Students who wish to enrol in foreign colleges for higher education must provide documentation of their educational background in addition to the courses they have attended and the marks they earned. 

A transcript is the official record of a student's successful completion of a degree program or diploma qualification. In other words, an academic transcript or transcript certificate contains a complete description of all the subjects/courses taken, the marks/credits or grades earned in each topic, and occasionally the total number of credit hours.

When you want to study abroad, enrol for further education in your own country, or apply for a job or internship, an academic transcript is a crucial document. 

Every university requests students' school and college transcripts to assess their quality and prior academic performance at that institution. It is a thorough analysis of your academic achievement throughout your bachelor's or master's program. 

It includes all the pertinent details regarding the courses you completed, the grades you earned in different topics, and the cumulative total for all semesters. 

This article will provide all the necessary information about academic transcripts, so continue reading this article to know more.

Contents of an Academic Transcript

Your present or prior academic institution may offer academic transcripts to confirm and acknowledge the courses you took and your grades. The transcript generally follows the same format across all institutions:

• Accreditation of the Academic Institution 
• Name of the Issuing Academic Institution
• Student's name, roll number, or other identifying information Student's name, degree earned
• List of Courses Completed Grades/Marks in All Courses
• the aggregate total of the marks or grades earned

The issuing authority must stamp and certify the document. Students may submit a formal request for their academic transcripts to the college administration, depending on the institution/university process. You must pay the stipulated fees and provide documentation to obtain your official transcript. 

Make sure you apply on time because it takes more than 7 to 14 days to provide the paperwork. You might also need transcripts from some universities' administrative offices.

Required Documents for Academic Transcripts

You must provide appropriate documentation, complete a form, or submit an application to the college to get academic transcripts. There are certain standard documents you need to have, though the procedure may vary depending on the college you attend:

• A copy of your most recent grade report
• Student Identity Proof
• Proof of Identity

Importance of Academic Transcripts

It may be necessary to provide an academic transcript for various educational, professional, or personal reasons. People typically collect their academic records when they want to apply for jobs or higher education prospects abroad. 

This is due to the inadequacy of a diploma or degree certificate. The two documents are only used to confirm your graduation; they contain no information regarding the courses you completed or the calibre of your marks. 

A student's academic transcript will give any university or employer a thorough understanding of their performance and accomplishments in the classroom.

Here are some situations where having your original transcript is necessary:

• University Education
• Application for Visas
• Employment 
• Employment 
• Personal Reasons
•  Credit Transfer, and so on.

Types of Academic Transcripts

Official Academic Transcripts

Academic records that have been legally signed and stamped by the institution of higher learning on official letterhead are considered official. The academic transcripts can sometimes take longer to be released by the educational institution. 

The pupils may temporarily utilise the unofficial academic transcripts. However, students must verify their legitimate academic transcripts.

Unofficial academic transcripts

Unofficial Academic Transcripts are reproductions, either digital or paper, of the original academic records. Except for the official stamp and signature of the awarding institution, they have all the student's educational information.

How to get Academic Transcript

Students can receive their academic transcripts by contacting their previous educational institutions and asking for them. The official transcripts are sent in a sealed envelope that has been legally stamped and signed by the issuing authority. 

Multiple copies of a student's academic transcript are available upon request. Depending on the university requirements they are applying to, students must send either a hard copy or a soft copy of their academic transcripts during the admissions process to a university overseas.

Academic Transcript vs Academic Degree

Academic transcripts and academic degrees differ in a few specific ways. Academic degrees and academic transcripts are not the same things. 

The academic degree signifies your program's successful completion, whereas the academic transcript gives specific details about the courses you have completed throughout your academic career. 

Make sure your academic transcripts are available because many overseas universities require applicants to present these authentic documents upon acceptance.

What should you do about the transcript if you are in your final year?

When their separate courses are finished and the board of conduct has announced the results of the annual exams, they will receive them. 

Candidates who intend to apply for higher education while enrolled in their last year will also need additional academic documentation. 

They need to provide an interim or provisional transcript from their place of study and a full breakdown of their current grades or scores. 

The most recent transcript may not be available to those still working toward their most recent qualification or awaiting results.

For example, if you are in your final year of a bachelor's program and want to enrol in a master's program overseas, you should be able to give the university a copy of your second-year transcript (mark sheet) to prove where you stand right now. 

Similarly, if you are in your twelfth grade and want to pursue a bachelor's degree overseas, you should be prepared to submit an application with your tenth or, in some instances, eleventh-grade transcript.

What happens if the Academic Transcript isn't ready and You have to leave?

This frequently happens, especially with Erasmus students. The filling up of the transcripts can be a little slow because exams typically take place in the final few weeks of the Erasmus period, and all grades must be collected quickly. 

You shouldn't worry, though. An authentic interim transcript of your student records displaying your current steps should be available from your home or host university. 

Additionally, you can email the professors instructing them to forward the findings directly to the International Office, which will complete the necessary fields in the paper. 

The university's international office will get three hard copies of your transcript after your exam results have been registered. One or two hard copies should be forwarded to you by the home university.