Digital Diplomas

I don’t even have my undergrad diploma. I think it was mailed to my parents or something.

My B.A. diploma date is a month before the final math class project required for credit, completed for me by a friend running my punch cards through the mainframe at the university computer building.

I would like to frame my FCAS diploma personally, but the Parchment “badge” I just received looks like a joke. Is there an alternative to order a real diploma or am I stuck displaying my ACAS one forever?


I was looking at it on my phone and didn’t see this. There’s an option to order a certificate or a diploma, but no preview of what the diploma looks like and it’s $60.

I don’t recall paying for my ACAS diploma. Did you guys pay for your FCAS diploma?

I received an email about a digital badge, not ACAS or FCAS, just an exam badge. It looks like the CAS is trying to push their social media engagement by having people post flairs or badges for every exam pass.
In addition, digital diplomas cost $40!! For real? I paid thousands of dollars and years of my life for these exams and you can’t even send me a pdf for free?

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What an absolute farce. Why do I get the feeling that someone at the CAS is getting a kickback for this bullshit?

I was thinking about volunteering to do some exam grading, but with the CAS seemingly starting to view members as piggy banks (charging for diplomas, charging for practice exams etc.) they can get fucked and pay for graders.

Clown show.

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I am scaling back my volunteer activities. I no longer feel like a member, I feel like a customer.

I feel the same way.

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Yeah. Paying for a diploma is a shit move.

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So glad to find this conversation. I had a similar reaction as most of you.

I was very much looking forward to framing and hanging my FCAS diploma, but now feel that joy has been robbed of me by the petty move of the CAS to charge for a print after the thousands of dollars in exam and member fees, not to mention the time and effort involved in achieving the credential.

Afaik, no other professional organization requires a fee for the diploma, though I only did a quick search.

I have an active email with some CAS staff expressing my disappointment and seeking information on how they arrived at this change.

Does anyone recall if there was a survey or any member opinion solicited? I don’t.

For reference, this is what the digital badge looks like.

This digital badge is free to download but if you try to download a certificate or diploma (either paper or digital) all options have a $60 charge.

According to an email I got this morning from the CAS “there is no fee for the digital diploma, the fees are only for the printed versions” but as of now, I see a fee if I try to access anything other than this digital badge (which is quite disappointing, so I certainly won’t be sharing it on social media.) Maybe they’ll change it in the coming days, but it’s not like I can easily print a diploma from the digital copy anyway since my ACAS diploma has an actual seal on it.

I know the printed diploma doesn’t matter much to some people but I was actually looking forward to framing it at my home office. I like the physical reminder that I worked hard and had a lot of sleepless nights to get to that accomplishment, and it’s such a small gesture from a credentialing organization to provide a piece of paper of recognition that some people do care about.

The annual dues should make up for whatever cost there is to get these printed especially considering I’ll be paying those dues for the next 20-30 years…
Also want to mention that any other accomplishment I’ve ever had in my life has given me the accompanying certificate or diploma for free so it feels strange to pay extra for something I already put so much time, money, and work into accomplishing.

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What exactly are they doing with all this money. Not paying the volunteers, that’s what.

I WFH and have in here with me every exam pass framed along with my framed ACAS, FCAS and university diploma.

Not providing a physical diploma is ridiculous, I certainly would have voted against it.

you get the same digital recognition for FCAS as for completing 1.8 hours of CE in a webinar? that is awful.

im someone who does not display mine. it’s in a carboard tube. but if they didn’t give me one i’d be unhappy.

Honestly, who at the CAS is in charge of making these types of decisions? The more I think about it, the more ludicrous it is.

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I appreciate your contributions.

Sucks that the CAS membership has to suffer. Our fault for not being engaged enough to combat the institutional inertia.

Wait, they are charging to DOWNLOAD a copy of your diploma?! That nuts. I can understand a small fee if they mail you a printed version with a seal and all that, especially if it turned out that most new members didn’t want it. But $60 for something that doesn’t cost them anything? That’s just petty.

Did you see the email about engagement? Most of our members who answered the survey are as engaged as they want to be, but perhaps the 5% who answered the survey are more engaged than the 95% who didn’t. Ya think?

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I have to disagree that a small fee at all is acceptable.

Certainly exam and member fees cover that small cost? Not to mention it is SOP to provide the diploma at no charge in universities and most (all?) progressional orgs.

I understand it’s an emotional reaction on my part to be upset by this…but it also damages the CAS brand.

Will I be as proud to state that I’m a member of the CAS? No. Whether justified or not, that’s the impact a “small” change like this can have.