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How to Make a Certificate of Completion

Make certificates of completion, appreciation or achievement on iPhone: what goes on one, how to word and sign it, and how to print one for every name.

  • How-to
  • Certificate Cat

A pottery course ends on Friday, a coaching clinic wraps up for the season, a team of volunteers finishes a long project. Everyone should go home with a certificate that has their own name on it, and nobody wants to type the same page twenty times. This guide walks through what a certificate of completion usually says, then how to make one, or one for every name on your list, with Certificate Cat, our certificate maker for iPhone.

What goes on a certificate of completion

Most certificates of completion carry the same few things:

  • A title. "Certificate of Completion" says what it is at a glance.
  • The person's name, spelled the way they spell it.
  • What they completed. The course, training or workshop, and if you like the hours or the dates: "for completing Spreadsheet Basics (6 hours)".
  • Who gives it: your school, club, team or business.
  • A date, usually the day the course ended.
  • A signature, with the name and role of whoever signs, like the trainer or the head coach. Some certificates have two.

A certificate of appreciation or achievement has the same parts. Only the words change: "With thanks to" in place of "This certificate is awarded to", and a line about what the person gave or achieved.

Make a certificate of completion in Certificate Cat

  1. Pick a kind. On the home screen, under Start a certificate, tap Completion. The title starts as Certificate of Completion and the line above the name as This certificate is awarded to. For the other kinds, tap Thank you for a Certificate of Appreciation or Achievement for a Certificate of Achievement. There's also Star award, Taking part and Your own, which starts with a blank title.
  2. Write the words. Under Words, change the Title, the line Above the name and the line Under the name. Put what they completed under the name. A line you leave empty prints as nothing.
  3. Say who it's from and who signs. Under Signed and dated, type From: your school, club, team or business. Under Signature lines, pick None, One or Two. Add a name and a Role under each line if you like. The lines themselves stay blank so you can sign by hand.
  4. Set the date. Print the date starts on, with today's date. Change it to the day the course ended, or turn it off.
  5. Pick a design. Classic, Rosette, Modern and Stars are free, each in one of eight colours. A Completion certificate starts in Modern. Under Paper, pick Letter or A4; certificates print landscape.
  6. Add the name. Type it under Names. Leave Names empty and the certificate prints with a line to write a name on by hand.

The preview at the top shows the certificate as it will print. Certificate Cat never fills in a name, a signer or an organisation for you; only what you type goes on the page.

A new certificate starts with the same From, signers and paper as your most recent one, so you don't type your organisation and your own name again.

Make one for every name on your list

This is where a certificate of completion takes the longest by hand, and where Certificate Cat saves the retyping.

  • Paste the whole list. Under Names, type one name per line, or tap Paste. You can paste from Notes, an email or a spreadsheet column. A single line with commas ("Ana, Ben, Cara") works too, and bullets or numbers in front of names are removed.
  • One certificate per name. You get a certificate for each name, all with the same words, signers and design. Flip through them in the preview with the arrows or by swiping.
  • Up to 500 names on one certificate. For a longer list, split it into two certificates.
  • A line for each person (Pro). With Certificate Cat Pro, type a line after a dash, like "Maya Chen - Most improved reader", and that line prints under that person's name only. Without Pro, the name still prints and the extra line is kept for later.

Making a certificate for every name is part of the free app.

Tap Print & share at the bottom of the certificate.

  • Print, or Print all 20 for a list of 20, opens your iPhone's print options. If your printer takes card stock, pick it there.
  • Share PDF sends one PDF with a page for each name, in the order of your list, to email, your files or another app.
  • Share picture, or Share 20 pictures for a list, makes one picture per name, for Messages or email. Pictures are made for up to 50 names; the PDF always has every one.
  • Preview full size shows the PDF first.

Running the same course again next term? On the home screen, tap ⋯ next to the certificate and choose Duplicate for a new list. It keeps the words, signers and design with an empty list of names.

Advertising the course itself? See how to make a flyer on iPhone. Selling class passes or a course as a gift? See how to make a gift certificate on iPhone.

What it costs

Certificates for as many names as you like, the four designs, signature lines, Print, the PDF and pictures cost nothing. There's no watermark: nothing is printed on your certificate except your certificate. There's no trial, no sign-up, no account, no ads and no subscription. Certificate Cat Pro, a one-time purchase, adds three more designs (Gilded, Heritage and Confetti), a line for each person, and your logo at the top of every certificate. More on the Certificate Cat page.

Your certificates and lists of names are kept on your device and in your own backups unless you share, save or print them. In the app's own words: Certificate Cat prints certificates of recognition that you write and sign. It isn't a school, an exam board or an accrediting body, and a certificate made with it isn't a qualification or a licence.

Quick answers

How do I make a certificate of completion on iPhone?
In Certificate Cat, tap Completion, type what was completed under the name, add who it's from and who signs, then type or paste the names. Tap Print & share to print it or send it as a PDF.

How do I make a certificate of appreciation?
The same way, but tap Thank you. It starts as Certificate of Appreciation with "With thanks to" above the name. Under the name, say what you're thanking them for.

Can I make certificates with different names all at once?
Yes, for free. Paste your list into Names and you get one certificate per name, in one PDF with a page each.

Try Certificate Cat

Try Certificate Cat: free, no watermark, no sign-up → iyio.com/apps/certificate-cat