In order for an admission file to be complete and forwarded to the Admission Committee for review we do require that official transcripts from any college or university attended be mailed to our office. Even if an applicant only took a few classes at a school, we still need official transcripts. Another way to look at it is this: if the college or university is listed on your résumé or on the application, we need official transcripts.
For the majority of schools we work with this means that the college or university seals the transcripts in an envelope for delivery to our office. However we work with schools from all over the world and realize that policies vary. The point is that transcripts mailed to our office (we do not accept electronic delivery) must be authentic and official and this can be defined by schools differently. Examples of ways that schools certify transcripts can include:
- A heat responsive stamp
- An embossed school stamp
- Official stickers or ink stamps placed on the transcripts by a university or authorized official
- A signature of an authorized official across the sealed flap of the envelope
Transcripts do not need to be sent directly to our office but if transcripts are sent to you, please do not open them prior to sending them to our office. There are two circumstances where we can allow for you to open the transcripts and both involve third party translation or authorization.
Some schools will only provide one official transcript to a graduate. In this case we recommend that you hold on to the official copy since we do not return documents submitted to our office. If your school will only release one copy, take the official copy to a notary public and have them copy the transcripts, authenticate the copy, and seal the copy in an envelope for delivery to our office. Contact information for the official who copied the transcripts should be included in the envelope.
The same would apply for transcripts that need to be translated into English. If your transcripts are not in English, deliver them to an authorized official for translation and have the translated copy certified and sealed for delivery to our office. A common organization we recommend for transcript translation is World Education Services.
If you participated in an official exchange program and this is noted on the transcripts of your home school, we do not need official transcripts from the exchange school. However, if there is no official relationship between the home school and exchange school, we need copies from both schools. The reason for this is that each school may use different codes and grading systems. These codes and grading systems are typically explained on the reverse side of the transcripts.
Finally, if your school does not use a 4.0 grading scale and you are wondering what to put on your admission application, you may input a GPA of 0.0. The GPA listed on the application is self reported and does not influence your evaluation. Indicating a score of 0.0 will alert the Committee to pay attention to the scale used by the schools you have attended.
