How To Get A Copy Of Your High School Diploma Online

Did you use to have a paper diploma that got destroyed, lost, or stolen? Or do you still have it but you want an online copy of your diploma? Then you have come to the right place. This blog post will show you a step-by-step guide on how to get a copy of your high school diploma online.

The two major reasons why you would need to have your high school diploma in hand can either be for college application or for a job. One of the major requirements to get into any university is the submission of a high school diploma by applicants. Colleges make use of the document to assess students’ academic records and to be certain that they meet the necessary foundational academic requirement to be enrolled in the program they are applying.

Also, there are some jobs that the employer may require for your high school diploma before offering you the role you are applying for. Providing your high school diploma to potential employers allows them to assess you critically whether you are a good fit for the role you are about to be offered.

However, you cannot apply to colleges nor get a job offer because you do not have a high school diploma. Yes, you completed high school but how will the college admissions office and potential employers know that you did? They’d never know unless you provide a document with proof that you did which is the high school diploma or high school transcript.

Upon graduating high school, you will be provided a diploma as proof that you completed high school. It also marks the completion of your secondary studies. The document typically contains your academic records and other important records/achievements you had while in high school, which is why colleges and would-be employers request for it to have a look at your high school prowess.

So, if you completed high school, whether recently or many years ago, and you do not have your high school diploma then it means that it got lost or destroyed either by water or in a fire which is totally possible since it is a paper document. Whatever it is that happened to the previous one, you can totally get a new one online and with ease.

Even if you have a paper-type high school diploma and are scared that it may get damaged or lost – which happens often – you can keep reading this guide to find out how to get a copy of your high school diploma online.

What Is A High School Diploma?

In the most basic term, a high school diploma is a qualification awarded to students who have completed/graduated high school. It is solid proof that you completed high school, thus, possess the foundational skills and knowledge of one who has completed high school which makes you eligible to apply to college, get entry-level job roles, or enlist in the army.

The document – high school diploma – typically contains information such as the school you graduated from, when you graduated, and may also include any awards or honors you received.

Benefits Of Getting A High School Diploma

According to the Indiana Department of Education, having a high school diploma opens so many doors for students when it comes to life after graduation, also, high school graduates are more likely to be employed, make higher taxable income, and aid in job generation. These are some of the benefits of getting a high school diploma, but there are more which include:

  • With a high school diploma, you get to earn a higher income. This has been proven by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics which says that high school graduates earn a national average of $9,204 more annually compared to those who do not have a high school diploma.
  • Possessing a high school diploma unlocks job opportunities that can lead you to better career opportunities.
  • With a high school diploma, you have a better chance of getting a job compared to those who do not have a diploma.
  • Opportunity to qualify for promotions at work
  • With a high school diploma, you could either go to college or start working. It gives you a direction of what to do with your life after high school.
how to get a copy of your high school diploma online

How To Get A Copy Of Your High School Diploma Online

If you had a high school diploma that got damaged or lost and now you are applying for a job or college and it is requested, you can easily get a copy of your high school diploma online through this guideline. You may also consider getting an online copy just for the purpose of it, besides, many applications, both for job, college, and service enlistment, are now done online.   

The three major reasons why you should get a copy of your high school diploma online are that, it will never get damaged, you can have the diploma for as long as possible, up to eternity, if you save it well, and it is easier to send to potential employers via email or use it in an online college application.

Fortunately, many high schools now have a strong online presence in the form of websites, emails, and social media handles on Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn which makes it very easy to reach out to them in case anyone wants to enquire on some information. Thanks to varieties of digital tools for education out there, assignments are submitted online, grades are distributed to students and recorded online, and even high school diplomas are now online.

So, it would be easy to get yours online too, and below are the steps you need to take.

Scenario I: Visit The School’s Website

These days, many high schools have websites that they use for many school/class activities few of which I mentioned above. So, before you start calling around, check if your school has a website, and if they do check it out to see if there is a page where graduates can request for a copy of their high school diploma.

If this request forms page is there, quickly fill it up by providing the necessary information and documents that may be required. Details that are typically required include your name, address, and the year you graduated and the required document, it could be a form of ID like a driver’s license, passport, etc.

What if my former high school does not have a website nor any form of online presence or has stopped existing both online and offline, what do I do?

In a case where your school does not have a website nor any form of online presence for that matter then you either have to go to the school in person to request your diploma and if you can’t remember where it is, you can contact a former schoolmate. If your school is no longer existing, that means it won’t have a functioning online presence and there won’t be an offline presence either thus you can’t even go there to request your diploma in person. There is another way.

You will have to contact the district office of your school or your state’s Department of Education, these agencies always have functioning websites. A simple Google search and you will land right on their websites and get their contacts. When you contact them, they will explain the process to you and what may be required to process an online copy of your high school diploma.

Keep in mind that there may be a processing fee.

Scenario II: Get The Contact Details Of Your High School

As I mentioned earlier, high schools these days have some form of online presence to help old, new, current, and incoming students contact them. So, whether you graduated high school many years ago or recently, you can still get the contact of your school through a simple Google search with just the right keywords.

Simply head to Google or Bing or any of your favorite search engines and type the name of your school in the search box with “contact details” e.g. “St. Andrews High School contact details” and if the school has a website it should be the first result on the next page that loads in your screen.

If there are sponsored ads, ignore them and click on the next result that has the name of your high school clearly written. It should lead you directly to the school’s website page where you will find the school’s contact details. This contact information is typically an e-mail, phone number, and address, from here you should know what to do. Armed with this info, we are ready to go into the next step of getting your high school diploma online.

·       Call or Email Them

I’m sure it is already clear what to do next since you already have the school’s phone number and email address. You could either send an email requesting an online copy of your diploma or call them. And if you have the time, you can go to the school’s address to request it in person. There may be a processing fee as well for this second scenario.

Lastly, is the waiting period which is the time you will have to wait for the online copy of your diploma to be ready. It can be several weeks depending on the situation. When it is ready, it will be sent to your email where you can download it or share it as many times as you want. If you want a physical copy, you can download it into your device and then print it out.

And that is how you get a copy of your high school diploma online. It is a stress-less operation and you really won’t be doing much.

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