# Certificate of completion: sample and template

> What a certificate of completion should include, sample wording for courses and training, the print size, and how to make one for every person on a list.

Canonical: https://bannerify.co/blog/certificate-of-completion
Last updated: 2026-10-13

By Duc An, 2026-10-13.

A certificate of completion is a document that says a person finished a course, a training, or a program. Schools, training teams, online course creators, and event organizers give one at the end, as proof and as a small reward.

This guide covers what to put on it, sample wording you can copy, the size to print, and how to make one for every person on a list. To make one now, use the free [certificate generator](https://bannerify.co/tools/certificate-generator).

## Completion is not certification

A certificate of completion says that someone took part and finished. A professional certification says that someone passed an assessment against a standard, usually set by an independent body, and it often expires. So write what the person did, such as "completed 12 hours of training", and do not call it a certification or a license.

The value of a certificate of completion comes from the organization that gives it. Put your name on it, and give people a way to check it.

## What to include

1. **The title.** "Certificate of Completion", in the largest type after the name.
2. **The name of the person.** Check the spelling against your list.
3. **A line before and after the name**, such as "This certifies that" and "has completed".
4. **The course or the program**, with its level or length: "Advanced Excel, 12 hours".
5. **Your organization**, with the logo.
6. **The date** of completion.
7. **A signature**, with the name and the role of the signer.
8. **A certificate number**, so that you can confirm the certificate when someone asks.

You can also add the grade or the result, the place, the credit hours, and a QR code that opens a page where people can check the certificate.

## Sample wording

Copy a line and change the details in brackets.

- **Online course.** This certifies that [Name] has completed [Course name], a [6]-week online course with [24] hours of lessons and a final project.
- **Workshop.** Presented to [Name] for completing the [Workshop name] workshop on [date] in [city].
- **Employee training.** This certifies that [Name] has completed [Training name] and met the requirements of the [Company] training program.
- **Safety training.** [Name] has completed [8] hours of [topic] training, including a practical exercise, on [date].
- **Internship.** This certifies that [Name] has completed an internship as [role] at [Company], from [start date] to [end date].
- **Volunteer program.** Presented to [Name] in recognition of [40] hours of volunteer work with [Organization] in [year].

## Size and layout

- **Paper.** A4 (210 × 297 mm) in most countries, and US Letter (8.5 × 11 in) in the US and Canada. Landscape is the usual layout, and portrait works too.
- **Pixels for print.** At 300 DPI, A4 is 2480 × 3508 pixels and US Letter is 2550 × 3300 pixels. A smaller image prints blurry. The free [image DPI checker](https://bannerify.co/tools/image-dpi-checker) shows the DPI and the print size of an image.
- **Screen.** For email or a LinkedIn post, a landscape image about 1600 pixels wide is enough.
- **Margins.** Keep text at least 10 mm from the edge, because many printers do not print to the edge.
- **Fonts.** Use two at most: a serif or script font for the name, and a simple font for the rest.

## Make one in a minute

The free [certificate generator](https://bannerify.co/tools/certificate-generator) has four templates, two of them A4 at 300 DPI. Type the name and the details, and download the PNG. You need no account, and the image has no watermark.

## Make one for every person on a list

Typing names one at a time works for five people. For 30 or 3,000, automate it. There are two ways with Bannerify.

### From a spreadsheet

Copy a certificate template from the [gallery](https://bannerify.co/gallery#certificate) and give the layers that change clear names, such as `name`, `course`, and `date`. Put your list in a CSV or XLSX file, with one column per layer and one row per person. The **Bulk** page matches the columns to the layers, makes one certificate per row, and gives each one a hosted image URL. Export the results as a new spreadsheet, and send the links with a mail merge. [Bulk generation](https://bannerify.co/docs/essentials/bulk-generation) has the details, and [certificates from an Excel list](https://bannerify.co/blog/certificates-from-excel) compares this with a Word mail merge and Canva.

### From your course platform

When the certificate must go out as soon as a person finishes, call the [PDF generation API](https://bannerify.co/product/pdf-generation-api) from the webhook of your course platform or form tool:

```ts
import { Bannerify } from "bannerify-js"

const bannerify = new Bannerify(process.env.BANNERIFY_API_KEY!)

// Runs when a student finishes the course, for example in a webhook handler.
const { result: pdf, error } = await bannerify.createPdf("tpl_your_certificate", {
  modifications: [
    { name: "name", text: student.name },
    { name: "course", text: course.title },
    { name: "date", text: "14 October 2026" },
    { name: "number", text: `CERT-${enrollment.id}` },
  ],
})
```

`pdf` holds the file, ready to attach to an email. Without code, [Zapier or n8n](https://bannerify.co/integrations) do the same: a new completion in your form or course tool starts the flow, Bannerify makes the certificate, and the next step emails it.

## Make it easy to check

A certificate number is enough for most courses. Keep a list of the numbers you gave, and confirm one when an employer asks. For more trust, add a QR code that opens a page on your site with the name, the course, and the date. In Bannerify, a QR code layer takes its value from the spreadsheet or the API, like a text layer.

## Try it

[Make a certificate now](https://bannerify.co/tools/certificate-generator), free and without an account. When you need one for every student, copy the template into Bannerify. The free plan includes 100 generations a month, and Automate starts at $29 a month for 3,000. Details on [pricing](https://bannerify.co/pricing).

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