Degree Conferral Letters

The conferral letter, signed by the Dean of Graduate Studies, confirms you have completed all graduation requirements and will be awarded your master's or doctoral degree on the date of conferral.  Many employers, organizations, and government departments who require verification of degree will be satisfied with this letter in the time before your transcript is updated and your diploma is mailed.  Graduate Studies Senior Academic Advisors (SAA's) will email your conferral letter after they have received your final documents and filed you to graduate.  Due to the high number of graduating students and the processing time involved in filing students to graduate, it may take up to 3-4 weeks to receive your conferral letter.  If you need the letter by a certain date in order to secure employment, notify the SAA's by emailing your SAA.

Official Transcripts

The Office of the University Registrar will update your transcript to reflect 'Degree Awarded' approximately two months after the degree awarded date (i.e. a student who is on the Spring (June) degree list will be able to show their degree awarded transcript in August).  Once you see that your unofficial transcript reflects ‘Degree Awarded’, you can order official transcripts.  Because you paid the Document Fee in your first year, you may order an unlimited number of transcripts for no additional fee (expedited shipping is available for an additional fee).

Diplomas

Please note, diplomas are ordered from an off-campus printer and mailed by the Office of the University Registrar, not Graduate Studies.  OUR can mail your diploma approximately three months after your degree awarded date if you complete one of the options below at least a month before distribution.  If you don’t need your diploma right away, you can take action at a later date.  OUR places diploma orders once a month (typically at the end of the month).  After the order is placed, the diplomas are printed, mailed to OUR, and then mailed to graduates in approximately four weeks.

OUR will not mail your diploma until you've submitted a diploma address using the webform or PDF form.  For more information, review the OUR Diploma webpage.  

To request the diploma, do one of the following:

• Complete the Diploma Mailing Address webform, and Registrar’s Office staff will order your diploma, for no additional fee, to be mailed via untracked USPS First Class shipping to the address you provide.  The webform is only accessible by students who have an active computing account.  
  • You can edit your diploma address as needed, by re-filling the webform.
  • If you cannot access the webform, email the PDF Diploma Mailing Form (do not complete the payment section) to the Registrar's Office (ourenrollment@ucdavis.edu), or order through eShipGlobal - see below. 

OR

• Order your diploma through our campus partner UEMS-eShipGlobal for tracked shipping, through your choice of carrier, for a shipping fee (highly recommended for international mailing).
  • Do not fill out the diploma address form if you order through eShipGlobal.  
  • Diplomas are ordered, printed off-campus, mailed to campus, and then sorted and mailed to the graduate by OUR staff.  You will receive the tracking notice when OUR staff mail your diploma from campus.  

Approximate Diploma Distribution (exact date varies)

Graduation Term | Distribution Month
Summer | November
Fall Quarter | March
Winter Quarter | June
Spring Quarter | September

Diploma & Official Transcript FAQ's

• Can my diploma be mailed to an address outside the US? 
• Yes, but we highly recommend ordering through eShipGlobal, or having your diploma mailed to a friend, family member or colleague in the US, and asking them to ship it internationally using a tracked carrier.  Diplomas mailed through standard untracked USPS are frequently lost or taken in transit.  
• Can I request that my diploma be mailed to someone else?
• Yes, but be sure to include “C/O recipient's name” in the address section of the form/order.
• Who can I contact to ask about my diploma order?
• The best contact for diploma information is the Registrar staff, because they order and mail the diplomas (ourenrollment@ucdavis.edu).  The Graduate Studies SAAs may also be able to assist or direct your question.  
• I need the diploma/official transcript to show proof of degree to my employer OR to complete my visa application.  Is there any way to speed up the process?
• If you have an offer of employment, promotion/raise, visa application, or similar situation in which the degree awarded documents are required, but those documents are not yet accessible, contact your SAA. Graduate Studies may request that UC Davis Academic Senate expedite your degree awarding.  If approved, you may order your diploma and/or transcript sooner than typical.  Diplomas may be rush printed and shipped for an additional fee.  Expedited degree requests are only for current need, and not for potential need in the future.  Approval is not guaranteed and review and processing may take 1-2 weeks. 
  
  To help expedite the process, email the SAA's with the following information.  One of the SAA's will follow-up with you, and advise you through the next steps.
  1.  The reason you are requesting an expedited degree.  If for employment, include your place of employment and your position title.  
  2.  The document(s) you need - diploma, degree awarded official transcript, or both.  If you need an official transcript, will an electronic version be sufficient or do you need a paper copy?
  3.  The date by which you need the document(s).
  4.  The address where the diploma or official transcript should be mailed.  
• Can my diploma/official transcript be notarized?  What is the process for notary and apostille?
• The Office of the University Registrar offers UC Davis students and alumni free notary service for official documents.  Review the OUR Notary Services page for information about the process and timeline.  Diplomas and official transcripts can only be notarized after you are degree awarded and the documents are available.  There is no rush notary service available, so submit your Request for Notarization to OUR as soon as possible after your degree has been awarded.  
  
  If you also need your diploma or official transcript apostilled, first follow the process for Notary Services.  The California Secretary of State provides Apostille and Certification services for notarized documents issued in the State of California.  For information, see the California Secretary of State Authentications or contact the California Secretary of State Office at 916-653–3595.

Additional Verification of Completion

If your current or potential employer requires additional steps for verification (e.g. direct communication with a Graduate Studies staff member, a mailed/sealed hard-copy conferral letter, or particular wording), contact your SAA, and explain the type of verification you need.  

Computing Account & @ucdavis Email

Information about your UC Davis Computing Account (access, email, listservs, Library, etc) after graduation is available on Knowledge Base: IT.  You maintain student-level access until the end of your final enrolled or filing-fee quarter.