Graduation & Your Diploma

All students must submit an application for program completion in Workday through your Academics Hub by the published deadline. Learn more about the instructions for how to apply for program completion.

Why Must Students Apply?

The application for degree notifies the university that students are completing their degree requirements and preparing for graduation. An academic audit is conducted and students are notified of their degree eligibility status via their Suffolk email account. Any outstanding requirements will prohibit a student's eligibility to graduate. Students are expected to check their Suffolk email account regularly for updates regarding their degree status and graduation.

Student academic records are sealed at the time the degree is conferred. After this date, changes cannot be made to majors, concentrations, incompletes, grades, or other aspects of the academic record.

Application Deadlines

Suffolk University confers degrees three times per year: January, May, and September. Students who expect to complete all the requirements for graduation should apply for the nearest future conferral date.

Commencement

There is one Commencement ceremony per year in May. Specific dates, location, and ticket information for the ceremony are announced in early spring by the Division of Student Affairs. All students who complete their degree requirements in January, May, or September of that year are invited to attend the May ceremony. 

Undergraduate students in the College of Arts & Sciences and Sawyer Business School may participate in commencement if they have officially applied as a September candidate, are enrolled in their remaining requirements in the subsequent summer sessions, have satisfied all other degree requirements, and have fulfilled all financial obligations to the university.

September degree candidates attending the May Commencement ceremony must be enrolled in all outstanding requirements in the subsequent summer sessions. All coursework must be complete before the end of August for a September degree conferral.

Your Diploma

Diplomas for graduating students will be printed with the student's name as it appears on their official university records, unless a separate diploma name was added by the published deadline prior to the ceremony. The University does not list name credentials and/or titles on the diploma. To add a Diploma Name in Workday: Student Profile > Personal > Names > Add

• Select Name Type of Diploma
• Enter your Diploma Name
• Click on the Okay button

Suffolk University diplomas include the degree and appropriate graduation honors awarded. A diploma does not include student program of study or concentration. Suffolk University transcripts include information related to the student's identity and academic history at the university including program of study and concentration.

Diplomas for students completing their degree requirements in May are distributed immediately following the commencement ceremony. For September and January conferral, diplomas are mailed to the address on file. If you need to change your mailing address, please update your mailing address directly in Workday. Learn more about the instructions for how to update your contact information.

Students who have any outstanding financial obligations to the University at the time of degree conferral will not have their diplomas released to them. Please contact Student Account Services for information regarding tuition accounts.

Express International Shipping

International shipping is available for an additional fee via eShipGlobal’s University Express Mail Services (UEMS). For more information on international shipping, please visit UEMS.

Replacement Diploma

All Suffolk University alumni can request a duplicate/replacement copy of their diploma through Parchment’s diploma ordering page. A diploma replacement costs $50 plus shipping.

You can place your request by filling out the Replacement Diploma Request through Parchment:

• Select Order Now, then search Suffolk University
• Enter your email
  If you already have an account you can log in, otherwise, you will be prompted to create an account
• Select the Replacement Diploma type: Digital and Print
• Fill out the Recipient Information and Preferred Name on the Diploma
• Once the order has been processed, you will receive an email to access your PDF diploma (e-credential) and verify your mailing address
  You will have 72 hours to confirm your mailing address (for the printed copy)

Questions

1. When will I receive my replacement diploma?
   1. Replacement diploma orders are batch processed by Suffolk every 2 weeks and sent to Parchment for printing.
   2. Students will receive their PDF/electronic copy of the diploma at the email address provided in their Parchment account once their order has been processed by Suffolk.
   3. After Suffolk has processed the request, students will usually receive physical copies of their diploma sent from Parchment within 3-7 business days for domestic shipping and 1-2 weeks for international shipping.
2. Can I order just the digital copy of my diploma?
   1. No; students can only request a replacement diploma for both digital and print.
3. Why is my order on hold?
   1. The most likely reason that your diploma order is on hold is due to an active Student Accounts Hold on your account, which is prohibiting the release of your diploma. You will need to reach out to Student Accounts Services ([email protected] or call 617-573-8488) to resolve your hold before we can release your diploma.
4. Who should I contact with questions about my replacement diploma order?
   1. If you are inquiring about billing or the delivery status of your order, please contact Parchment directly. You can log into your Parchment dashboard to view the status of your order. Refer to your order confirmation email.
   2. If you have any questions regarding information reflected on your diploma or your apostille request, you can contact the Suffolk University Registrar’s Office at [email protected].
5. How much does a replacement diploma cost?
   1. Replacement Diploma – Digital and Print cost $50 plus the standard shipping rates for USPS or FedEx accordingly. A FedEx rush order or international shipping can vary in cost depending on the destination country.
   2. Replacement Diploma – with Apostille is $50.  Please note that the fee charged by the notary is in addition to this $50 fee and varies by notary public.

Diploma with Apostille

Some countries require an Apostille on documents, usually diplomas or transcripts. An Apostille is a certification issued by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts that verifies the authenticity of a public document being presented to a foreign country that is a signatory to the Hague Convention of 1961. Students who wish to study or work outside of the United States may be required to have their educational credentials validated through the Apostille process.

1. In Parchment students should request the option ‘Replacement Diploma – with Apostille’. Selecting this option signifies that you are working directly with a mobile notary who will locally pick up your diploma. You should use your legal name on any Replacement Diploma request if you are getting an Apostille.
2. Suffolk University does not have a designated notary public on campus, and it is the responsibility of the individual requesting this document to contact a mobile Massachusetts notary public in advance.
3. Notary public services are a separate fee from the amount paid for the replacement diploma in Parchment and can vary depending on the notary public.
4. The diploma will first need to be notarized by a notary public licensed in Massachusetts and should then be brought or sent to the Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for the apostille certificate.  You can find more details on this process here: https://www.sec.state.ma.us/divisions/commissions/apostilles.htm
5. Once you have found and contacted a notary public to certify the authentication of your diploma, please have them reach out to [email protected] to schedule an appointment to notarize and pick up the transcript from the Suffolk University Registrar’s Office.  The timing of when your diploma will be ready depends on the availability of your chosen notary public and the Suffolk University Registrar. Depending on the notary selected, the notary may also provide the service to take the notarized diploma to the State House for the Apostille.
6. If you selected the option for ‘Replacement Diploma with Apostille’ in error, please contact the Suffolk University Registrar’s Office at [email protected] so that your Parchment order can be cancelled.

For more information on the Apostille process in Massachusetts, please visit the Secretary of the Commonwealth's webpage.