Sending Final Transcripts to Colleges: A Comprehensive Guide

Submitting final transcripts to the college you plan to attend is a crucial step in solidifying your admission. This article provides a comprehensive guide to understanding the process, requirements, and various methods of sending your transcripts.

What is a High School Transcript?

Think of your high school transcript as a resume of your academic performance. It's a record of all the courses you’ve taken, the grades you received in each course, your cumulative grade point average (GPA), and weighted GPA if you’ve taken any honors or Advanced Placement (AP) courses. The format may vary slightly between schools, but the core information remains consistent. College admissions counselors review your transcript when considering your application, making it a vital document.

Who Needs to Submit Final Transcripts?

All admitted students are required to send final official transcripts showing all completed coursework. This is most typical for all high school students attending college starting in the fall. Even if you attended college in the past, whether it was 5, 10, or 20 years ago, you must send transcripts from all previous institutions you attended.

When to Send Final Transcripts

Typically, final transcripts are sent to the college a student decides to commit to around May 1st. When current students use the service to send a high school transcript, the service will automatically send your official high school transcript after you graduate. This saves you the trouble of completing this process so you can focus on graduation.

Where to Send Transcripts

For students applying to UT Austin, some colleges are able to submit transcripts electronically to UT Austin on your behalf using our SPEEDE server or Parchment.

When sending an electronic transcript via Parchment, select the University of Washington - Seattle, undergraduate admissions.

How to Obtain and Send Your Transcripts

High schools and school districts have their own protocols for submitting transcripts. Colleges and universities have their own protocols for submitting transcripts.

Requesting Transcripts:
- From High School: Many high schools will process a transcript request for you and send it to colleges. However, you might have to make a trip to the Student Services Office at your school and complete a transcript request form. Requesting a high school transcript through CFNC.org is free. However, some third-party services may charge a fee for each transcript that you want to send.
- From Colleges/Universities: Request one official transcript from each institution you have ever attended, regardless of length of attendance.
Methods of Sending Transcripts:
- Electronic Transcripts: Official transcripts can be sent electronically through Parchment (formerly Naviance), Transcript Network/Credential Solutions (formerly eScripSafe), Scoir, or the Common App. Note that the Common App resets for the next admissions cycle around the end of July. Transcripts sent through the Common App should arrive before that reset. Some colleges are able to submit transcripts to UT Austin on your behalf using our SPEEDE server or Parchment.
- Paper Transcripts: An original or an attested photocopy of a transcript with a fresh school stamp or seal and the institution’s authorizing signature. If you prefer to submit your application as one cohesive package, the institutions you attended can often send your official transcripts in a sealed envelope for you to include within that application package.
- Via CFNC.org: You are able to send your transcripts as part of your college application, or apart from it. To send a high school transcript through CFNC.org, start at the Application Hub. Many colleges that use the CFNC online application will ask you on the form if you’d like to send your transcript. Select up to five colleges you want to receive your transcript. If you need to send transcripts to more than five schools, just repeat the process to request a transcript again. You can choose up to five schools with each request. You can also monitor the status of your transcript requests in the Application Hub.

What Constitutes an Official Transcript?

An original or an attested photocopy of a transcript with a fresh school stamp or seal and the institution’s authorizing signature.
An electronic transcript, accepted as official only if it is sent through Parchment (formerly Naviance) or Transcript Network/Credential Solutions (formerly eScripSafe).

Official VS. Unofficial transcripts are any transcripts that do not come to Relay directly from your institution or arrive in a previously opened envelope.

Read also: Official ACT Score Reporting

What Happens After Completing AP/IB Courses and Advanced Level Exams?

Transfer credit for AS and A Level exams will be posted to your UW record sometime during autumn quarter. Contact your school and request an attested photocopy of your exam certificate. (An attested copy is when a school makes an official photocopy of the original exam certificate by stamping the photocopy as official. An electronic exam certificate will be accepted as official only if it is sent through Parchment (formerly Naviance) or Transcript Network/Credential Solutions (formerly eScripSafe).

Transcripts for Specific Situations

Transfer Students: You must submit all transcripts documenting any enrollment at a college, university or post-secondary school. Your transcripts must show grades/credit for all completed coursework. To be considered for transfer, credit you earned by examination must be listed on an official college transcript you submit to UT with departmental abbreviations and course numbers used by that institution. Letter grades assigned to such coursework by the sending institution will be included when your transfer GPA is calculated.
International Students: If you attended a foreign high school, submit an official record or transcript (mark sheet) that shows all your secondary school work and grades (or marks) starting with ninth grade and continuing through at least the end of 11th grade. In place of transcripts, international students must submit a course-by-course foreign credential review provided by one of several agencies. The translation does not take the place of submitting official academic records in the original language. The translation is in addition to the official academic record. Translations may not be completed by the student.
Military Personnel: Depending on your military training, service members can earn college credit toward a degree program. You can request official military transcripts to be sent directly to the Office of the Registrar by contacting your corresponding military service branch. The JST program provides a transcript for any service school, MOS, CLEP/DSST/ECE exam listed that has been passed and carries American Council on Education (ACE) credit recommendations.

Important Considerations

Grades: Unless a senior really bombs and gets Ds and Fs final semester, colleges will not rescind your acceptance. If your grades are much lower than usual, they may want a written explanation.
Processing Time: Transcripts require review and processing. Transcripts become available for the college to upload very quickly, but it may take 2-3 weeks for it to be processed.
MyStatus: Please do not create a UT EID prior to the application.
Conditional Admissions: An applicant may submit an official transcript from the institution where they are currently enrolled and earning their bachelor’s degree, in order to be conditionally admitted. Conditional admissions is contingent on Relay receiving an official transcript that demonstrates that the applicant has earned a bachelor’s degree.

Potential Issues and Solutions

Lost Documents: If a request for return is not made within 60 days of receipt of your documents, we cannot guarantee that we will still have the documents to return. We regularly purge all physical documents after scanning.
Unofficial Transcripts: Note: Relay is unable to accept unofficial transcripts.

Submitting Transcripts to Arizona State University

You will be required to create a user name and password to set up an eShipGlobal account.

Choose university: Proceed to the university selection and choose Arizona State University-All Locations. You will see two options. One for International Students and Scholars Center and one for Admission Services.
Confirm address: The next page asks you to enter your shipping details. There will be a drop down on this page for type of document.
Select carrier: You will see a list of carriers that deliver to your area and the cost for delivery.
Confirm payment: You will see a page requesting your payment information. The payment options for your country will be listed. Once you have requested the shipment, please allow up to one month for return of your documents.

Verified True Copies

Employers have the ability to submit verified true copies of official transcripts. Verified true copies are marked with a stamp, signature, or other notation from the employer or IHE to verify that what is submitted is a true and unaltered copy of an official transcript. File dating an application form also indicates that all photocopied documents included in the packet were copied from original documents. If submitting an electronic transcript PDF which was transmitted directly to the college/university or employer, we require the submission of verification that the PDF was sent directly to the college/university or employer, not the educator. Photocopies of diplomas, Word documents, and Registrar letters are not acceptable for degree verification. Uploads through CTC OnlineIf a program sponsor is also the degree granting institution for the educator we can accept uploaded copies/screenshots from that IHE’s internal systems showing the conferral of a degree. These are considered “unofficial transcripts” and uploading through CTC Online is the only time such documents are accepted. The documentation must be uploaded during the online recommendation process. Recommenders should note that the CTC Online system caps attachment size at 10MB and will reject any larger file. If the educator earned a degree through another institution “unofficial transcripts” are not accepted. The Commission maintains the right to request an official transcript through a traditional method if there is any reason to doubt the authenticity of the submission. Photocopies of diplomas, Word documents, and Registrar letters are not acceptable for degree verification. Electronic TranscriptsIf submitting an electronic transcript PDF which was transmitted directly to the college/university or employer, we require the submission of verification that the PDF was sent directly to the college/university or employer, not the educator.

Read also: College Transcript Guide

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