Do Colleges Have Notaries?

Do Colleges Have Notaries?

In this article we do colleges have notaries? Being in high school, the most important thing to you must be getting admission to a well-reputed college, and rightly so! However, the process doesn’t end here, does it? If you would like to know all about the admission process, then you have come to the right place! You must know that while getting admission to a good university is the first important step, other steps accompany this one immediately. 

Thus, the most vital step that accompanies getting your documents notarized! If you do not have any idea of what the word means, do not fret, for we are here to clear all your doubts. A notary is a person employed by the government and she/he takes into account all your legal documents. This person is tasked with the responsibility of checking the authenticity of your legal documents and putting his or her stamp or signature once they do. Once your document is notarized, you are eligible to produce it for further wherever it is required!

Colleges in the United States: Do They Have Notaries?

When we talk about legal documents, be sure to count in your degrees as well! Thus, while you have to get our legal documents notarized, you can also be asked to get your degrees or diplomas notarized as well. Now, the question might have become prominent in your mind: does my college have a notary?

The answer to this question is not simple, since it majorly depends from college to college. So, in a way, while colleges or universities such as the University of South Alabama, Ball State University, Cornell University, UCI University, Washington University, and others do have their notaries, many others don’t. Now, this ambiguity leads to the two processes being differentiated, i.e, if your college has a notary, you will have to follow a certain process to get your documents verified, and if your college doesn’t have a notary, you will have to follow a different process. Let us move ahead and have a look at them!

What is the Process if My College Has a Notary?

If you are in one of the above-mentioned colleges and you want to know the process to get your documents notarized, then you have come to the right place! Read ahead to find out the process that you have to go through.

  1. You can get your documents notarized either online or offline. For online, you will have to send the required documents to the email provided by your college/university. Make sure that the documents are scanned and in a pdf form so that you can easily take a printout. Moreover, mention your full name, date of birth, contact number, and your current residing address in the email.
  2. For the offline process, you can mail your documents to the address provided by your university. For instance, if you are a student of Cornell University, then you can mail your original documents to this address: Cornell University, Office of the University Registrar, B07 Day Hall, Ithaca, NY 14853. The authorities at the university will verify your documents, and once notarized, will send them back to your address via mail.
  3. The process does not end after you receive your notarized documents. When you receive the notarized documents, you have to further acquire a notarial certificate from the Tompkins County Clerk. To do this, all you need to do is send the original request to get your documents notarized, your notarized documents, and you will have to pay $3 per document to the Tompkins County Clerk. After this, you will receive your notarial certificate!

What is the Process if my College Doesn’t Have a Notary?

If your college does not have a notary, do not fret for we have made a list of the process that you need to go through to make it easier for you! Read ahead to find out.

  1. The first thing to do is obtain all your original documents from the college or university authorities. Since your college does not have a notary, you will have to get your documents notarized from outside, and to do this, you must have your original documents.
  2. Once you acquire your original documents, you must file an online request to get your documents notarized at the state Notary Public Administration office. 
  3. When your request gets accepted, you will be given an address. You must mail your documents to this address, along with a copy of other documents such as your resident proof or driver’s license. These documents must not only give proof of your residence but also of your full name, date of birth, your current residing address, and your contact information.
  4. You can contact the Notary Public Administration office and get information about the time it will take to get your documents notarized. 
  5. When verified, you will receive all your documents, original and copies, to your address via mail. In addition, you will also be provided with a notarial certificate. And voila! The process ends here.

What Do the Duties or Responsibilities of a Notary Entail?

Now that you have all the information you need, if you are further interested in how a notary is supposed to perform his or her job, then this is the right place for you, indeed! A notary is not just supposed to verify your college documents but also other important legal documents! 

Verifying documents are two broad terms. This doesn’t just mean verifying documents and putting stamps on them. A notary is responsible for identifying frauds and scams. Moreover, a notary’s other duties include verifying and recording the identification of agreement, having a notary journal to document all requests and cases, keeping the documents that need to be notarized in a safe deposit so that they don’t get lost, making sure that the applicant’s age is 18 years old or above 18 years old, and taking affidavits and statutory declarations. Besides, a notary hands loan documents, marriage certificates, contracts, and many other documents.

Conclusion

By now, one must be aware of the process that need to go through to get college documents notarized. The process is slightly different if colleges has its notary than if colleges does not have a notaries. Nevertheless, the documents and the details that you have to provide remain the same! Moreover, it is recommended that you read the instructions carefully before you send your original documents. In addition to this, you have also been informed about what the duties of a notary entail, so even if you have other legal documents to get notarized, you know where to go!

Frequently Asked Questions:
  1. Does Ball State University have a notary?

Yes, it does.

  1. Where to file a request if colleges does not have a notaries?

The State Notary Public Administration office.