HARVARD UNIVERSITY · HARVARD GRADUATE SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
Harvard Graduate School of Education Diploma and Transcript Apostilles
HGSE’s Registrar will notarize your documents and mail them to the state for you, but that route takes weeks. We help Harvard Graduate School of Education graduates get diplomas, transcripts and verification letters apostilled faster, with the right notarization for the country they’re going to.
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ACADEMIC APOSTILLE
1–2 business days
Once your notarized document is ready
- Coordination with the HGSE Registrar
- The right notarization for your recipient
- Certified translation if required
- Worldwide shipping with tracking
Harvard Graduate School of Education’s process, explained
A request form first
HGSE asks you to complete its Request for an Apostilled Document and email it to the Registrar before sending anything.
Your original diploma
For a diploma, HGSE asks for the original. It does not keep copies of diplomas it has already issued.
A paper transcript
For a transcript, you order an official paper transcript sent to the Registrar’s Office so it can be notarized.
Fees and shipping
You include a check to the Commonwealth for the state fee and a FedEx account or prepaid labels, and HGSE mails the notarized document to the Secretary of the Commonwealth.
The wait
HGSE says the state step can take two to three weeks, and up to six weeks when the state office is backed up.
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 HGSE documents are requested, notarized and authenticated correctly the first time.
How HGSE documents work
Harvard is decentralized: each school keeps its own records, runs its own registrar’s office and sets its own rules for diplomas, transcripts and notarization. The HGSE Office of the Registrar is in Longfellow Hall, 13 Appian Way, Room G006, in Cambridge. It handles notarization and apostille requests for HGSE records.
Our founder spent nearly 20 years in academic and research administration at Harvard and MIT, so we know how these offices work and what they need from you.
How your Harvard Graduate School of Education 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 Graduate School of Education 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 Graduate School of Education 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 Graduate School of Education 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.
How we make it faster
Instead of HGSE mailing your notarized document to the state and waiting for the state to mail it back, we file it in person at the Secretary of the Commonwealth in Boston and usually have the apostille in 1–2 business days. Where HGSE allows it with your signed letter of authorization, we can collect the notarized document from the Registrar’s Office ourselves.
HGSE graduates we help most
Teachers and school leaders
Ed.M. and Ed.L.D. graduates heading to international schools, ministries of education and teacher licensing boards abroad.
Researchers and doctoral graduates
Ed.D. and Ph.D. graduates joining universities and research institutes overseas.
Policy and nonprofit roles
Graduates working for international organizations, NGOs and education ministries.
International students going home
Degree recognition and equivalency in their home country, often with a translation.
Which documents will you need?
| Document | When it’s asked for |
|---|---|
| Diploma | Employers, visa offices and degree recognition. Often the first thing asked for. |
| Transcript | Licensing bodies, universities and credential evaluators that want the full record. |
| Degree verification letter | Some recipients accept a signed Registrar letter in place of the diploma, and it can be notarized and apostilled. |
| Certificate of enrollment | Visas and programs that need proof of current or past enrollment. |
The receiving office decides. Send us its instructions and we’ll tell you exactly what to order.
Mistakes HGSE graduates avoid
Sending a copy of your diploma
HGSE’s apostille process uses the original. Ask us first if you’d rather not mail it.
Ordering an electronic transcript
An e-transcript can’t be notarized for an apostille. Order a paper copy to the Registrar.
Writing the check to Harvard
The state fee check goes to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, not Harvard University.
Assuming the recipient accepts any notarization
Some ministries require the school official’s certification. Check before HGSE notarizes.
What to have ready
- Your degree, graduation year and name as it appears on the record
- Which documents you need
- The destination country and who will receive the documents
- Their written instructions, if they gave you any
- Whether you need a certified translation
- Your deadline and where the finished documents should go
Other Harvard schools
Each Harvard school handles records its own way. See the page for your school, or our Harvard overview.
- Harvard College and FAS
- Harvard Griffin GSAS
- Harvard Law School
- Harvard Medical School
- Harvard Business School
- Harvard Kennedy School
- Harvard Chan School of Public Health
- Harvard Extension School
Official sources
- HGSE Office of the Registrar: Records
- Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth: apostilles and certifications
Registrar processes, fees and timelines can change. Check with the HGSE Registrar for its current process. We are not affiliated with Harvard University.
Frequently asked questions
Does HGSE notarize diplomas for apostilles?
Yes. The HGSE Registrar’s Office notarizes original diplomas, official transcripts and verification letters as part of its apostille process, after you submit its request form.
Will HGSE send my document to the state?
Yes, if you send the state fee and shipping. The state step can take two to six weeks by mail. We file in person in Boston instead, usually in 1–2 business days.
Can you apostille my HGSE transcript?
Yes. It has to be an official paper transcript notarized by the Registrar, not an electronic one. We handle the apostille and return shipping.
Do I need to come to Boston?
No. The Registrar notarizes the document, and we file it and ship the finished apostille to you 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.
What does it cost?
Every request is a little different, so we give a personalized quote that covers the apostille, return shipping and anything else your destination needs.
Need your HGSE documents apostilled?
Tell us the documents, the country and your deadline. We’ll confirm what your recipient needs.