Contact the Registrar at registrar@harding.edu with questions or to request this authentication of transcript or diploma. A fee of $100 is required. Most of this processing fee will be used to pay for the cost for the authentication through the Arkansas Secretary of State's office and for shipping the documents to you via FedEx.
A student may send a signed request to the University Registrar detailing to which particular document the Apostille should be attached (usually a transcript, diploma or statement of certification of graduation) and mentioning the country to which it is being sent. If you make a copy of a diploma, we recommend it be reduced to standard-sized paper. Because of the labor and charges associated with the preparation of this statement, the student should send $100 cash, traveler's check or international money order for each Apostille requested, made payable to Harding University and submitted to the business office noting that it is for an Apostille. A personal check drawn on a U.S. bank is acceptable, and the Business Office (501-279-4336) can also take credit card payments over the phone.
We prepare the document normally except that the signature and embossed seal over the signature are affixed in the presence of a notary public or the local Clerk of Courts. The notarized documents are then sent by Harding University, along with a check for the charges, to the Arkansas Secretary of State with a cover letter explaining what is wanted, including the name of the country in which the Apostille is expected to be used. When the Apostille and original document are received back, we send the whole package on to the originally requested address.
The whole process usually takes three to four weeks. Those requesting this process should understand that it may take longer if the Registrar must produce a replacement diploma for this process. Replacement diplomas are ordered through a link on the Registrar's Office webpage (harding.edu/registrar). There is an additional fee for printing a new diploma.
The U.S. Department of State also has an Office of Authentications which will provide a federal authentication for specific purposes, for countries which are not part of the Hague Convention, and rarely for a federal Apostille.