From deluxe to DIY– there’s a diploma option for every budget.
Do you really need a homeschool diploma certificate for your child? It is recommended that you include a diploma certificate in your child’s school files. Why?
- We have found that the local community college required a copy of the diploma along with the transcript
- A scholarship may require a copy of the diploma
- Employers may want a copy of a diploma
Even though the transcript is the most important feature of your child’s portfolio and records, the diploma does have its place even though many would argue that it’s completely unnecessary and have never needed it.
An unexpected reason that I have found to present a diploma is that it marked closure for me as a homeschool mom to switch out of total mom-teacher-mode and marked a new passage in time for my son. It helped ME to move to a new mindset just as much as for him. Yes, we don’t stop learning and stop teaching– we did finish up some things after it was presented and will continue to learn and teach, but it is more of a mental shifting.
Choosing a name
You can choose the name of your homeschool. Many families use the family surname with the word “academy” attached or some variation. But one piece of advice: do not make your issuing school name cutesy or funny like “Little Sparkles Academy” or “Dirt Bike Freaks Academy” etc. This is a serious document and you want your child taken seriously. It should match the name of the school on their transcript.
Seals or school logos are not necessary since most of the companies providing options have pre-set seal designs. We created one just as an added design for the small graduation ceremony and for the graduation announcement cards but it is not needed. If you want to create one, Canva is a great place to make one for free.
6 Places to Order a Homeschool Diploma
Homeschool Diploma.com
We took a picture of the inside of ours out in the shade. It is on heavy paper with embossed pre-set choice seal and adjustable verse, name, date, signees, etc.
Homeschool Diploma.com is an excellent choice for a high quality diploma and cover. We opted to purchase a diploma with an engraved cover through them and it arrived quickly and printed perfectly to my specifications.
Additional add-on options include: diploma seal designs, honors seal rectangle, type of paper, hand printed calligraphy, 23kt gold illumination on the school name, wording, and motto or verse. The cover gives a choice for color, foil design, and optional student name. The package came in a bubble envelope with tissue between the cover and the diploma.
The diploma itself had a protective plastic sheet over it to keep it unmarked. The embossing was well done and the printing was crisp. I would highly recommend their services.
Academic Excellence
We have used Academic Excellence online testing in the past and have been very pleased. They offer a high quality diploma and standard cover with all the school information as other diploma resources with the additional option for verse motto and padded imprinted cover. This would be a great alternative to higher priced options at about half the cost for an excellent diploma.
Homeschool Legal Defense Association (HSLDA)
The HSLDA is the go-to resource for all things homeschool related and that applies to diplomas as well. They offer a black or navy diploma case, diploma with personalization, and gold foil seal options. They also offer tassels and other graduation gear.
Graduation Ink
Graduation Ink allows you to pick all personalized options including body text. They offer raised ink as well as letting you upload your own school logo if you wish. You have the option of having them print it out for you or sending you a Word document for you to print if you have multiple diplomas that you will need. This may be a great option for large families.
Etsy
There is a huge selection of ready made printable diplomas on Etsy. Many of them are Canva templates already designed for you with layout, fonts, and borders that you just edit wording and the names. If you choose a digital template be aware that you will need to check if it requires you to log in and use a Canva account (which is free). Some sellers will print and mail to you as well.
Do it yourself: Canva
If you don’t need the template already designed for you and want to do it completely yourself, you can just use Canva. Canva is well known for its ease of use with a drag and drop structure and easy templates. Best of all, it’s free to use (unless you want the pro version- which is totally not necessary). Just create your account name and password and then search for “diploma certificate” in the “create” options and customize. Download your creation as a PDF and print on your choice of paper.
