How to Prove Your Degree When Your School is Closed or Destroyed

When your university shuts down, gets merged, or disappears in a conflict, it can feel like your education never happened. You are holding a diploma that nobody can confirm, and suddenly, a job, licensing board, or admissions office treats years of work like a question mark. This is a growing crisis, as attacks on educational institutions have left 234 million school-age children living in conflict-affected zones. For refugees and displaced professionals, this isn't just paperwork; it is your future on pause, especially since only 9% of refugee youth benefit from tertiary education.

The emotional weight of seeing your hard-earned qualifications questioned can be overwhelming, but you are not stuck, even if the registrar is gone. Credential evaluators are seeing more cases like this, with reconstruction requests rising about 20% in recent cycles. Many agencies now accept partial evidence if you can document it and translate it correctly. We help you handle the first step correctly with certified translations that are ready for review.

Let’s get right into it!

Why Closed Universities Pose a Unique Credential Challenge

When a university closes, the verification pipeline usually collapses with it. The registrar's office disappears, archives get boxed up or lost, and email domains go dark, so nobody can confirm enrollment dates, coursework, or graduation. Sometimes records move during mergers, but they are incomplete or trapped behind new bureaucratic policies. In conflict zones, the damage is harsher: buildings are destroyed, staff are displaced, and paper files do not survive.

This creates a specific problem for credential evaluation because most systems were built around contacting the school for official transcripts. Refugees, asylum seekers, and expatriates often cannot meet that standard, even with a real diploma, because there is no institution left to authenticate it. Evaluators are responding with partial evidence rules and digital footprint checks, but they still need a coherent trail. Check out our article about expert opinion letters to see how we handle high-stakes professional validation.

Given these realities, how can displaced professionals still validate their academic past? It requires a proactive approach to gathering alternative evidence.

First Step: Gather What You Can (Even If Incomplete)

Start by collecting every scrap of academic proof you still have, even if it is old, damaged, or incomplete. Helpful items include a student ID card, a diploma photo, a scanned copy, a graduation program, grade sheets, or a professional license tied to your education. Don't ignore course syllabi saved on a laptop, emails from professors, or alumni membership records. These pieces matter because many evaluators can reconstruct credentials using a partial evidence approach.

Your job is to build a consistent trail. Match names across documents, note date ranges, and keep originals untouched while working from clear scans. If your documents are not in English, translate every single item you plan to submit, as untranslated evidence often won't be considered by reviewers. Check out our article about high school diploma evaluations for a look at foundational record gathering.

Once you have gathered your packet, you will usually need one more thing to connect the dots: an affidavit. This sworn statement acts as a bridge for missing records.

How to Write (and Use) an Affidavit of Accuracy

An affidavit of accuracy is a sworn statement where you explain what you studied, when you attended, and why official records cannot be obtained. You usually write and sign it because you are the person with firsthand knowledge. Keep it factual: your legal name, school name, program, attendance dates, and a list of the documents you do have. Add a short timeline of what happened to the institution, whether it was a closure, conflict, or merger.

To strengthen it, attach copies of your secondary evidence and have the affidavit notarized if possible. Many evaluators will consider a signed statement if it is backed by consistent translations. You can also include a supporting statement from a former professor or employer who can confirm your identity and educational history. This is vital when foreign degree combination rules might complicate your application.

This affidavit becomes the anchor of your submission, providing the context evaluators need to approve a reconstruction case.

Choosing the Right Evaluation Provider: What to Look For

Start with credibility because a degree evaluation only matters if your employer, school, or immigration office accepts it. Look for a provider that follows widely recognized standards with transparent methodology. They should spell out what they need from you, how they handle name mismatches, and what official means in cases where official documents can no longer exist.

Next, filter for flexibility. More evaluators now have a real pathway for missing transcripts, but not all of them do it well. Prioritize providers that explicitly accept alternative documentation like partial grade sheets or student IDs. Ask upfront whether they will consider digital footprint checks, such as archived university sites.

Once you have shortlisted providers, make sure your documents are translated to the standard they require. If your target school requires a NACES member evaluation specifically, you should confirm their policy on closed institutions before proceeding.

Important Note: Please verify with your prospective U.S. schools whether they require a NACES-member evaluation service before ordering, as university admissions often have specific membership requirements.

Evaluating Credentials from Conflict Zones: Unique Considerations

Credentials from conflict zones get handled differently because the usual verification chain is broken. Records may be destroyed, staff displaced, or contact with institutions may be unsafe. Evaluators rely on consistency checks across multiple sources, plus digital verification of old catalogs and online footprints. This is why some providers run special pathways for refugees and crisis-affected applicants.

A common reconstruction case involves a professional who has a diploma photo and a few grade sheets but no official transcript. The evaluator may accept this partial evidence if every item is translated and the story is supported by an affidavit. Handwritten notes, stamps, and seals are reviewed closely here. If names changed across documents, evaluators usually want a clear explanation and supporting ID.

A Step-by-Step Guide to Reconstructing Your Academic Record

Reconstruction is not a guess; it is a documented trail. With reconstruction requests rising in recent years, many evaluators now expect these specialized packages when official registrar contact is impossible.

Follow these five steps: 1. Gather everything from diploma photos to professor emails. 2. Scan clearly without cropping stamps. 3. Translate every piece using certified translation. 4. Write a personal affidavit. 5. Apply through an evaluator who accepts alternative documentation.

Translation Matters: When and Why Certified Translations Are Required

If you are using alternative records, translation is what makes your evidence usable. Immigration offices and universities typically will not evaluate what they cannot read. The partial evidence rule only works when every piece of evidence is translated, including stamps, seals, and handwritten notes. A certified translation means the translator provides a signed statement of accuracy, identifying the responsible company.

That certification is what turns a translation into something an admissions reviewer or USCIS officer can rely on. It also helps avoid delays caused by inconsistent terms or missing context. Check out our article about academic recognition to see the full list of options. If your documents are faded or torn, certified translation matters even more because accuracy depends on careful human review.

MotaWord Academic Evaluation: Your Go-To Option When Schools Are Gone

If your university closed, merged, or disappeared in a conflict, a standard official transcript process can hit a wall. We built our Academic Evaluations for exactly these cases, where you are working with partial evidence and need a report that decision makers can trust.

Here is what you get with us:

• 72-Hour Delivery: We process most standard cases in three days once your file is complete.
• Affordable Pricing: Standard Evaluations for $65 and Course by Course for $120.
• Flexible Review: We can review affidavits, secondary evidence, and damaged documents.
• Certified Translations: Submit one clean packet with everything included.
• Privacy First: Secure handling for refugees and politically sensitive cases.

Visit our evaluation services page to ask for an evaluation sample, so you can see how we can package your fragments of history into a professional document before committing.

Frequently Asked Questions

What if I have no transcripts, only a photo of my diploma?

Yes, you can still move forward. Many evaluators will review a diploma photo if you also submit secondary evidence like student IDs or grade sheets. You must translate every single page you submit, including stamps, or it may be ignored.

Can I still evaluate a foreign degree if my university was destroyed?

Often, yes. Evaluators now accept partial evidence plus a sworn statement when the school cannot respond. Some may also verify your school's digital footprint using archived websites and old catalogs.

What is an affidavit of accuracy, and who can write it?

It is a signed statement explaining what you studied and why official records cannot be obtained. You typically write it yourself, and you can add supporting statements from former professors or employers.

Will our certified translation work for immigration forms?

Yes, we provide certified translations built for USCIS and other official requirements.

What is the cost and time for evaluating a diploma from a closed school?

At MotaWord, you can get a report in 72 hours for as low as $65. Legacy providers often take weeks and charge significantly more for reconstruction cases.

Your Education Still Matters: Use MotaWord to Evaluate & Translate Lost Diplomas

If your university is gone, your education is not. Even with the current global instability, evaluators are used to reviewing partial evidence when official records do not exist. Refugees and displaced professionals rebuild their stories every day, and you can too.

We will help you turn scattered proof into a clean, credible submission. Bring whatever you have, from diploma photos to professor emails, and we will translate it in a way evaluators can use.

Are you ready to reclaim your academic history? Get started with MotaWord Academic Evaluation Services today and move forward with the recognition you deserve.

Mark Rogers - Head of Evaluation Services at MotaWord

Mark is a credentials evaluator expert with over five years of experience in the industry. Throughout his career, Mark has demonstrated a keen attention to detail and a thorough understanding of international education systems, contributing to his reputation as a trusted authority in the field of credentials evaluation.