing student accounting hold placed on your academic record may delay or prevent the issuance of your diploma. An accounting hold is not removed from your record until the circumstances involving the hold are resolved. If you are unsure if an accounting hold has been placed on your record or need assistance regarding the circumstances or resolution of an existing accounting hold, please contact Student Accounting. 

Incorrect or Bent/Damaged Diplomas

Contact the Office of the University Registrar to report if you find any possible error(s) on your diploma. If you have received your diploma and a confirmed error exists, you must return your original diploma to the Office of the University Registrar prior to a corrected diploma being issued.

If your diploma was bent and/or damaged in the mail, you must return your original diploma to the Office of the University Registrar prior to a reprinted diploma being issued, along with filling out the Duplicate Diploma Application.

Duplicate/Replacement Diplomas

Students may request a duplicate diploma for the following reasons:

• Original diploma has been lost or destroyed.
• Student's name has been changed. (Original diploma must be returned along with supporting documentation for the change.)

A duplicate diploma may be ordered from the Office of the University Registrar by submitting the Duplicate Diploma Application. If you previously had a Student Accounting hold on your account and have had it removed and still have not received your diploma, please contact our office before ordering a duplicate diploma to see if it has been mailed out or not.

We reorder diplomas in bulk on the last business day of every month so as to make it cheaper for alumni to reorder. All diploma reorders received before the last business day of the month will arrive around the middle to later half of the next month. For example, a diploma order that is received in our office on April 4 will not be ordered until April 30 and should be mailed out from the printer around the middle of May.

The Office of the University Registrar does not order the following certificates:

• FNP/PA (Family Nurse and Physician Assistant) certificates—please contact the School of Nursing.
• Teaching credential certificates--UC Davis cannot provide you with a copy of your teaching credentialing and you will need to contact the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC) to obtain one. See the School of Education website on how to print your teaching credential for clear directions on how to obtain this copy. If you need additional guidance, please contact the School of Education's Credential Analyst by email at eduadvising@ucdavis.edu
• UC Davis-Fresno State Joint Doctoral Program in Leadership--please contact Tiffany Jennings at Fresno State.

IMPORTANT: Only one replacement diploma is allowed. Second copies of diplomas are no longer permitted.

Re-issued diplomas will contain current signatures and a notation located at the bottom center of the diploma stating the diploma is "re-issued."

If it has been more than one year since your original diploma was mailed, but not received, payment is required for a reprinting of your diploma.

Payment by check, money order or credit/debit card are accepted (except American Express). Please make check or money order payable to "UC Regents." Please allow six to eight weeks for processing. The re-printed diploma is mailed to the address indicated on the Duplicate Diploma Application. Payment for Duplicate Diploma Application requests are not accepted via email, phone, or fax and will not be processed.

Complete Duplicate Diploma Application and return it with payment to the Cashier's Office, in 1200 Dutton Hall, or by mail to:

Cashier's Office
University of California Davis
PO Box 989062
West Sacramento, CA 95798-9062

Duplicate/Replacement Diploma Processing Fees

Note: The Office of the University Registrar does not accept emailed, phone, or faxed requests for duplicate or re-issued diplomas.