Sheffield Polytechnic Degree Verification and Apostille

Ginkgo Advisory provides Sheffield Polytechnic degree verification and apostille services for graduates using their qualifications overseas.

Our service can include:

• HEDD degree verification;
• CNAA award checks where required;
• enhanced solicitor certification;
• authenticity confirmation;
• FCDO paper apostille or e-Apostille;
• a 2-working-day express apostille option; and
• embassy legalisation where required.

Sheffield Polytechnic opened in 1969. In 1976, it became Sheffield City Polytechnic, which later became Sheffield Hallam University in 1992.

Who verifies the qualification?

Sheffield Hallam University verifies Sheffield Polytechnic qualifications through HEDD.

HEDD is the University’s exclusive third-party verification route. It can check:

• current or former student status;
• the qualification awarded;
• the grade or classification; and
• attendance dates.

The current HEDD enquiry fee is £14.

Contact: certificates@shu.ac.uk

Strict consent requirements

Sheffield Hallam requires a consent form that:

• carries the candidate’s handwritten signature;
• is dated within the previous three months; and
• is uploaded as a PDF, JPG, PNG or TIF file.

Therefore, an unsigned, digitally signed or outdated form may prevent verification.

Information required

We normally request:

• the front and back of the certificate;
• any available transcript;
• the graduate’s passport;
• full name used during study;
• any former name;
• date of birth;
• student number, if known;
• course and qualification titles;
• award year and classification;
• attendance dates;
• valid signed consent; and
• the intended country of use.

Exact names and dates improve the chance of a successful historic-record match.

Check the awarding body

Sheffield Polytechnic did not award every qualification in its own name.

An older certificate may name:

• the Council for National Academic Awards, or CNAA;
• BTEC;
• an HNC or HND awarding body;
• another university; or
• a professional organisation.

Sheffield Hallam advises graduates from 1992 or earlier to contact the original awarding body for replacement award certificates. Undergraduate and postgraduate awards may require The Open University, while BTEC, HNC and HND awards may require Pearson.

Therefore, the certificate itself should guide the verification and replacement-document route.

CNAA verification

Where the certificate names CNAA, The Open University can verify the final award from the CNAA archive.

It can provide:

• a certificate-style pro forma;
• a verification letter; or
• email verification.

The current fee is £60. Third-party requests require the graduate’s hand-signed authorisation and may take up to seven working days.

However, the CNAA archive only contains final-award information. It does not provide detailed transcript records.

A strong evidence pack may therefore combine:

Sheffield Hallam HEDD verification + CNAA award confirmation

Transcripts and official letters

Sheffield Hallam offers an Award Verification Letter for £10.

The letter can confirm:

• the course;
• the award and classification;
• the mode of attendance;
• study dates, where available; and
• that the course was taught in English and face to face, where applicable.

The University aims to issue it within 10 working days. However, study dates are not guaranteed for records from before 2004.

Historic transcripts may also be available.

For study before 2003, Sheffield Hallam must search archived paper records manually. The current fee is £40. Production can take up to eight weeks, and the University cannot guarantee a complete transcript.

Replacement certificates

Sheffield Hallam’s standard replacement-certificate service only covers awards gained after 1992.

Therefore, a Sheffield Polytechnic graduate should contact the original awarding body rather than order a standard Sheffield Hallam replacement certificate.

For example:

• CNAA awards may require an Open University pro forma;
• BTEC, HNC and HND awards may require Pearson; and
• another validating institution may control its own documents.

Enhanced solicitor certification

A standard certified true copy confirms that the copy matches the original document shown to the solicitor.

However, it does not independently prove that the qualification is genuine.

Enhanced solicitor certification can also use academic evidence. Depending on the case, our solicitor may:

1. obtain HEDD verification;
2. identify the correct awarding body;
3. obtain CNAA or other awarding-body confirmation;
4. review the original certificate;
5. compare a transcript or verification letter;
6. check the graduate’s identity and former names; and
7. certify the document using wording supported by the evidence.

We only confirm authenticity where reliable verification supports that conclusion.

FCDO apostille

After verification and solicitor certification, an eligible document can normally proceed to the FCDO for an apostille.

The usual route is:

academic verification → enhanced solicitor certification → FCDO apostille

The FCDO checks the relevant UK signature, stamp or seal. It does not independently verify the underlying academic record.

Ginkgo Advisory offers a 2-working-day express FCDO apostille option for eligible and correctly prepared documents.

However, this period covers the FCDO stage only. It does not include:

• HEDD processing;
• CNAA verification;
• historic archive searches;
• transcript or letter production;
• solicitor enquiries;
• embassy legalisation; or
• delivery.

Both paper apostilles and e-Apostilles are available. An e-Apostille requires an eligible PDF electronically signed by a UK solicitor or notary.

Embassy legalisation

Some destinations require embassy or consular legalisation after the FCDO stage.

A typical further process may involve:

1. FCDO legalisation;
2. legalisation by the destination country’s embassy in London; and
3. approval by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the destination country.

Therefore, we check the destination requirements before preparing the documents.

Our process

1. Review the certificate and identify the awarding body.
2. Obtain a hand-signed consent form dated within three months.
3. Submit the Sheffield Hallam HEDD request.
4. Obtain CNAA or other awarding-body evidence where required.
5. Review available transcripts or official letters.
6. Complete enhanced solicitor certification where supported.
7. Arrange the FCDO apostille.
8. Complete embassy legalisation where required.
9. Return the completed documents.

Frequently asked questions

Is a Sheffield Polytechnic qualification still valid?

Yes. The later institutional name changes do not invalidate a recognised qualification.

Who verifies the qualification?

Sheffield Hallam University verifies former-student records through HEDD.

How much does HEDD verification cost?

The current fee is £14.

Can the consent form be digitally signed?

The published requirement specifies a hand-signed form dated within the previous three months.

Who verifies a CNAA award?

The Open University maintains the CNAA archive and currently charges £60.

Can I obtain a historic transcript?

Possibly. A pre-2003 transcript currently costs £40, may take up to eight weeks and remains subject to archive availability.

Can Sheffield Hallam issue a replacement Sheffield Polytechnic certificate?

Not through its standard replacement service. Awards from before 1992 should normally follow the original awarding-body route.

Does an apostille verify the qualification?

No. It authenticates the relevant UK signature, stamp or seal. Academic verification remains a separate stage.

Can Ginkgo Advisory arrange a 2-working-day apostille?

Yes, once academic verification and solicitor certification are complete and the document is ready for FCDO submission.

Contact Ginkgo Advisory

To request a quote, please send:

• the front and back of the certificate;
• any available transcript;
• the award year;
• the intended country of use; and
• the receiving authority’s instructions.