What to Do With Your College Diploma After Graduation

For many graduates, the diploma does not arrive at the exact moment they walk across the stage. It may come in the mail weeks later, in a stiff envelope or a tube, while you are moving or sharing a crowded apartment. It is easy to leave it unopened on a dresser and then worry about creases, humidity, or a roommate’s open window.

You do not need an elaborate plan. You do need a safe place for the original, a decision about whether to hang it, and a sensible option if you want a second copy on another wall.

First, get it out of the envelope

Open the package on a clean, dry table, with clean hands. Slide the diploma out rather than pulling it by one corner. Check the name, degree line, date, and school name, and look for creases or harm from shipping.

If something is wrong, contact the registrar or diploma office at your school promptly and ask how they handle a reprint. It is much easier to do that now than after the document has been hanging in a frame for a year. If everything looks correct, take a straight-on photo or scan for your own records. A photo is a convenient reference when you need to check a date or a spelling, but it is not a display piece and it does not replace the original. Then put the diploma back into a clean folder or a rigid sleeve until you have a longer-term plan. Do not fold it, and do not leave it in a bathroom, kitchen, car, or damp basement, even overnight.

Protect the original like the one-of-a-kind document it is

The diploma your school issued is a single paper document. Getting another copy later, if the school will reissue it at all, can take time and often involves a fee. Treat the original as the copy you protect, not the copy you carry around.

Paper holds up best in a stable, dry place with little direct light. The National Archives’ guidance on preserving family papers applies well here: avoid attics, basements, and damp rooms; store documents flat; and be careful with tape, glue, and harsh display conditions. Handle the diploma as little as you can, and with dry hands. Keep it away from open windows, heaters, and sunny walls. Do not laminate it, and do not use ordinary tape on the front. If you need to move, carry it in a rigid folder, not loose in a box of kitchen items.

Decide where it should live

Once the diploma is safe for the week, decide what you actually want to do with it. There is no single right answer, and it can change as your living situation changes.

Hang the original at home if you have a reasonably dry, dimmer wall, a frame that fits, and a fairly stable living situation. Keep it out of direct sun and away from the kitchen and bathroom.

Store the original and hang nothing for now if you are in temporary housing or waiting until you have a better wall. A stored diploma in good condition is better than a faded or warped one on a damp wall.

Store the original and hang a display copy somewhere else if you want a diploma on a wall at an office, in a second room, or in a place where the paper might be bumped or exposed to stronger light.

You do not have to frame anything the week it arrives. You do have to get it out of the shipping envelope and into a flat, dry folder.

A display copy for the office or a second home

Many graduates want a diploma on a wall at work and would rather not send the original into a building they do not control, or hang it in a space that gets strong light or a lot of traffic. A display copy is a useful spare: it can go in a frame in the office or in a second apartment, while the school-issued original stays protected at home.

Companies that make college diploma copies can print a display version in common diploma sizes, with your name, school, and degree line, for exactly that purpose. Use it as a wall display. It is not a document to submit as proof of a degree, and it does not take the place of a transcript or any records your school would provide.

If you do go this route, proofread every line before you order, and match the size to the frame you plan to use. Keep the original at home, and let the display copy take the more public wall.

Choose a frame and a size that actually fits

College and university diplomas are often 8.5 × 11 inches or 11 × 14 inches, usually in portrait orientation, but schools differ. Measure the sheet you have, width then height, edge to edge. Do not assume “college size” is a standard every frame shop will recognize.

Match the opening of the frame or mat to the paper, because an 11 × 14 diploma will not sit well in a letter-size frame. If you add a mat, the outer frame will be larger than the sheet. Choose a wall with indirect light, and ask a framer for acid-free mats and a method that does not tape the face of the document, especially if you are framing the original. Leave a little clearance if the diploma has a raised seal, so the glass does not press on it. The same size rule applies to a diploma cover or folder: the holder has to match the finished sheet.

If something goes wrong

If the diploma arrives in poor condition, contact your school’s registrar or diploma office before you try home repairs. Do not tape a tear on the face of the document, and do not iron it.

If you lose the original, the school that issued it is the place to ask about a reissued diploma. Policies and fees vary, and processing can take a while. A display copy on your wall is not a substitute for a school-reissued document. If you notice fading, warping, or moisture on a diploma already in a frame, take it out, let it sit flat in a dry room, and reconsider the wall you chose.

A simple plan you can finish this week

You can finish the essential work in one evening:

1. Open the package, check the details, and take a photo for your files.

2. Place the original in a rigid folder, in a dry interior spot.

3. Measure the sheet and write down the size and orientation.

4. Decide whether the original will be stored, framed at home, or represented by a display copy on another wall.

5. If you are framing anything, choose a wall away from sun and steam, and a frame that matches the paper.

After that, the diploma stops being a fragile item you keep meaning to deal with. The original is protected, and any display you hang is there on purpose.