Transcripts

What to submit when you apply

When you apply, submit official transcripts. At this stage, scans of official transcripts are permitted.

Choose one of the following options:

• If you already have official transcripts in your possession, you may scan them (front and back) and submit them by attaching them to your admission application. Application tip: For each institution you list in the Universities / Colleges section, click "Add Attachment" and attach the transcript for that line. DO group documents from one institution into one file. DO NOT group documents from multiple institutions into one file.
• If you've already submitted your application, you can connect scans of official transcripts to your application by using our Admissions Uploader. DO group documents from one institution into one file. DO NOT group documents from multiple institutions into one file.
• If you do not have official transcripts, you must order them from each institution where you received credit. Read below for "Where to send official transcripts." (International applicants, please see special notes below.)

Do not submit:

• Copies of unofficial transcripts, such as web reports, advising reports or self-reported scores.
• Transfer credit on another school's transcript.
• Duplicate sets of transcripts.
• One-of-a-kind transcripts or diplomas. Academic records are destroyed and cannot be returned.

What to submit if you are admitted

If you are admitted, you will be required to submit official, complete transcripts from all institutions.

If you submitted scans when you applied, or if you've graduated or completed additional course work since applying, you must now request that each institution submit complete, official transcripts showing all work to date including a final grade and degrees earned. Read below for "Where to send official transcripts."

Note: You will be placed in provisional admitted status until official transcripts are received directly from each institution. Provisional status may result in registration holds until the required documents are received.

International applicants, please see special notes below.

If your study abroad experience is listed on your home institution transcript as transfer credit, then an official transcript issued by the study abroad institution is required, along with a translation if the transcript is not in English. Transcripts cannot be accepted from third-party facilitators that are not universities.

If your study abroad experience is listed on your home institution transcript with course name and grade, and the grade is counted towards your GPA, then a separate transcript from the study abroad institution is not required.

Semester at Sea students: An official transcript must be provided from the institution that hosted the Semester at Sea program.

Transcripts must be submitted for all post-secondary course work completed at an online or local college/university for which college credit was awarded, including courses completed during high school (except AP credit). If the institution is listed on your undergraduate transcript and/or your application, a transcript from that institution will be required, or you will be asked to submit a letter of non-enrollment from that institution confirming that no college credit was awarded.

An official transcript:

• Is ordered from your institution's registrar's office and emailed from the institution electronically to gpadocs@osu.edu using a secure system (examples include Parchment, Docufide and Escript). Transcripts must be encrypted or sent as a password-protected PDF directly from your institution’s registrar or records office, or the electronic transcript delivery company they work with.

If the institution is not able to send official electronic transcripts, you may order them to be mailed to us at:

Graduate and Professional Admissions
P.O. Box 182004
Columbus, OH 43218-2004

International applicants, please see special notes below.

A complete transcript:

• Shows all work completed to date for each institution as indicated by the dates of attendance you provided on your application.
• Does not include in-progress courses or courses without a final grade or result. If you were completing course work when you applied and you are admitted, you are required to have a final official transcript for that work sent to Graduate and Professional Admissions once grades and degrees are listed on your transcript.
• Includes a degree statement listing the name of your degree and date conferred. International students should submit degree certificates and/or diplomas to prove a degree was received.
• Is translated into English, if applicable.

An official transcript is not:

• A document you have downloaded for free from your university's website. This includes documents labeled "unofficial," "issued to student," "advising report," or "grade card" and web summary records.
• Transfer credit from one institution summarized on the transcript of another.

For U.S. institutions

Request that your transcripts be sent electronically from the issuing institution directly to gpadocs@osu.edu through secure means (meaning a password, encrypted key, token or digital signature is required to gain access to the original document). Transcripts sent to any other email address or received without password protection/encryption will not be deemed to be official.

If your institution is not able to send official electronic transcripts, you may order them to be mailed to us. Transcripts must come directly to us from the issuing institution; they cannot come from the applicant, even if they're in a sealed envelope.

Graduate and Professional Admissions
P.O. Box 182004
Columbus, OH 43218-2004

Note: U.S. institutions based abroad should use the address listed for international institutions below if mailing original documents.

For international institutions

Send copies of international transcripts, diplomas or degree certificates and English translations in sealed university envelopes to:

Graduate and Professional Admissions
The Ohio State University
Student Academic Services Building
281 W. Lane Ave.
Columbus, OH 43210-1132 USA

Note: Many international institutions do not or cannot send electronic documents that are encrypted, or password protected. It is highly recommended that all international students instruct the institution to send transcripts in a sealed university envelope directly to the address above. For more details, read "Special notes for international students," below.

Check your To Do Items

Once we've received a document, it can take 1 to 10 days for us to process it. Only then will it show up in your Applicant Center as a "complete" To Do Item.

Please be patient: Submitting duplicate documents slows processing!

If we receive an item but it does not meet our requirements, it will be listed as "incomplete." Log in to your Applicant Center and click Application Status to view details about incomplete To Do Items.

No, we do not grant exceptions to the requirements outlined on this page, even if you're studying online with us.

Academic records

The records you submit should give a complete list of courses taken, indicating the number of weeks and the number of hours as well as the marks given. The records should indicate any and all degrees earned and a clear key to the grading system used.

Acceptable documents vary depending upon the educational system and may include student books, exam results, diplomas, mark sheets and transcripts.

Note that transcripts are destroyed after processing. If you have a one-of-a kind transcript or diploma that you wish to have copied and retain, please schedule an appointment with a counselor after arrival on campus.

English translations

Transcripts and diplomas should be submitted in their original language, along with a word-for-word English translation that follows the format of the original document. English translations must be certified by the issuing institution or a certified translator. (Translations may never be made by the applicant.)

Acceptable official translators include:

• An embassy
• The Ministry of Education or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
• Government-certified translators
• Translators certified by the American Translators Association or the Northeast Ohio Translators Association
• The China Qualifications Verification Service

If you are on campus, university-affiliated individuals may translate for you and must complete a Translation Verification Form.

How to send us the documents

Because most international institutions do not send transcripts electronically via a secure system, we will accept an official transcript mailed to Graduate and Professional Admissions by the applicant if it arrives in a sealed university envelope.

Mail your sealed university envelope to:

Graduate and Professional Admissions
The Ohio State University
Student Academic Services Building
281 W. Lane Ave.
Columbus, OH 43210-1132 USA

Criteria for in-person submission

To satisfy provisions for admission, you may schedule an appointment with an Ohio State admissions counselor to submit copies of your official documents or to have your one-of-a-kind original documents copied and returned to you.

As a reminder, in addition to transcripts, students must submit proof of degree. Proof of degree is not the same as a graduation certificate or graduation date on the transcript. Proof of degree is typically a diploma/degree certificate that includes a clear degree statement, such as: “Bachelor’s/Master’s in (insert program of study) was awarded/conferred/granted on (insert specific date).”