If you want to or have applied for higher studies in USA then an official college transcript would be highly necessary to obtain and submit it. A proper college transcript shows records of all academic courses attempted by you during your entire college career. This important piece of document is needed for higher studies in USA.
Some of the important things for a transcript consists are as follows:
Most importantly it bears the official seal of the college or US University. A transcript is considered official as it comes from the registrar's office and not manipulated by any other party. It has the stamp of the university.
A transcript contains all dates and majors information. Entire information about the dates you have attended the college, if or not the semesters have been completed all data about the majors and minors that you have opted for would be listed in the transcript.
It consists of data about the courses and the grades obtained. Every college course that you have taken is listed by exact date, the department, course number and description. If you had completed the course the grade would be listed. In few cases other marks like AU (audit) and W (withdrawal) are utilized.
The transcript has calculated grade point average listed on it which is for the most recent semester. It also includes cumulative average that is calculated by division of the grade points of each course by total credit hours that have been attempted.
This piece of document also shows all the educational degrees like- bachelor, associate, masters or doctorate. On the basis of school, the doctoral candidate would be given ABD designation.
Transcripts also contain personal information like your name, marital status, any name change after marriage, student identification number or social security number, address and date of birth to authenticate your identity.
It includes your enrollment history, grades that you got, credits earned and attempted and average of grade-point. The classes would be arranged in chronological format by the enrollment semester or the quarter. The grade-point average may be given individually for each quarter, but total cumulative average is given. In case of transfer from other educational institutions the transfer credits are given. Usually a transcript covers educational history of the college or university that has issued it.
An official transcript is in printed form, faculty-approved and has your university seal on it. The copies of the official transcript can be procured by order and for that a small fees has to be paid.
Students who want to study abroad need a copy of official transcript that shows the confirmation of the academic record. Take it as most important document whether you are applying for graduate school, seek employment, applied or scholarships or grants abroad. Students can also opt for online college transcripts which are very convenient to get, but its major drawback is the downloaded transcript is not official. Hence read the guidelines properly if you are submitting these transcripts.
