Why One Washington College Loves Parchment for Transcripts & Diplomas

In 2022, Skagit Valley College (Mount Vernon, WA) began using Parchment for diplomas and transcripts. Recently, we sat down with Stephanie Hunter, Registrar, to discuss her experience with Parchment.

Why did you pursue a solution for diplomas?

We had staff members who were manually printing out each diploma. Stamping, stuffing, sealing. It was a very seasonal task, but it was especially time draining during the spring. It meant that my evaluators had to stop all of their other work. We also had issues with diplomas being sent and returned. It was a lot of labor that we didn’t have the capacity for. And frankly, we live in the 21st century, so why aren’t we giving out digital diplomas?

Why did you partner with Parchment?

When we did our research, everything we found pointed to Parchment. They were able to solve the labor component by taking the printing and mailing off of our hands and offering the digital diploma which was really important to us as well.

What has been the impact of moving to Parchment for diplomas?

We can now get students their diploma in a week after their degree is posted, compared with 8 weeks before.

As far as the digital component, we’ve received a lot of positive feedback from students. The claim rate on digital diplomas is quite high, well above 50%. It’s great to see them share their accomplishments on social media and display what they’ve worked so hard for.

Additionally, the number of returned diplomas has reduced significantly because of Parchment’s address verification feature which has improved the customer service aspect.

You also send transcripts through Parchment. Why did you make the switch for transcripts?

We had initially only thought about diplomas and improving that process. When we started to hear about the benefits of their transcript offering, we thought, ‘Why not pursue Transcript Services?’ It would allow us to have all of our credentials under one platform and make the student experience that much simpler. At the time, we were using another provider to take orders but we were printing and mailing in-house, yet another manual process. WIth Parchment, a lot of the manual work has been taken away. It was a no-brainer, really.

Describe your experience with Parchment in one word?

Seamless.

What would you say to other institutions considering Parchment?

We are in a highly digital age. It’s essential that colleges respond to what students want. Students want a digital system that is quick, easy, and transparent.

We can be so attached to paper because that’s what we are comfortable with. Moving to a digital process can be uncomfortable. But trust me, if you make the switch, you’ll be happy you did.

There’s always more to learn.