Graduation Diplomas: Blank Diplomas, Certificates, Frames, and Covers

Why do we use graduation diplomas? What do they signify and when did we start using them?

Graduation diplomas today are made of paper and are a testament that a person has graduated either from grammar school, high school, college or post college courses. Graduation diplomas for high school are a general education degree. There is no specialty when it comes to a high school education. College diplomas, however, vary. A college diploma can be attained for different subjects and levels of education.

A diploma today is the piece of paper that signifies the degree that a person earns. It is a written award that can be framed or kept in a leather binder. Many years ago, diplomas used to be made of sheepskin. Diplomas made of sheepskin were very difficult to make. They were quite rare, however, as most people in the time of sheepskin diplomas, and did not even know how to read or write.

Earning a college degree today is still, in slang, called “getting a sheepskin.” This refers to hundreds of years ago when a higher level of education was marked by a diploma made of sheepskin.

The years of making a diploma out of sheepskin soon gave way to years of making the diploma out of parchment. Diplomas today are still made out of parchment paper, although they are mass-produced and not handwritten as those of long ago.

Diplomas used to be very large documents, about twice the size as those that we see today. During the beginning of the twentieth century, it became popular to bind the diploma in leather. A diploma was given at that time at the end of grammar school, high school and college graduations.

During the early half of the twentieth century, a diploma was called a “testimonial.” In the United Kingdom, a diploma is still called a testimonial. In the later part of the twentieth century, people in the United States began to refer to the document that one received upon graduating from a learning institution as a diploma, after the Greek word meaning the attainment of higher education.


Throughout Europe, Asia and other parts of the world, diplomas are given to those who attain higher degrees of education. A diploma can either be presented as rolled up parchment and tied with a ribbon, or in a leather binder. In some high school graduations throughout the country, the student does not receive the actual diploma until after graduation and only receives the binder. This is to insure the return of the cap and gown.

One thing that has remained the same throughout history with regard to diplomas is the pride that they invoke in the receiver. Diplomas are often framed and hung in places where everyone can see them. High school diplomas are usually kept by parents. College and postgraduate diplomas are usually kept by the individual and hung in their office. Those who earn law and doctorate degrees usually hang their diplomas on their wall in their office, signifying to the world that they can practice law or medicine.