What is an Academic Transcript? Why is it Needed and How to Get it?

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Cyril Zachariah
Updated on Jun 06, 2023 02:18 PM IST

An academic transcript is simply an acknowledged educational proof you receive from your previous university or college. This transcript certificate contains all details about your academic background and it is issued by your former university. Read the article to know how to get an academic transcript, and how it differs from a diploma, degree, etc.

What is an Academic Transcript?

Academic transcripts, which contain details concerning your previous academic courses and grades, are the most reliable source of academic proof utilised by foreign universities to admit international students. When applying to higher academic institutions abroad, you could be prompted to submit official academic transcripts upon being accepted or at the time of application. 

Further, unofficial transcripts may be used by foreign universities to determine if you meet the admissions criteria or not, but formal transcript certificates are required for admission confirmation. You should be aware that the only organisation that can give you transcript certificates is the one where your latest education concluded.

Students who wish to enrol in foreign colleges for higher education are required to provide documents of their educational background in addition to the academic courses they have attended and the marks they achieved. An academic transcript is the official record of a student's successful completion of a degree programme or diploma qualification. 

In other words, a transcript certificate contains an exhaustive list of every single subject or course you have taken, the marks/credits or grades achieved in each subject area, and rarely it also includes the total number of credit hours earned as well.

Given that there are multiple types of academic qualifications, grading systems, and preferred names applicable to each certificate, it is important to know which transcripts are required for which specific course. Continue reading this article to know how to get an academic transcript, why is it important, its format, how it differs from other transcription certificates, and more!

What is Academic Transcript?

Transcripts are a set of documents to show the students' records of studies like the courses completed, grades obtained, subject-wise marks, degrees and awards. It is an official document awarded to students by schools, colleges and universities. It is popularly known as a mark sheet and pass certificate in India and is also referred to as an academic record, school transcript, college transcript etc.

The official academic documents are printed and have the valid signature of the counsellors, registrar or principal and have a stamp of the academic institution. Each academic transcript contains the following details of students:

  • Student's identification details like their name, parents'/guardians' name, date of birth (DOB), year of passing, etc.

  • Institutions identification details like name of the institution, address etc.

  • Course details like degree, title of the course, duration, etc.

  • Other details like the start date of the course, date of receipt of the degree, percentage, subject-wise marks, etc.

Know More About the University Transcript Meaning!

Importance of Academic Transcripts to Study Abroad

Academic transcripts are among the most important documents needed to apply for admission to colleges/institutions/universities for higher education both internationally and nationally.

An official transcript is a source to authenticate the academic background of the students like their previous qualifications, grades and the institution from where the previous studies have been completed. Thus, every student must maintain and preserve the academic transcripts for any future enterprises.

While filling in the application form for admissions at higher education institutions, students are required to upload/ send some mandatory documents and an Academic Transcript is one of them. Without an official academic record, none of the higher education institutions offers admission to a candidate.

Official vs Unofficial Academic Transcript

Official documents are printed and duly signed by an authorised official of schools/colleges/universities. Universities across the globe, only accept official documents for admission purposes. However, there can be times when the schools/colleges take some time to release the official transcripts. In such cases, students can use unofficial academic transcripts while filling out application forms and submit official documents as and when they official documents have been received.

Unofficial academic transcripts are nothing but photocopies or digital copies of official academic records. In cases where unofficial academic transcripts can be used to complete the application form at an institution, students can send the downloaded copies, photocopies or fax copies of the transcripts to the institution. The unofficial academic transcripts contain all the details of the students except the official signature and stamps.

How to Get Academic Transcripts?

The academic transcripts are released by the academic institution from where the student has completed their studies. In other words, school certificates as well as undergraduate and postgraduate degree certificates (if completed), are counted as academic transcripts of Transcripts of Record.

To collect official academic transcripts, students or graduates will be required to connect with their respective schools/universities and request the same. In most cases, schools and universities offer official academic transcripts around the time of graduation ceremonies. While some universities accept soft copies of academic transcripts for admission purposes, it is important to collect hard copies of the academic transcripts as many universities still require applicants to submit hard copies of the relevant academic transcripts.

Those who are in the final year of their studies or whose results are awaited may request provisional transcripts from the institutions and submit them with the application. It will be needed as proof of completion of studies while applying for higher education.

When to Request an Academic Transcript?

As stated above, applicants need academic transcripts for the purpose of admission to universities abroad. However, depending on the current situation of the applicant, i.e. whether they are studying at an institution at the time of submitting the application form or have cleared and passed out of an institution, the need for requesting an academic transcript will differ.

In most cases, study abroad aspirants have been found to be in the final year of their schooling, undergraduate or graduate courses. In these cases, applicants must request provisional/unofficial academic transcripts that they must submit when applying to a university abroad. However, suppose the candidate applying to study abroad has already graduated from their school/college/university. In that case, they need not request an academic transcript, as usually, universities would have sent out the academic transcripts by the time the applications need to be submitted.

However, there are certain academic transcripts, like a backlog certificate, wherein an applicant will be required to prove that they have cleared all the subjects at their previous academic institution. Students will be required to ask their previous institution to offer a backlog certificate, validating that the applicant has indeed passed all their exams.

Nevertheless, to answer the question, "When to request an academic transcript?", the ideal time to request the appropriate academic transcript to study abroad should be at least one to two weeks before needing to submit the application form.

Acceptable Academic Transcript Formats

The following academic transcript formats are usually accepted by universities while assessing international applications. However, this may vary from one university to another;

  • A scanned version of an official transcript: This will include a signature or stamp to certify it. It should be readable but watermarks caused by scanning or copying may be acceptable.

  • An official e-transcript obtained from a third-party electronic system: You can also share an official transcript if you have access to an electronic system like Digitary. The same will then be added to the rest of your application.

  • An electronic copy of a provisional or interim transcript provided by your institution: In case you are not able to provide an official transcript because you are still enrolled or currently studying and final results have not been released, you may submit an interim academic transcript.

  • Screenshot images: This will be allowed if you are unable to obtain a transcript document.

  • A Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) certificate.

  • A Higher Education Achievement Report (HEAR).

How is an Academic Transcript Different from a Certificate, Marksheet, Diploma, and Degree?

Is the transcript and marksheet the same? It is a question asked by many study abroad aspirants. Since you now understand the significance of an academic transcript and what it is, you do not need to worry about submitting the appropriate paperwork to universities abroad for various courses. Considering that institutions are very explicit about what they require, which is typically transcripts from the most recent degrees obtained. The following is a discussion of how an academic transcript is different from a certificate, marksheet, diploma, or degree.

Difference Between Transcript and Certificate

Transcripts from universities are comparable to certificates. The transcript, which includes accumulated data about your previous degree, includes certificates. An Indian student who finishes a degree programme is given a certificate. A degree certificate is not the same as a transcript because there are differences between the two documents.

Difference Between Transcript and Marksheet

Transcripts are usually referred to in India as marksheets. The difference between a transcript and a consolidated marksheet is that a transcript represents all the information in the marksheets with the grading scale, whereas a transcript represents the information in multiple marksheets. Marksheets and a final transcript of grades are required for producing a transcript of records.

Difference Between Transcript and Diploma

It was made apparent throughout the discussion of what an academic transcript is that it is an official record with detailed academic data concerning every academic course that a student has successfully concluded. In contrast to this, a diploma is also a form of educational certification and is listed on the transcript together with information about the courses taken, grades earned, length of the programme, etc.  

Difference Between Transcript and Degree

In contrast to a diploma, a transcript consists of complete information about a degree, which includes subjects studied, exams taken, grades, the institution, and more. Degrees are certificates of completion of academic programs, whereas transcripts are proofs of education.

Academic Transcripts: Important Things to Keep in Mind

Academic Transcripts are one among the many documents that a student needs to submit at the academic institution while planning to study abroad.

While different countries have varied education and grading systems, the institutes either convert or ask the applicants to convert their grades/marks into an acceptable format for the purpose of admissions. In a bid to ensure a uniform and fair selection process, students will be asked to follow certain guidelines for submitting the correct academic transcripts. There are certain pointers that students must keep in mind while submitting academic transcripts at any college or university abroad which have been listed below:

  • All academic transcripts must be clear and readable.

  • The information printed on the academic transcript must be in English or any other acceptable language defined by the institution of your choice. If the academic transcript is in a language not recognised or accepted by the institution of choice, the student must get it translated into the acceptable language/s. It should be noted that some universities may lay down rules about translation, which could include requiring the document translation to be done by a verified and authorised body.

  • While provisional/unofficial academic transcripts can be submitted at the time of submitting your application form, the final academic transcript submitted at the institution must be official.

  • Ensure that the academic transcript, whether official or unofficial, is void of all grammatical or spelling mistakes.

  • Ensure that all information mentioned in the transcript is correct. It is advisable to cross-check all the details when collecting the transcript.

  • For admissions to undergraduate courses, the academic transcripts will include their secondary school reports, i.e. class 12 report, or, if applicable, a pre-university education or undergraduate diploma.

  • For graduate studies, the academic transcripts will include academic reports of the undergraduate (bachelor's) courses.

  • If you are studying in the final year of a course, i.e. class 12 or the final year of your bachelor's or master's degree, request your school/university/department to offer you provisional transcripts in compliance with the rules stipulated for your admissions.

  • When applying to any university abroad, find out the document checklist for admissions and see if you are required to submit a backlog certificate. Several popular universities across the globe require their applicants to provide a backlog certificate to ensure that they have no backlogs at the previous academic programme or institution.

Hopefully, this article has helped you understand the university transcript meaning, how to get one, how an academic transcript differs from other academic documents, and more. For your academic achievements to be evaluated equally on a global scale, transcribing is crucial because education across the world differs greatly from that in India. While the process is time-consuming, if you have previously attended more than one university, it will be more challenging since you must contact each institution and assemble all the relevant information.

Is this information about academic transcript meaning and procedure insufficient? Worry not! Email your queries to us at abroad@collegedekho.com. to get them resolved by our study abroad experts!

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FAQs

Is a transcript and marksheet the same?

No, the transcript and marksheet same are not the same. Students may receive various mark sheets for each semester or one year that they successfully completed the course requirements by taking a written test. Academic transcripts, on the other hand, are not only combined or consolidated mark sheets. The data extracted from every of these mark sheets is included in college or university transcripts, accompanied by an explanation of the grading system that was used to assess the student. 

What is a transcript certificate in India?

The meaning of a transcript certificate in India is a marksheet. Several other commonly used terms for these transcript marksheets are academic transcripts, academic records, report cards, academic certificates, the record of achievement, mark list and cumulative record file (CRF), degree transcript, bachelor transcript, transcription certificate, consolidated marksheet, and so on.

What documents are required to apply for academic transcripts?

A couple of transcript-related documents must be included with your application. In addition to the standard details about the student, you might be requested the following paperwork:

  • Application form completed

  • Copies of the grade report and the degree certificate

  • Request for a transcript letter

  • Receipt of the necessary fees being paid

  • Copies of the required identification documents

  • Application reception confirmation (if any)

How much time to receive the transcript certificate?

It usually takes one to four weeks to receive the transcript certificate from your previously attended academic institution. You can not gather and deliver your transcripts to each university abroad. You will thus need your school to submit your transcripts directly to the prospective higher education institution you have applied to. This procedure could take up to a month, especially if you are seeking transcripts from an acclaimed university or one you studied a long time ago.

How to decide which transcription certificate is required for which course?

You will require the most recent course academic transcripts, per the basic criteria. Refer to the following points to decide which transcription certificate is required for which course:

  • Transcripts from either an undergraduate diploma or pre-university education or secondary school education (12th grade) are required for applicants to enrol in undergraduate programmes overseas.

  • The transcripts from their undergraduate studies are required of those who are applying for a master's degree abroad.

Higher education institutions abroad might, however, request validation of your most recent two or more credentials in exceptional circumstances. In any instance, the requirements are always stated by the institutions themselves.

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