Degree Certificates

Your degree certificate shows your full name, level, programme and classification

 

At the end of your degree you will be issued with a Degree Certificate which is official, formal, confirmation of your award. Degree certificates are sometimes known as diplomas. 

 

Update February 2023

If you were awarded in November 2022 and did not collect your certificate at the December ceremonies, your certificate should have been dispatched to you by post by 03 February, to the permanent home address we had on record for you. Please read the information below before contacting us - we are not able to give individual updates, but can investigate further if you have not heard anything by 14 February 2023. 

 

  • If your permanent home address is in the UK, your certificate would have been sent by First Class recorded delivery through Royal Mail.  This normally takes 1-2 working days to arrive, however there have been some delays at Royal Mail recently due to industrial action and technical issues.  Please allow up to 14 February 2023 for delivery.  If you have not received your certificate by then, please contact us by 31 March 2023 through our enquiry form.  If you contact us later, it may be more difficult to trace the whereabouts of your certificate and you may be charged for a replacement. 

  • If your permanent home address is overseas, your certificate would have been sent via DHL by 03 February.  You should receive a notification of dispatch from DHL in due course.  Please allow up to two weeks for delivery - we expect parcels to most destinations worldwide to arrive by 13 February.  If you receive a notification from DHL, please liaise with them about the delivery in the first instance.  If by 14 February you have not received the certificate oran update from DHL, please contact us by 31 March 2023 through our enquiry form. If you contact us later, it may be more difficult to trace the whereabouts of your certificate and you may be charged for a replacement. 

  • A small number of graduates have been contacted by Student Services as we were not able to print a dispatch label with the address we had on our records for you.  Please check your emails to see if we have requested further information from you - if so, you can contact us through our enquiry form to give further information.

  • If you graduated before November 2022 have not yet received your certificate, please please contact us by 31 March 2023 through our enquiry form. Please note that if you do not inform us of non-receipt in good time, it may be more difficult to trace your certificate and you may be charged for a replacement. 

RDAP 1 March 2023 Certificates

If you are a postgraduate student who successfully completed RDAP 1 assessments in January 2023, you will receive your results on 23 March 2023.  If you are awarded, we will contact you shortly after this date with information about your certificate - you will be offered the opportunity to collect it, otherwise it will be posted later in the Spring. We cannot give further information or grant individual requests about the certificate before this. 

 

In the meantime, please ensure that your permanent home address and local telephone number are up to date - you can find the link to do this via the "Addresses (New Apps)" option on the left-hand menu of LSE For You. 

Obtaining your degree certificate

There are three ways in which you can obtain your degree certificate

1 - Collect your certificate during graduation

Taught students can collect their degree certificate during graduation. 

In line with the traditions of LSE your certificate will not be given to you during the ceremony itself, you need to collect it separately. You do not need your certificate for the ceremony.

You can collect your certificate during degree certificate collection opening times, it does not need to be the same day as your ceremony. 

When you collect your certificate you will need to show us your LSE ID card and tell us the title of your programme. If you do not have your LSE ID card please bring a national ID card, passport or driving licence instead.

PhD students should collect their certificates from the PhD Academy.

Third party collection is not available at LSE. During the ceremonies you must collect your certificate yourself. It is not possible for other people to collect certificates on your behalf.

RDAP students awarded in 2023

If you are an RDAP student awarded in March or July 2023, we will contact you after your results are released with information about your certificate.   

July 2023

Certificates for students awarded in July 2023 will be available from to collect on the following dates (times to be confirmed:

  • Wednesday 19 July 2023

  • Thursday 20 July 2023

  • Friday 21 July 2023

You can collect your certificate on any of the above dates/times, even if you are not attending a graduation ceremony. 

The collection point will be confirmed in due course. 

2 - Have your certificate sent by secure courier

If your certificate is not collected it will be posted to you within 6 working weeks of graduation (the LSE closure periods and bank holidays are not included in the 6 weeks). Your certificate will be sent to the permanent home address listed within LSE for You using Royal Mail first class (for UK addresses) or DHL's secure courier service (for overseas addresses). DHL deliveries will need to be signed for on receipt.

You must ensure that your permanent home address, personal email address and local telephone number are correct on LSE for You by 30 November 2022 at the latest. This is the address we will use for sending your certificate in early 2023.

If you have not updated your address, your certificate may be sent to an incorrect address and you will need to pay for any replacements, and courier costs if you need express delivery. If you are unsure about your address at the time we will post, please enter an alternative address where you can safely receive your certificate.

It is essential that your prtmsnrny home address, email address and phone number are up to date in LSE for You to make sure that your certificate is sent to the right place, and where applicable so that DHL can arrange delivery.

The vast majority of certificates safely reach their destination no matter where in the world they are being sent to. However, if you have not received your certificate within eight weeks of your ceremony please submit an enquiry promptly (for November 2022 awards, contact us by 31 March 2023).  We need to leave reasonable time for delivery, but we may not be able to investigate the wherabouts of your certificate if you contact us too late.

3 - Collect your certificate from Student Services

You can arrange for your certificate to be collected from the Student Services Centre after the graduation ceremonies.  Further information will be given closer to the ceremonies date.  

 

 

 

Frequently Asked Questions 

Here we provide answers to some commonly asked questions. If you have a question that is not answered here please let us know!

Can somebody else collect my certificate for me?

Third party degree certificate collection is not available at LSE.

During the ceremonies we are not able to release certificates to third parties, you must collect it yourself. 

If you cannot make your ceremony then your certificate will be sent by secure courier (see option 2 above). The vast majority of certificates arrive at their destination safely and in good time.

Do I need to take my certificate to my graduation ceremony?

No, you do not need your certificate for the ceremony and cannot take it on stage with you.

If possible, we recommend that you collect your certificate after the ceremony to avoid it getting lost or damaged. 

Can I get my certificate framed?

Tempest Photography offers a degree certificate framing service during the graduation ceremonies. They also offer an LSE degree certificate folder for those who are travelling abroad.

Please visit Ceremony Photography for information about locations and opening times.  

Can LSE provide me with a certified copy of my certificate?

To avoid fraud, LSE does not issue copies of degree certificates. Instead you should request a transcript or confirmation of award letter.

If you need your award to be verified, please use the Higher Education Degree Data Check service.

If you need your physical certificate notarised, legalised or seen by an apostille you should contact either a solicitor, notary, apostille or your embassy as appropriate. LSE is not allowed to provide these services. 

Can LSE provide me with a digital copy of my certificate?

LSE does not issue digital copies of degree certificates.

If you never received your certificate or need a replacement 

Advice on how to obtain your certificate if it never arrived or has been lost or damaged.

Never Received

If you do not receive your degree certificate within eight weeks of your Graduation Ceremony, please first check the address listed on LSE for You - this is the address we will have sent the certificate to. If the address is correct please submit an enquiry with your name and student number and we will investigate this for you.

Please do not contact us earlier than this, because it is likely that your certificate will still be in transit and we cannot search the delivery system properly. If you urgently need a document confirming your degree please request a confirmation of award.

Replacements

In exceptional circumstances, you can make an application for a replacement degree certificate if your first copy has been lost or damaged. 

A statutory declaration must be completed with replacement degree certificate requests. A magistrate, commissioner for oaths or practising solicitor will be able to sign this declaration. If you live overseas the declaration can be witnessed and signed by the British Embassy or Consulate. If you have any questions about obtaining a statutory declaration please contact the Notaries Society.

If you were awarded in 2008 or later, you should complete the Replacement Degree Certificate Request Form (which includes the declaration). Be sure to follow the instructions on the form carefully. 

If you were awarded before 2008 you certificate will have been issued by the University of London. To make an application for a replacement UoL degree certificate, please contact diploma.enquiries@london.ac.uk.

 

For PhD graduates, delivery arrangements will be made by the PhD Academy.  Please contact them with any queries.

 

For undergraduate and taught master's replacement certificates, the following options are available for collection or delivery.  Please specify on the form 

 

  • You can collect it from Student Services Centre in opening hours - we will let you know when it is ready to collect.
  • We can post it to a UK address free of charge, using recorded delivery.
  • We can post it to an overseas address free of charge using standard airmail - this can take around one month or longer, and cannot be tracked.  We would not be able to investigate any packages that do not arrive. 
  • For a fee of £15, we can post it to an overseas address using a courier which can be tracked - this usually takes a week or less to most worldwide destinations.  If you would like us to use a courier service, please pay here and quote the payment reference when you submit your application via the enquiry form.  Please also put "COURIER" in the address box on the application form. 

Exceptions 

  • PhD students - Research graduates should contact the PhD Academy to make arrangements to collect their certificates.

  • MSc in Health Policy, Planning and Finance - The University of London produce certificates for MSc in Health Policy, Planning and Finance so they cannot be collected from LSE.

  • Students who started before 2007/8 - If you started your programme before the 2007/8 academic year you will have been issued with a degree certificate by the University of London. For queries regarding University of London degree certificates, please contact diploma.enquiries@london.ac.uk.

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