As the school year draws to a close, it’s time to consider what to do with your final transcript. For most high school graduates, this will mean sending it off to the college or university they plan to attend the following year. This is an important step and you could say, the last step in the college admissions process.
Your final transcript indicates all of your grades from high school. That‘s important because you can make the argument that colleges admit you on a provisional basis. Students typically complete college applications in the fall of senior year, when they are really only three quarters of the way through high school. The final transcript can assure the colleges that you’ve remained the student you appeared to be during your freshmen, sophomore, and junior year. Seniors who have the worst cases of senioritis could receive a letter of rescission when their final transcript shows a terrible senior year. That’s when a college rescinds your admission after you’ve already made plans to attend. That happens rarely, but it does happen.
The final transcript can serve some other purposes. It can show final eligibility for certain programs or scholarship opportunities in a school, It can indicate college-credit baring course work such as dual enrollment credits, and at some institutions, it might even be used for placement. Students would do well to check their final transcript for accuracy.
To procure your final transcript or to send it along, you’ll need to communicate with your high school. Most schools have a firm system in place to notify them of where to send your final transcript, so there’s no need to hound your counselor. However, you do need to be certain you’ve done something formal to tell them what your plans are. If your mom bumped into your counselor at the grocery store back in February and shared that you finally settled on a particular college, that doesn’t count. There’s probably a simple form to fill out close to graduation.
Colleges will usually require receipt of your final transcript before they will let you register for class or activate the classes you are scheduled for. It’s important to have some patience though. Your high school has many to send out, usually with a skeleton summer crew. They might not get them sent out in the five minutes that follow graduation. (Note: This year, I returned to work on Monday morning following a Saturday graduation to find two emails wondering why final transcripts had not yet been sent). Colleges also must review and process all the final transcripts they receive and this also takes time. Don’t be alarmed if your high school is telling you that final transcripts have been sent, but your college is not yet reflecting that. Give both sides a little time to get the job done as both understand the magnitude of the process.
