HARVARD EXTENSION SCHOOL · DIVISION OF CONTINUING EDUCATION
Harvard Extension School Diploma and Transcript Apostilles
Apostilles for Harvard Extension School transcripts, degree verification letters and diplomas, for ALM graduates, certificate holders and working professionals using their Harvard credentials abroad. HES notarizes transcripts and letters, but not diplomas. Here's how to get every document apostilled.
ACADEMIC APOSTILLE
1–2 business days
A personalized quote for every request
- Notarized transcripts and letters
- Sealed documents kept sealed
- Certified translation if required
- Worldwide shipping with tracking
Harvard Extension School's process, explained
One DCE record
Your transcript covers Extension School and Summer School courses together.
Notarized transcripts
Requested from Academic Services and issued in a signed, sealed envelope. Don't open it.
Degree verification letters
Written and signed by Academic Services in place of a notarized diploma.
No notarized diplomas
HES doesn't notarize diplomas, so the verification letter or a certified-copy route takes its place.
FROM INSIDE HARVARD
Founded by a former Harvard leader
Our founder spent nearly two decades on Harvard’s administrative leadership team as Director of Administration and Operations and Assistant Director of Finance, overseeing academic units and international centers. That work meant supporting international students, visiting scholars and faculty working abroad, and managing the documentation, compliance and deadlines their programs depended on. She knows how each of Harvard’s decentralized offices handles its records, so your Harvard Extension School documents are requested, notarized and authenticated correctly the first time.
How Harvard Extension School documents work
Harvard Extension School is part of Harvard's Division of Continuing Education (DCE), which keeps one academic record for Extension and Summer School courses. Official DCE transcripts are ordered through Parchment.
The key thing to know: the Extension School does not notarize diplomas. Instead, its Academic Services Office writes a letter verifying your degree, signed by a member of Academic Services or the Registrar's Office. For an apostille, you request a notarized transcript from Academic Services, which is issued in a signed, sealed envelope. We take the notarized documents from there, keep them sealed where required, and handle the apostille, translation and shipping.
Why Harvard is different
Harvard isn't one registrar. It's a decentralized university where each school keeps its own records, runs its own registrar's office and sets its own rules for transcripts, diplomas and notarization. What works at one Harvard school can be the wrong request at another, and that's where most delays come from.
Our founder spent nearly two decades on Harvard's administrative leadership team, overseeing academic units and international centers. We know how its schools' offices work, which office holds which record, and how to ask for the right document the first time. At the Extension School, that means knowing it notarizes transcripts and letters but not diplomas, and planning around it from the start.
Out of state or abroad? You don't need to be here. When your recipient requires the school to certify your record, it's the school official who signs before the notary, not you, and we process the record with the school directly. So you don't need to come to Boston or appear before a notary. We coordinate everything with the registrar, using your signed letter of authorization when the school requires one, and ship the finished documents to you anywhere in the world. See our sample letter of authorization.
What we handle
Diplomas, official transcripts, enrollment and degree verification letters, and certified translations for countries that require them.
Turnaround and pricing
1–2 business days for the Massachusetts apostille once your document is ready. Every request is a little different, so we provide a personalized quote for each one. Get Your Quote
How we make it faster
Harvard Extension School graduates we help most
ALM graduates
Master of Liberal Arts records for employers, licensing and further study abroad.
Certificate holders
Graduate and professional certificates for jobs and visas overseas.
Working professionals relocating
Credentials for employers and immigration offices abroad. See Moving Abroad for Work.
International students
Records for degree recognition in your home country.
How your Harvard Extension School record gets notarized
Massachusetts will apostille an academic record notarized with any of its four notarial acts: acknowledgment, jurat (affidavit), signature witnessing or copy certification. Which one you need is usually set by whoever receives your documents, so we confirm their requirements before we start.
School official acknowledgment
A Harvard Extension School official signs your diploma, transcript or verification letter before the notary, and the notarial certificate names the official, their title and the school. Ministries of education and universities abroad often require this.
School official affidavit
The Harvard Extension School Registrar signs a separate sworn statement confirming your graduation and that the attached records match the school's files, and the notary notarizes it. Spain's Ministry of Education, for example, accepts only this or an acknowledgment. See our Spain guide.
Certified copy, only if your recipient accepts it
As the owner of your diploma, you present the original and we notarize a certified copy, then get the apostille in 1–2 business days. Many recipients won't accept a copy certification, so please confirm with yours first.
Prepared right the first time
We coordinate with the Harvard Extension School Registrar, prepare the notarial certificate with the details your recipient requires, and file with the Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth. For the school-certified routes, you don't need to come to Boston.
Which documents will you need?
The receiving office decides. If its instructions aren't clear, send them to us and we'll tell you which documents to order.
Diploma only
Many employers and some visa offices ask only for the degree.
Transcript only
Licensing bodies and graduate programs often want the full academic record.
Diploma and transcript
Common in Europe and for professional registration. Each document gets its own apostille.
Verification letter
Some recipients accept a Registrar's letter confirming your degree, which can be apostilled once it's signed and notarized.
Mistakes Harvard Extension School graduates avoid
- Asking HES to notarize your diploma. It won't. Use the degree verification letter, or, if your recipient confirms it accepts one, ask us about a certified copy.
- Opening the sealed envelope. The notarized transcript comes sealed. Keep it that way.
- Assuming the recipient wants the diploma. Many accept the verification letter and transcript. Check first.
- Mixing up DCE and Harvard College. Extension records come from DCE, not the College registrar.
Other Harvard schools, other processes
Same university, different offices. Here's how the schools we handle most often compare.
Harvard Medical School
No onsite notary. We meet with the Registrar to notarize a certified copy of your diploma. See Harvard Medical School.
Harvard Law School
Has a notary, and requires a letter of authorization before we can pick up your documents. See Harvard Law School.
Harvard College and FAS
The FAS Registrar notarizes and helps with apostilles, but it can take weeks. We're the expedited option. See Harvard College & FAS.
What to have ready
- Your degree, graduation year and your name as it appears on the record
- Which documents you need: diploma, transcript, verification letter or all three
- The destination country and the office, school or employer that will receive them
- Their written instructions, if they gave you any
- Whether you need a certified translation
- Your deadline and where the finished documents should go
Official sources
- Harvard Extension School: request a transcript or enrollment certification
- Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth: apostille and certification information
- Hague Conference: list of Apostille Convention countries
Each registrar sets its own forms, timelines and fees, and can change them at any time. We link to official pages so you can check the current process yourself.
Near Harvard Extension School
Frequently asked questions
Does Harvard Extension School notarize diplomas?
No. HES notarizes transcripts and provides a signed degree verification letter, but it doesn't notarize diplomas. We'll tell you which documents your recipient accepts.
Can I open the sealed envelope to check my transcript?
No. The notarized transcript is issued in a signed, sealed envelope, and opening it can make it unusable for some recipients. Send it to us sealed.
Can I get my Harvard Extension School diploma apostilled?
Yes. A diploma has to be notarized before the Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth will apostille it. Massachusetts accepts any of its four notarial acts, but many recipients require the school to certify the record, so we confirm what yours needs first. We confirm the version your destination accepts and handle the apostille and return shipping.
Should I mail my original diploma?
Usually not. Many graduates order a replacement diploma or an official copy for the apostille so the original stays safe. Ask us before ordering.
Do I need a certified translation too?
Some countries require one. We can include a certified translation in the same order.
I live outside Massachusetts. Can you still help?
Yes. Massachusetts school records are apostilled in Massachusetts, and we handle it by mail and ship the finished documents anywhere in the world.
Can my digital or electronic diploma be apostilled?
Usually not as it is. A certified electronic diploma is a secure file that the recipient verifies online, and some recipients accept it directly, so ask them first. For an apostille, Massachusetts needs a notarized paper document: usually a notarized copy of your diploma, a notarized transcript or a notarized degree verification letter. Tell us what your recipient asked for and we’ll confirm the right route.
Need your Harvard Extension School documents apostilled?
Tell us where they're going, and we'll confirm every step.