Diplomas and Certificates
Congratulations, Graduate!
You're proud and you've worked hard. Now it's time to celebrate your achievement, thank those who supported you along the way, and let your credentials go to work for you!
Your diploma will be issued to you in two formats:
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Digital Diploma
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Printed Diploma
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Certificates are not available in digital format.
Printed Certificate
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DIPLOMA/CERTIFICATE NAME
The graduate’s name that appears on a Nova Southeastern University diploma or certificate must be a legal name. Variations from an official name requested at the time of submitting a Degree Application are the following:
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Middle name may be complete, initialed, or omitted, but must match the student record (e.g., John Quincy Adams, John Q. Adams, or John Adams).
- A legal middle name may be used in place of a first name if that middle name has been recorded in the student record.
- Suffixes such as Sr., Jr., III, etc., may be used if included in the student record and documented on the student’s original application, transcript from another school, or birth certificate.
- Maternal surnames may be included if documentation is provided to the Office of the University Registrar. Proper documentation is a copy of a birth certificate indicating the maternal surname or the student’s original admission application indicating the surname.
- Hyphenated maiden-married last names may be used, provided the student record has documentation to verify the names. A Data Change Form will be required if a name change has not been processed since the marriage.
- A maiden name may be used in place of a married name if the maiden name has been recorded in the student record.
- Special accent marks may be requested. Recognized linguistic marks will be included in the diploma name.
- No prefix or suffix related to a title or credential is permitted (e.g., Dr., D.M.D., Esq., etc.).
In all cases, verification will be based on information that is in the student record and not provided verbally.
DIPLOMA/CERTIFICATE ADDRESS
The diploma or certificate will be mailed to the address you provide when submitting your Degree/Diploma Application. Please note that certificates cannot be mailed to a P.O. Box or military APO/FPO addresses as they are shipped via FedEx. If there are any address changes after the application is submitted, you must update that information with the Coordinator of Degree Conferrals and Diplomas, as well as in SharkLink. Updating SharkLink alone does not automatically update your diploma/certificate mailing address. Not providing a correct address will cause a delay in receiving your diploma or certificate and could result in an additional fee. Please provide your NSU ID number in all correspondence.
You will receive an email to your NSU email address notifying you when your degree has been conferred. It will take several weeks from the conferral date to receive delivery of your diploma package. Please allow additional time during the larger conferral months of May, August, and December. Should you find any discrepancies with your diploma, contact us.
MAILING
Diplomas
Printed diplomas for bachelor's, master's, specialist, and doctoral degrees are mailed through our partner Parchment by the U.S. Postal Service. Diplomas currently take 4-6 weeks to be received depending on the location and whether it is a domestic or international address. Students may track the status of their diploma mailing by accessing their Parchment account and clicking on the "Orders" tab.
Please note: We have noticed that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. Postal Service is experiencing delays and not reliably providing status update information. Students may contact diplomaprints@parchment.com for status inquiries on diploma shipments that are delayed more than 6 weeks. When contacting Parchment, include your document ID number listed in your Parchment account which was emailed/texted to you along with your digital diploma. If you need assistance in locating your Parchment Document ID, feel free to email us at diplomas@nova.edu.
Certificates
Certificates are mailed by the Office of the University Registrar via FedEx. Please be advised that FedEx does not ship to P.O. Boxes or military APO/FPO addresses. If you need your certificate mailed to a P.O. Box or military APO/FPO address, please submit a special request by emailing diplomas@nova.edu. When shipping your certificate, the registrar's office provides FedEx with your NSU email or your personal email so that you may receive tracking information as it becomes available. Tracking numbers are also available upon request by emailing diplomas@nova.edu if the tracking email cannot be located.
FINANCIAL HOLDS
The mailing of the diploma or certificate will be delayed if there are any holds on the student's record (e.g., financial obligations, traffic fines, library fines). Log in to SharkLink to be sure that there are no holds on your account that would delay receipt of your diploma. A Bursar Hold prevents all student services including the distribution of diplomas and transcripts, registering for classes, obtaining grades, attaining enrollment/degree verifications, and accessing the University RecPlex until all outstanding balances are paid in full. A Transcript/Diploma Hold prevents you from receiving a diploma or an official transcript until your outstanding balance has been resolved, but does not prevent registration or degree conferral.
REPLACEMENT DIPLOMAS/REQUEST FOR DIGITAL DIPLOMA
Nova Southeastern University’s longstanding policy is to have only one diploma extant. A replacement diploma can be provided upon the submission of an online Request for Replacement Diploma. Alumni who were issued a printed diploma and wish to request a digital diploma may do so by submitting a Request for Replacement Diploma.
All NSU replacement diplomas are provided in both printed and digital formats. The current format for the printed diploma measures 14” x 11” in size. Replacement certificates measure 11" x 8.5". Replacement diplomas and certificates show the date the degree/certification was awarded but bear the signatures of the current university administration and are issued from the college that currently houses the academic program. The notation “Diploma Re-Issued” appears at the bottom-right corner of the printed and digital replacement diploma.
A $50 payment, per copy, must accompany your request. Any replacement requests will not be processed until all outstanding financial obligations to the university are satisfied.
A graduate wishing to have his/her name changed on a replacement diploma or certificate must follow the Name Change procedure before it will be produced. Submit the Data Change Form along with official documentation either by email, fax (954-262-4862), or mail to:
Nova Southeastern University
Office of the University Registrar
Attn: Student Updates
3300 S. University Drive
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33328-2004
If you are an NSU employee, name changes are processed through the Human Resources website.
Please allow at least two weeks for receipt of a replacement diploma. Replacement diplomas requiring notarization will take more time for processing.
UNIVERSITY REALIGNMENT AND REPLACEMENT DIPLOMAS
With an aim to better support students in achieving their academic goals, NSU President Dr. George L. Hanbury II announced a realignment of academic programs by discipline throughout the university, which took effect on July 1, 2015. Bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral programs of one discipline are now all housed in the same college instead of in separate colleges. In addition, the names of NSU schools, centers, and institutes were changed to colleges. Accordingly, alumni conferred with NSU degrees prior to the realignment will notice changes to the college name on their replacement diploma, which is provided using the current alignment and administrative signatures.