High School Transcript Made Simple
Submitting a high school transcript is a common (and crucial) requirement of all college applications. But if you haven’t requested one before, you may be wondering what exactly it is. If you want to know why high school transcripts are important to colleges, what’s on them, and how to request them for your college applications — you’re in the right place.
In this guide, we’ll go over everything you need to know about your high school transcript so that you can feel confident applying to colleges. Here’s some of what we’ll cover:
- What a high school transcript is and what it looks like
- Why your high school transcript is important
- What a weighted GP is and how honors and AP classes show up on official transcripts
- “How to get my transcript?” in four easy steps
- Tips for improving your transcript, and more!
By the time you’re finished reading, you’ll be a pro on understanding, requesting, and strengthening your high school transcript.
What are school transcripts?
Your high school transcript is the official record of your academic history and performance. It shows what classes you took each year, as well as your final grade in each class. When you’re applying to college as a senior, your transcript has grades from your freshman, sophomore, and junior years. By the time you graduate, it will reflect your senior year grades and classes, too.
Logically, your school issues your high school transcript — sometimes referred to as your official transcript, or your student transcript. Requesting official transcripts is a crucial step in the college admissions process. Once requested, your high school will send it directly to the colleges you’re applying to. You can sometimes get an “unofficial” transcript, which is a copy that the school can provide to you directly. Obtaining unofficial transcripts is generally a simpler and faster process than requesting official transcripts.
You could think of a high school transcript as a kind of report card, but more permanent. Your official transcript is more than just a reflection of your grades; it’s the permanent record of your time in school. Admissions officers use your transcript to understand the context of your grades and your overall academic performance. For example, if you struggled in freshman year but showed steady improvement through sophomore and junior year, that trend can work in your favor. Indeed, college admissions sometimes refers to this as “upward trajectory.”
This is true for grades as well. If you challenge yourself with harder and harder classes, taking on APs or honors courses, schools will see that you care about your education. It shows your commitment to challenging yourself, even if you don’t end up with perfect grades.
Transcripts beyond the application process
College applications aren’t the only reason students might need their high school transcripts. You’ll likely need yours when you apply for scholarships, or even your first job or internship. Additionally, you’ll need your high school transcript if you ever transfer high schools or colleges. You even need one if you’re homeschooled!
There are also college transcripts, which are essentially the same as high school transcripts, just for your college courses. We won’t discuss the nuances of college transcripts in this guide. However, learning about high school transcripts will prepare you for how the process works once you get to college.
Understanding your high school transcript as a permanent record can sound intimidating, but it’s nothing to stress about. At the end of the day, it’s just a more official report card that helps your school communicate your academic performance directly to other interested parties.
What does a high school transcript look like?
All high school transcripts will look slightly different depending on your school. However, student transcripts share a few key characteristics.
A basic high school transcript template should include the school letterhead or logo at the top, information about you (the student), your courses listed by year, and some markings that prove the document is official. High school transcripts are usually one or two pages, and they ultimately cover all four years of high school.
The layout and style of high school transcripts may differ based on your school or your district. For example, a private school may follow a different format than a public school, or a school in Massachusetts may have a slightly different transcript than one in North Carolina. Regardless of the high school transcript template your school uses, all transcripts contain the same core information.
In the past, students received a physical transcript, and that transcript would be mailed to your college. Now, most high school transcripts are electronic. Even though your high school transcript is just a PDF, it’ll have a digital seal or a watermark of some kind to prove its authenticity. And it will still follow the same high school transcript template.
What information is included on a high school transcript?
A transcript typically includes identifying details such as your name, student ID number, and the name of your school. Then, you’ll see a list of the classes you took, the grade you got in each class (cumulative, meaning your final grade), and how many credits you were awarded for each. Your official transcript will also have attendance records that show how often you were — or weren’t — in school.
In addition, your high school transcript will show any honors you’ve been given, or any awards you’ve earned. Conversely, if you have anything on your disciplinary record, it may show up here as well.
Depending on your school, your high school transcript may have more information, like your class rank. If your school doesn’t have class rank, it won’t be on your transcript.
If you see anything on your high school transcript that looks off, talk to your high school counselor as soon as you can. Accuracy matters here — your transcript is how colleges and scholarships will evaluate your academic performance in high school. Even if it’s a small issue, or a typo somewhere, you should bring it up with someone in your guidance office as soon as possible.
Why are transcripts important?
Student transcripts are important because they’re how a college assesses your academic performance. Your transcript puts your academic experience in context. When just looking at your overall GPA, admissions officers can’t get a full picture of your time at school. The transcript provides information about your strengths, whether you took honors or AP courses, if you worked hard to take extra courses, and more.
Your high school transcript is also important for scholarships, in particular those that are based on academic performance. But, most scholarship programs will ask you for a transcript regardless.
Even though it may not seem like it, student transcripts are important to colleges for more than just grades. They show your journey throughout high school. Your transcript helps demonstrate your interests, and whether you’ve had moments of improvement or overcome any significant challenges. Transcripts can also reflect your effort, dedication, and consistency over a period of time. These are all qualities that admissions officers look for in prospective students.
Why transcript are important to you
Since it gives you an opportunity to track and see your progress, your transcript can be a useful tool for planning your academic path. Sometimes, it can be hard to introspect without a prompt, and your transcript can serve as that push to help you think about what you like and don’t like when it comes to academics.
For example, if you see yourself gravitating to a certain subject — or struggling with one — that can help you think about what potential college major you may want to pursue, or even what career paths appeal to you. You can also use your transcript as a guiding document for conversations with your guidance counselor, especially if you’re going into junior year and are starting to think seriously about planning for college. Use the transcript as a jumping-off point to ask what you can improve on and what you should focus on academically.
Now, you might be thinking, okay, I understand the importance of my transcript — but how do I actually get my transcript? To answer that, we first need to clarify what kind of transcript you’re requesting.
Unofficial vs. official transcript
The question, “How do I get my transcript?” has different answers depending on which kind you’re looking for: official or unofficial.
Your official transcript is signed, sealed, and sent directly to the recipient by your high school. Since it comes directly from the school itself, an official transcript is more trustworthy. An unofficial transcript, on the other hand, is an accessible copy that you can typically view or download yourself. It contains the same information as the official version, but without the school’s seal of approval.
Since official transcripts are more formal, the answer to “how do I get my transcript?” is through your guidance counselor. When you apply to colleges, you’ll be requesting official transcripts to be sent to each school on your list. Your guidance counselor will tell you exactly how to make a high school transcript request, whether that be through a school website or another platform.
Because unofficial transcripts are for your personal reference, you can likely access them online, either in a student portal or by asking your guidance office. Unofficial high school transcripts usually have a watermark or something on them to make it clear that they’re not official.
Even though the unofficial transcript is less formal, that doesn’t mean that you can change it. Altering the unofficial student transcript is seen as academic dishonesty, and could jeopardize your college acceptances.
Now, let’s take a closer look at the academic details included on your official transcript.
GPA on your transcript: weighted vs. unweighted
The GPA on your student transcript could be weighted or unweighted. In some cases, your school might even include both! But what’s the difference?
An unweighted GPA is your classic 4-point scale. An A in a class gets you 4 points, a B gets you 3, etc. The A is worth the same in an honors class as it is in a regular class.
However, with a weighted GPA, an A in a harder class is worth more: usually, 5 points. This means you get credit for taking a more challenging class, even if you don’t get as good of a grade. If you have a lot of AP, honors, IB, or dual enrollment classes, your GPA may be closer to a 5-point scale.
Which GPA is used for college applications?
Colleges generally look at both GPAs so that they can contextualize your performance. They may even calculate their own version so they can standardize between applicants. Some colleges won’t include non-academic subjects, like P.E. or other electives, and may only look at core subjects. Others may include all subjects, but will have their own weighting system that takes into account their preferences. For example, if you’re applying to a technical school like CalTech or MIT, they may weigh STEM classes more heavily than humanities.
Trying to make calculations like these in your head can be exhausting. At the end of the day, there’s no real answer to the classic college prep question: Is it better to get an A in a regular class or a B in an honors class?
So, don’t over-engineer your class schedule, or let this stress you out too much. Just aim to challenge yourself and go the extra mile in subject areas that you enjoy and feel confident in. Colleges are looking for academic rigor, and to understand you and what you value intellectually. Your transcript, and your GPA, can help them understand that.
So how do those advanced classes, like honors, AP, and IB show up on your transcript? Let’s check that out.
Honors, AP, IB, and dual enrollment classes on your transcript
Especially for students in private schools or more unconventional educational environments, you might be wondering whether the intricacies of your class levels and grading will be communicated through your transcript. Luckily, college admissions officers have been doing this a long time, and they’ve worked with high school counselors to come up with a communication system.
Course weight, difficulty, and notation
Your student transcript will show what kind of classes you took — honors, AP, IB, standard, and more — and communicate the levels of difficulty. Advanced classes usually appear with a special code or label, or it’s clear in the class title (e.g., AP Biology). If you have any worries about the college interpreting your transcript, you can always reach out to the admissions office and ask them about it.
In addition to demonstrating the difficulty of classes, your student transcript will also communicate what kinds of credits you received. For example, if you were dual-enrolled in a class at a local community college or another higher education institution, those would give you college credit. Or if you took an IB class, those count for global credit. AP classes, however, don’t automatically give you college credit; you only earn credit if you take the AP exam and achieve a qualifying score. Because of this, AP credits appear differently on your transcript than dual-enrollment or IB credits.
Choosing advanced classes to boost your transcript
In general, taking advanced courses is a good way to improve your admissions chances — if you feel confident that you can handle the workload and the rigor. It’s not worth taking these classes just to say you did it, especially if you’re in danger of getting a bad grade.
When you’re thinking about selecting classes in sophomore, junior, and senior year, think about balance and your interests. If you’re passionate about one subject area, consider taking a more advanced class in that field. You can start with only one or two, and then build up the next year if you can handle it.
Colleges like to see that you’re challenging yourself, so aim to try at least one advanced course, if only to see if you like it! Remember, your grades are only one part of your application: If you love writing and took an AP Literature course one year to challenge yourself, but ended up getting a lower grade than you would’ve liked, that still shows passion, drive, and ambition.
High School Transcript FAQs
If you still have questions — like how do I get my transcript, can I get my transcript online, how do I handle requesting official transcripts, or do colleges see failed classes — don’t worry. For the next part of our guide, we’ll be tackling some high school transcript FAQs. Each section will tackle a common question to help you understand high school transcripts even better.
However, remember that policies can vary by school. Everything that you read here may not be an exact match to how your high school does things If you still have questions, or have a specific questions about your situation, always ask your high school counselor.
Who can access my transcript?
Your high school transcript is an important document, particularly when it comes to college admissions. Logically, then, you may wonder who else has access to this vital document. Well, your official transcript is certainly not available to just anyone without official consent.
Students always have the right to access their own transcripts. In fact, a federal law protects this right (Family Education and Rights Privacy Act (FERPA). FERPA’s aim is to limit access to education records, such as a high school transcript, in order to protect a student’s personal information.
Under this same law, parents and guardians can access their child’s transcripts until the student turns 18 or enrolls in a postsecondary institution. After that, parental access requires student consent. Additionally, school officials, such as counselors, registrars, and administrators, may access a student’s high school transcript for legitimate education purposes.
Outside of those people, no one else should have access to your high school transcript. That means that outside organizations, such as colleges, scholarship programs, or employers, can only receive your transcripts if you authorize their release.
How do I get my transcript?
At some point, you’ll need to access your high school transcript. Colleges, employers, or even scholarship organizations will want to see an official transcript during the application process. Therefore, you’ll need to know how you can gain access to your high school transcript.
How to Get My Transcript in 4 Steps
1. Contact your high school counselor or school’s registrar.
When considering “how to get my transcript,” you’ll need to start by contacting the correct person from your school. Usually, this will be your guidance counselor or your school’s registrar’s office. They will tell you the exact process to request your high school transcript.
2. Fill out a request form.
While the “get my transcript” process may vary slightly from school to school, the next step is to fill out some sort of official request form. This can be done online or using a paper form, depending on your school’s preferences.
3. Provide identification.
During the request process, you’ll need to provide identification. This could be your name, date of birth, graduation year, and maybe even a student ID if applicable.
4. Wait for processing.
Once you’ve provided your school with the necessary information, the next step to “get my transcript” is to simply wait for the school to process your request. This step could take anywhere from a few days to a couple of weeks. For this reason, it’s always best to request your official transcript far ahead of a college or scholarship application deadline. When it comes to requesting official transcripts, stick to the timeless adage: better safe than sorry. Request your transcript early!
Keep in mind that some schools may charge a small processing fee. Typically, this is for alumni requests. Normally, for high schoolers requesting official transcripts for college applications, there is no processing fee. Check the specific process at your school to confirm.
Can I get my high school transcript online?
As we are living in a digital age, with many official transactions happening online, you might be wondering if you can’t simply get your high school transcript online. Well, indeed you can! Typically, many schools provide unofficial transcripts through students or parent portals. Just as you may see your assignments via your student portal, you might also have access to your unofficial student transcript in that same platform.
However, when applying to colleges or scholarship opportunities, you’ll need an official transcript. Certain platforms send official transcripts, such as Parchment, Naviance, SCOIR, or state-based systems. Sometimes schools will uses these.
But, it’s important to note that not all schools will send official transcripts online, even through one of the previously mentioned secure systems or platforms. Indeed, surprisingly for this day and age, many schools still rely on in-person or mailed requests. This is another reason why requesting your transcript early is so important! While we’re often accustomed to almost instantaneous processing online, this isn’t the case for requesting official transcripts. Even when requested online, an official transcript will often take at least a few days to process.
Remember that part of your “get my transcript” process is to check directly with your school for their processing procedures. You can often find specific high school transcript request details on your school or district website. Alternatively, your high school counselor should also be able to provide you with the correct information to access your student transcript.
Do homeschool students get transcripts?
If you’re in a less traditional educational setting, such as homeschooling, you may be wondering, “How do I get my transcript?” or “Do I even get an official transcript?” Indeed, homeschool students will still have a student transcript — though, these transcripts are created differently than those in a mainstream school.
Typically, parent or guardian educators prepare the student transcript for homeschoolers. They may do so using a local curriculum or a specific, structured program for homeschooling. If using a broader homeschooling program, then that program may actually issue the high school transcript.
In the case of homeschooling, you’ll need to be sure that your student transcript has all the official and necessary information needed for admissions. Whatever high school transcript template you follow, make sure it includes:
- Course titles
- Grades
- Cumulative GPA
- Expected graduation date
You may also include standardized test scores, such as SAT, ACT, or AP, for additional validation. Of course, the formatting should look professional. So, you may want to simply search “high school transcript template” to ensure that yours is up to par.
Homeschool transcripts are widely recognized in admissions if they clearly present coursework and performance in a professional and organized format. When it comes to high school transcripts for homeschool students, you need to be vigilant in assuring that your transcript looks official and contains all the pertinent information. Basically, it should look similar to an official transcript from a traditional school setting.
How do transfer students handle transcripts?
The transfer process is quite similar to the original college admissions process, except this time you’ll need to request transcripts from various institutions. When a student decides to change schools, the old school sends an official student transcript to the new school. For students transferring colleges, the new institution may need a college transcript and a high school transcript.
So, for example, if you’re transferring college after your first year, you’ll need an official college transcript from the school you attended during freshman year. You’ll also likely need to resend an official high school transcript to the schools you’re applying to.
Based on your transcripts, the receiving schools will evaluate and determine how credits transfer and which graduation requirements still need to be met. Keep in mind that credit transfer policies are not one size fits all, meaning that policies will vary by district and state. In some cases, this could result in lost or partial credit.
While the receiving school will determine how your credits transfer, you’ll still want to keep a record of your academics. For example, personal copies of transcripts and report cards can help you verify the accuracy of your credits after transferring.
The actual process of requesting your student transcript is similar to the first time you did it. You’ll need to contact the correct offices and request the documents. This could be done electronically, depending on the institution. Always verify the process directly with your institutions via their website or make a call to find out specifics.
How do I send my transcripts to colleges?
We’ve looked at how to request a high school transcript, however, you may be wondering what happens after processing the request. How can you send your high school transcript to the colleges you apply to? Well, technically, students cannot send official transcripts themselves. A high school transcript must be sent directly from your high school to your colleges of choice.
Once students make an official high school transcript request through the registrar or counselor, after processing, the transcripts are sent directly to the college by mail or electronically. This means the student doesn’t actually send the student transcript, rather, the high school does. As a student, your job is to simply complete the high school transcript request process. However, it is also your responsibility to double check that the request has been processed and your transcripts have been sent.
Logically, most colleges now prefer secure electronic delivery systems when receiving transcripts, rather than mail. Secure delivery systems include the Common App, Coalition App, Parchment, and Naviance. However, your high school will be in charge of officially sending those transcripts, whether electronically or via mail, so you don’t need to worry about how they’re actually sent.
While sending the actual transcript isn’t a student’s job, you will want to be absolutely positive that your transcripts were sent on time. Be sure to request an official high school transcript well before deadlines to allow time for processing and delivery. Additionally, confirm with your colleges that the transcripts have indeed been received.
Do colleges see failed or repeated classes?
Obviously, students want to make their college applications as competitive as possible. Your high school transcript is an important part of the admissions process, however, it is certainly not the only factor that determines admissions. That being said, you may be wondering if colleges will see any failed or repeated classes. Put simply, yes, both failed and repeated classes will appear on a high school transcript.
Repeated classes may affect GPA. While many schools will replace the old grade of the repeated course, both will stay on your transcript and be seen by college admissions. However, admissions officers look for candidates that show resilience, growth, and motivation. Your application is typically viewed holistically, so a repeated class certainly won’t be the only factor admissions considers when evaluating your candidacy. Admissions officers look at the full picture and will often value improvement when a student retakes a class and does better.
Overall, colleges prefer honesty and resilience over a “perfect record.” While you should aim to do your best academically during high school, a repeated or failed class on your high school transcript isn’t necessarily a deciding factor in the admissions process. Rather than obsessing over past academic performance in certain classes on your applications, focus on your overall performance and growth. Your extracurriculars and college essays provide two key opportunities to show that you are more than the grades and GPA on your high school transcript.
3 tips for strengthening your high school transcript
Requesting official transcripts is an important part of the application process. However, long before requesting an official transcript, you’ll want to consider how to make your high school transcript as competitive as possible. What can you do to strengthen your high school transcript so that you stand out in the college admissions process?
Let’s take a look at three tips to help you build the best high school transcript possible.
3 High School Transcript Tips
1. Choose classes strategically to demonstrate both rigor and interest.
You don’t need to take every AP, honors, and IB class available at your high school. Rather, focus on taking advanced courses in which you both excel and have an interest. For example, if you’re interested in pursuing a STEM degree in college, consider taking AP Biology, AP Chemistry, AP Computer Programming, or some other advanced course in that field. Alternatively, if you don’t enjoy math, and aren’t planning on pursuing it in college, there’s no need to take AP Calculus. You want to do well in the courses you choose, while also showing that you are academically motivated and open to taking on challenging coursework.
2. Aim for consistency and improvement in grades over time.
As we’ve mentioned, college admissions officers love to see resilience and development in their candidates. If you didn’t have the best grades freshman year, but you were able to turn that around in the following years, that can show motivation and growth. Alternatively, if you’re consistently earning top grades and taking challenging courses, that also puts you in a good spot for college admissions.
3. Seek support early to avoid dips in performance.
Not every student will excel in every subject — that’s perfectly okay! The key is to understand what subjects you may need extra support in and seek that guidance early on. Getting extra teacher help or even a tutor can help set you up for success in challenging subjects. Or, maybe you need support in organizing yourself and learning time management. You can also reach out for guidance in creating systems that allow yourself to manage your academic and extracurricular commitments.
One mistake many students make is thinking they have to manage it all on their own, but you certainly don’t! There are people and programs to help you; you just need to seek the support you need.
While often another dreaded item on the task list, standardized tests can help strengthen your high school transcript. If, for example, you didn’t earn the best grades in your freshman or sophomore years, earning high test scores can demonstrate growth and aptitude. Overall, high standardized test scores can help to make your college applications stand out amongst a large pool of qualified candidates. However, be sure to check whether your schools accept standardized test scores — the majority still consider them in the admissions process, but some schools do not.
High School Transcript- Final Takeaways
In this article we’ve reviewed everything from what an official transcript looks like to the “get my transcript” process, and plenty in between. Remember that requesting official transcripts is something that should be done well ahead of any deadlines. Before then, students should work to build the strongest transcript possible, by excelling in their courses.
While certainly not the only factor, an official high school transcript plays a vital role in the college admissions process. Requesting official transcripts isn’t all that difficult. The real challenge is building a record that represents who you are as a student and everything you’ve learned and worked hard to achieve.
There is no high school transcript template for every student to follow. Rather, your courses and grades should reflect your academic growth and interests. For some students this might mean having consistently high grades. For others it may show growth in subjects over time. College admissions consider the big picture when looking at college applications. So, no matter where you are in your high school career, do all you can to make it an impressive part!
The college application process can be daunting to take on alone — but you don’t have to! CollegeAdvisor offers personalized guidance to help students navigate the complexities of the college admission process. From requesting your high school transcript to crafting a standout application, CollegeAdvisor is here to support you every step of the way.
This article was written by Rachel Kahn and Sarah Kaminski. Looking for more admissions support? Click here to schedule a free meeting with one of our Admissions Specialists. During your meeting, our team will discuss your profile and help you find targeted ways to increase your admissions odds at top schools. We’ll also answer any questions and discuss how CollegeAdvisor.com can support you in the college application process.
