Lost your UK degree certificate? How to get replacement award evidence

Find the right university replacement route, compare award records and prepare for an earlier deadline.

Key takeaways

• Request a replacement from the university that awarded your degree, and ask the recipient what document it needs before paying.
• Ask how the required document must arrive: uploaded by you, securely shared, or sent directly by the institution.
• Allow separately for preparation and delivery; the Leeds and King’s examples are not a UK turnaround standard.
• If your deadline comes first, run the replacement request and urgent evidence enquiry together, and confirm what the recipient accepts.
• Raise a changed name before ordering, and check for a non-receipt route if your original certificate never arrived.

If you have lost your UK degree certificate, request a replacement from the university that awarded your degree. If an employer or another university needs proof sooner, ask which official award record it will accept while the replacement is being prepared.

Start with those two questions before paying: who issued the award, and what document does the recipient need? A replacement certificate, a transcript and a verified digital record serve different purposes. The university examples below show how to choose the right route; their fees and procedures were checked on 2 November 2026.

Find the university that awarded your degree

Look for the awarding university on an old scan, your transcript or award correspondence. If you studied at a college or through a partner institution, ask its student records team to confirm the awarding body and replacement route.

King’s College London illustrates why the distinction matters. University of London handles these King’s awards:^[2]

• Degree-level awards, including intercalations, made before 1 July 2008.
• PhDs and specialist doctorates awarded before 1 March 2008.
• Awards where students chose University of London when given a choice.
• Federal degree programmes, regardless of date.

King’s can check an uncertain choice of awarding body for graduates from 2006–2008.^[2]

Once the issuer is clear, find its official certificate or student records page. Use the university’s own route rather than choosing a document service simply because its search listing says “replacement degree”.

Choose a replacement certificate or another award record

Ask the recipient to name the document it needs and how it must arrive: uploaded by you, securely shared through a university platform, or sent directly by the institution. Then match that request to the available record.

What you need to show	Record to consider	What to watch for
The award itself	Replacement degree certificate	Leeds replacements reproduce the award details on current certificate paper. They do not give a module-by-module record.[3]
Subjects studied and results	Transcript	Leeds transcripts include modules, marks and credits.[4]
Confirmation that you received the award	Proof of award or an official statement	Leeds award evidence records the qualification, classification and award date, among other details.[4]
A qualification checked directly with the institution	Academic verification	At Leeds, this is a third-party route through Prospects Hedd, rather than a document issued to the graduate.[4]
An official version of an existing certificate copy	Certified or authenticated copy	Leeds requires the original. King’s requires a scan and limits authenticated copies to holders of a King’s College London award from 2008 onwards.[2][3]

A scan saved in your files can help you identify your award, but ask the recipient whether it needs a verified record. Do not assume that uploading the scan completes its checks.

Apply through the university’s official replacement route

Have your name at the time of study, student number if available, course title and award date ready. These are useful identifiers for an enquiry; the university’s application form decides which fields and supporting documents are mandatory. Follow its instructions for any identity evidence, declaration or name-change documents.

Before submitting, check the document type, delivery address and delivery method. Save the order confirmation so you can quote its reference if you need to follow up.

Allow separately for preparation and delivery. Leeds aims to send a replacement within three working weeks and requires DHL for overseas addresses. Choosing a UK delivery option with an overseas address delays processing. Its replacement covers loss, damage and certain non-receipt cases.

King’s charges £50 and allows up to 30 working days for production, followed by dispatch. Its paper replacements travel by Royal Mail, without courier delivery or tracking. The ordering page also rules out replacement while the original is in the postal system or within six months of the award date, unless the team has told you to use that route.^[5]

Those are two institutions’ arrangements, not a UK fee or turnaround standard. If you are now in India or elsewhere abroad, factor the delivery journey into your deadline as well as the university’s preparation time.

If your deadline comes before the replacement arrives

Run the replacement request and the urgent evidence enquiry together. Tell the university the deadline and ask what award evidence it can provide for your course and award year. Tell the employer or admissions team exactly which option is available and ask whether it meets its requirements.

For example, King’s offers verified digital certificates through Gradintelligence for undergraduate and postgraduate taught awards dated 1 July 2025 or later. That access is separate from its paper replacement service.^[2]

At Leeds, first check the email account you supplied when registering your graduation choice, including its spam and junk folders: the university sends your digital proof of award there, rather than to your university email. You may already have the evidence you need. If you need a statement for a third party, the application asks for that organisation’s email address. Confirm with the recipient which record it will accept.^[4]

You can adapt this message to the university:

“I completed [course] and received my award on [date], under the name [name at the time]. My student number is [number, if known]. I have lost my certificate and need evidence for [employer/university] by [deadline]. Please confirm the replacement route and whether official award evidence is available sooner, including how it can be shared with the recipient.”

Ask the recipient: “Will you accept [the university’s available document or verified sharing method] while my replacement certificate is being prepared? Please confirm whether it must come directly from the university.”

Keep that answer with your application records so you know which route to complete.

Resolve a name change or a certificate that never arrived

Raise a changed name before ordering. Cambridge instructs graduates to update their central record first, provide supporting evidence if an update is needed, and wait for confirmation before purchasing a paper replacement. Its guidance also excludes replacement of certificates published online for graduates from March 2020 onward.^[6]

If you never received the original certificate, look for a non-receipt route before buying a replacement. At Leeds, an award within the last 12 months should first be reported to the certificates team for undergraduate or taught postgraduate awards, or the research examinations team for postgraduate research awards.

For the immediate task, send the issuer your award details and send the recipient your evidence question. If the document problem has also interrupted your wider career plans, our Post Study Career Support^[1] starts with a review of your situation and goals, then a plan for relevant career experience with guided support. You can speak to a career advisor through phone, email or the page’s query form.

FAQs

Can I get a certified copy if I have lost my degree certificate?

At Leeds, you must obtain a replacement first because certification requires the original. King’s authenticated copies are available only for King’s College London awards from 2008 onwards, and you must supply a scan of the certificate. Check your eligibility and the evidence required before paying.^[2][3]

What if I find my original certificate after getting a replacement?

Follow the issuing university’s instructions. King’s replacement terms require you to return the duplicate if you subsequently find the original.^[5]

Can I order a replacement degree certificate in my new name?

At Cambridge, order a paper replacement after your central name-record update is confirmed. Its replacement route excludes certificates published online for graduates from March 2020 onward.^[6]

Sources

1. Admissify — Post Study Career Support - Admissify
2. I graduated a year ago or more, and need my degree certificate - King’s College London
3. Get a replacement degree certificate or certified copies - University of Leeds
4. Get a proof of award, statement, transcript, academic verification or diploma supplement - University of Leeds
5. Replacement Certificate - King’s College London eStore
6. My name has changed since I graduated. Can I order a replacement degree certificate? - University of Cambridge Student Registry Office. Updated 24 March 2026