How York County Community College Delivers with Digital & Print Diplomas

Learn why York County Community College calls Parchment’s solution for digital and print diplomas a “game changer” for their institution.

In the past, it would take York County Community College months to order and issue diplomas to their graduates, which was frustrating for everyone. How could they improve the inefficiency of issuing diplomas while delivering on the expectations of students?

The solution: Parchment Award – Diploma Services.

A Real Game-Changer

Before transitioning to Parchment’s Diploma Services, the biggest challenge for York County Community College was time. Every year, the diploma ordering and issuing process took months. Jessica Masi, Director of Enrollment Services, describes the laborious process, “We ordered the diplomas in bulk, months in advance. We would then have to circulate the diplomas around multiple offices for the official signatures. That took a long time. We would then have to manually pull out all the students who didn’t end up graduating. It was a really lengthy process.” When exploring a potential fix, York County Community College looked for a solution that would take weeks or even days, instead of months. When they implemented Parchment’s Diploma Services, they were shocked to find that it took just hours.

Implementation Experience

While reducing the administrative burden on staff was important, the solution needed to be centered around the student. With Parchment Diploma Services, students receive a digital and print diploma with transparent tracking information that lets them know what to expect throughout the process. Jessica says, “The amount of phone calls we receive has been dramatically reduced. If you’re in our world, you know that means that students are finding the process more transparent and more user-friendly. We don’t get the ‘Where is my diploma?’ question nearly as much as we used to.”

YCCC didn’t initially seek out a digital option but has been surprised by the impact. With a digital and print diploma going to students, it’s allowed students another avenue to see and share their hard-earned credentials. Jessica describes the impact of issuing a digital diploma, “We didn’t seek out a digital solution initially, but the digital diploma has been a pleasant surprise, and our students enjoy getting the digital version. To have a digital artifact of their accomplishments that they can share on social media is a welcome addition.”

One Platform for Credentialing

Making the switch to Parchment’s Diploma Services was made easier because YCCC had used Parchment’s Transcript Services for many years.
Not only was it easier to make the leap with a vendor they trusted, but the platforms worked symbiotically from a financial standpoint. Jessica describes how Transcript Services benefitted their move to Diploma Services by saying, “It’s nice to work with one vendor, a vendor that we trust. And for us, we make the diploma service work financially through our Transcript Services contract. It was really a seamless experience expanding all of our credentialing to Parchment, and I’m happy we did.”

Initially impressed with Parchment’s solution, YCCC was waiting for the fine print to bring her back down to earth. “I kept expecting to hear bad news. I kept waiting for hidden fees along the way, but they never came. It was that easy. I tell other institutions that all the time. Trust me, it delivers on what you want.”

There’s always more to learn.