A transcript is a detailed written record of something that was said, completed, or achieved. Most people searching for this term want to know about academic transcripts, which are the official records of your coursework, grades, credits, and degrees at a school or college. But transcripts also show up in legal proceedings, medical documentation, and media production. Here’s what each type looks like and when you’ll encounter them.
What an Academic Transcript Contains
An academic transcript is your complete record at a school or university. It lists every course you enrolled in, the grade you received, the number of credits each course carried, and the degree you earned (if applicable). It also includes your grade point average, both for individual terms and cumulatively across your entire enrollment.
Beyond standard letter grades, transcripts carry notation codes that tell a fuller story. A “W” means you officially withdrew from a course. An “I” means the coursework was incomplete. “P” and “F” indicate pass/fail classes, while “CR” and “NC” mark credit/no-credit courses. An “ED” signals you dropped a class without going through the official withdrawal process. If you audited a course just to sit in without earning credit, that typically appears as “VI” or a similar audit notation. None of these special notations earn honor points, so they don’t factor into your GPA calculation.
Your GPA itself is calculated by dividing total honor points earned by total credit hours attempted. A term GPA covers a single semester or quarter, while the cumulative GPA spans your entire academic career at that institution. Both numbers appear on the transcript.
Official vs. Unofficial Transcripts
An official transcript bears the institution’s seal and the registrar’s signature. Paper copies come in a sealed envelope, and the document is only considered official as long as that envelope stays unopened until the recipient opens it. Electronic official transcripts are delivered through secure, authorized platforms directly to the receiving institution or employer. Once a transcript has been in your hands, whether printed or downloaded, most recipients no longer consider it official.
An unofficial transcript contains the same academic information (and sometimes additional details not on the official version), but it’s printed on plain paper without a seal or signature. You can usually view or download an unofficial copy from your student portal at no cost. It works fine for personal reference, advising appointments, or any situation where a sealed document isn’t required.
How to Request a Transcript
Most colleges and universities let you order transcripts online through the registrar’s office or a third-party credential service. You’ll typically need to provide your full name (including any names used during enrollment), dates of attendance, student ID if you have it, and the recipient’s mailing or email address.
Fees vary by institution. As a reference point, one large public university charges $13.50 per transcript, including a handling fee. Rush processing, overnight shipping, and international delivery all cost extra. FedEx delivery within the United States can run $35 per recipient, and international express delivery can reach $65 or more.
Processing times depend on the service level you choose. Standard electronic transcripts often arrive within 24 business hours. Mailed copies typically process within three business days and ship first class. Rush orders can cut electronic delivery to about an hour and paper processing to one business day. Some schools also let you pick up a physical copy in person from the registrar’s office.
If your school has closed, you may need to contact the state’s department of education or the institution that absorbed its records. Community colleges, state university systems, and accreditation bodies can sometimes help you track down where older records ended up.
Why Employers and Schools Ask for Transcripts
Graduate programs almost always require official transcripts as part of the application. Admissions committees use them to verify your degree, evaluate your academic preparation, and see whether you completed prerequisite coursework.
Employers sometimes request transcripts too, especially for entry-level positions, government jobs, or roles that require specific technical training. An education background check can confirm that you actually hold the degree listed on your resume. Beyond that, employers may look at your overall GPA, the specific courses you took, and the grades you earned in those courses to assess whether you have the skills the role demands. For experienced professionals, transcript requests become less common since work history carries more weight.
Transcripts Outside of Education
The word “transcript” applies to any written conversion of spoken words into text, and several industries rely on them heavily.
Legal Transcripts
Court reporters create verbatim transcripts of trials, depositions, hearings, and other legal proceedings. These documents capture every word spoken, along with pauses, interruptions, and non-verbal sounds, because even small details can carry legal significance. Lawyers, judges, and juries all reference these records when reviewing testimony or preparing arguments.
Medical Transcripts
Healthcare professionals dictate notes about patient visits, diagnoses, and treatment plans, which are then transcribed into written medical records. Accuracy is critical here since errors in a medical transcript can affect patient care. Many hospitals and clinics use specialized transcriptionists trained in medical terminology.
Media and Business Transcripts
In media production, transcripts serve several purposes. Video interviews get transcribed into text for news articles and blog posts. Documentary footage is converted into written form for eBooks or archival purposes. Subtitles and closed captions start as transcripts, making video content accessible to deaf and hard-of-hearing viewers. Digital marketers also transcribe video and podcast content so it can be repurposed into articles, social media posts, and other text formats.