Duograduate | Celebrate Your Duolingo Achievement

Our Story

Duograduate was born from a moment of personal frustration and pride. After dedicating 1,227 days—more than three years—to completing the German course on Duolingo, I was met with... nothing. No certificate, no recognition, just straight into the daily refresh.

Throughout those three years, Duolingo had gamified every aspect of learning—badges, high fives, leaderboards, streaks—but when I reached the ultimate achievement of completing the entire course, there was no culminating moment to mark this significant milestone.

Disappointed, I reached out to Duolingo support with this email:

Hi there,

My name's Chase Frankenfeld. I just completed the full German course on Duolingo. Support hasn't gotten back to me, so I thought I'd try here.

I had two quick things:

Curiosity: Is it possible to find out how many people have completed the German course before me, or roughly what number I might be in line? I imagine it's a small group, and I'd love to know where I stand.
Feedback: As a product full of gamification, badges, and milestones, I was a bit surprised (and honestly a little disappointed) that there wasn't a certificate or moment of recognition at the end. After over 3 years of learning, I expected something to mark the achievement — instead I was dropped straight into the daily refresher.

Appreciate your time, and thanks in advance for any help you can offer.

And thanks for allowing me to play German with you the last 3 years. It's been a blast!

Kind regards,
Chase Frankenfeld

The response I received was from "Oscar AI Support," who congratulated me but essentially said they don't track completion data (which seemed unlikely) and don't offer certificates. The AI suggested I try the "Inversion Method" instead—adding the English course for German speakers.

I was livid. Not only was there no recognition for my achievement, but I was being redirected by an AI that couldn't even acknowledge the significance of completing a full language course after years of dedication.

That's when I decided: if Duolingo wouldn't create certificates to celebrate these achievements, I would. And not just for myself, but for every language learner who completes a course and wants something tangible to show for their hard work and perseverance.

In 2023, I gathered a small team of language enthusiasts and designers to create Duograduate. Our mission is simple: to give fellow language learners the recognition they deserve with personalized certificates and custom merchandise that showcase their achievements.

Our Mission

At Duograduate, our mission is simple: to celebrate language learning milestones in a fun and meaningful way. We believe that learning a new language is a significant accomplishment that deserves recognition, and we're here to help you commemorate your journey.

While we're not officially affiliated with Duolingo, we share their passion for making language learning accessible, enjoyable, and rewarding. Our certificates and merchandise are designed to complement your Duolingo experience and give you a tangible reminder of your achievement.

What We Offer

Personalized Certificates: Digital and printed certificates customized with your name, language, and streak days.
Custom Merchandise: T-shirts, hats, mugs, and more featuring your language achievement and streak count.
Community Recognition: A way to share your language learning success with friends, family, and fellow learners.

Our Values

At Duograduate, we're guided by these core values:

Celebration: We believe in celebrating educational achievements, no matter how small.
Honesty: We're transparent about our unofficial status and the purpose of our certificates.
Quality: We create high-quality certificates and merchandise that you'll be proud to display.
Community: We support the global community of language learners in their educational journeys.

Meet the Team

Duograduate is run by a small team of language enthusiasts, designers, and developers who are passionate about celebrating educational achievements. We're based in various locations around the world and collectively speak over a dozen languages (many of which we learned with the help of Duolingo!).

A Note on Our Status