Do you need to request your college transcripts because you're thinking about transferring schools, say from going to a campus school to an online degree? What about applying for a master's degree program, scholarship, or new job? Then you’ll need to know how to request an official transcript from your school. Here are some tips to help you navigate the process of requesting your transcripts from college.
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How to Get Your College Transcripts: In a Nutshell
FIRST: Call or email your school's Office of the Registrar; they are the department responsible for archiving student transcript information.
SECOND: Ask if you need to send your written consent for them to release your transcripts to you.
THIRD: Send your written consent to the school, by email or certified mail, or fill out a form online.
The Basics of College Transcripts
An official transcript is a copy of your permanent academic record and includes courses taken, dates of attendance, major, type of degree awarded, your cumulative grade point average (GPA) and all honors received at the school.
Step 1: Before You Submit Your College Transcript Request
Confirm that you don’t owe outstanding balance to the institution you are requesting the transcript from, or they’ll withhold your official transcripts.
Find out how the recipient school would like to receive your transcript. Some school applications require all materials in one package, others may request they be sent directly to them.
Step 2: Gather The Information You Will Need Submitting Your College Transcript Request
Here’s where it gets (just a little) tricky. It is not uncommon for a school to require written consent to release your transcripts before actually releasing the transcripts. Start this process by contacting your school’s Registrar's Office. Ask them if consent is required and if they offer an electronic process. If they do not accept electronic consent, you will have to either hand deliver or mail one and the request itself to the Registrar’s Office.
Regardless of the method, to help prevent fraud, the Registrar’s Office will require specific personal information before fulfilling your request.
Your handwritten signature
Social security number or student ID number
Current address and phone number
Dates of attendance / graduation
Full name / mailing address of recipients
Step 3: Submitting Your College Transcript Request
Sample Transcript Request Letter/Email
Registrar
<Name of School>
<School Address>
Date: Day Month, Year
Subject: Request for Issue of Original Transcript.
Please process my request for a copy of my full transcript. I have enclosed the $10 processing fee that is required by the school. To help locate my records, I attended <school name> from 2014 to 2017. My Social Security number is 123-45-6789 and my student ID number was 128987.
Please mail the transcript to the address as indicated below:
<Name of Recipient>
<Mailing Address>
Thanking you in advance for your prompt assistance.
Yours Truly,
_<sign you name>_________
John Doe
When processing your request, the Registrar’s office will also seal the transcript in an envelope and stamp it to verify that the document has not been altered. Do not open this envelope if you have it sent to yourself. The entire process should not take more than 10 business days to complete.
Last but not least, official transcripts won’t break the bank, but many colleges and universities charge a $3.00 to $10.00 processing fee. Some schools may also charge for shipping. So don't forget to enclose those fees!
Still have questions? Check out our Transcripts FAQS for more information on how to get college transcripts!