What is an academic transcript?

An academic transcript is the school's cumulative record of a student's coursework: every course taken, the grades and credits earned, and the GPA, organized by academic year or term from enrollment through graduation. It's issued by the school's registrar or records office and is the standard proof of academic history for college applications, transfers, and employment.

What is the difference between an official and an unofficial transcript?

The academic content is the same; the difference is authentication. An official transcript is issued directly by the registrar with the school's seal and signature, usually in a sealed envelope or through a secure electronic service, and it's what colleges and employers require. An unofficial transcript is a plain copy, often self-printed from a student portal, useful for advising, personal records, and preliminary reviews.

Is a transcript the same as your GPA?

No. Your GPA is one number on the transcript. The transcript is the full record behind it: every course, the grade and credits for each, year by year. Colleges ask for transcripts rather than GPAs because they want to see course rigor (AP, honors, dual enrollment), grade trends, and exactly what the GPA is built from.

How do I get a copy of my transcript?

Request it from the registrar or records office of the school you attended. Many high schools and most colleges route orders through services like Parchment or the National Student Clearinghouse, and current students can usually download an unofficial copy from the student portal. Under FERPA, a school has up to 45 days to let you inspect your records, and official copies often carry a per-copy fee, so request them ahead of deadlines.

How long do schools keep transcripts?

Most schools treat transcripts as permanent records, but there is no federal retention requirement; how long records are actually kept is set by state retention schedules, and it varies. If a school closes or consolidates, its records typically transfer to the district or a state agency, which can make retrieval slow. That's why keeping your own copies is the reliable path.

Do transcripts expire?

No. A transcript is a permanent record of completed coursework and it remains valid indefinitely. What does age out is the copy: many colleges and employers want an official transcript issued recently (often within the last year), so you may need to order a fresh sealed copy even if you have an old one on hand.

Academic

Academic Transcript

An academic transcript is a school's cumulative record of a student's coursework: every class taken, the grade earned, credits, and GPA across all years of enrollment. High schools, colleges, and universities issue them in official (registrar-sealed) and unofficial versions, and they're required for college applications, transfers, and many jobs.

Under FERPA, a school must let you inspect your education records within a reasonable period, but it can take up to 45 days after your request, and states may set shorter limits.

Source: U.S. Department of Education, Protecting Student Privacy

Written & maintained by the Granite team · Last updated August 2026

Overview

The school's registrar or records office maintains the transcript and issues copies on request. Unlike a report card, which covers one term, a transcript is cumulative: it follows the student from enrollment to graduation, organized by academic year or semester, with course titles, grades, credit hours, and a running GPA. Many high school transcripts also show class rank, a weighted GPA, and the expected graduation date.

The official/unofficial distinction matters more than most people expect. An official transcript is printed or transmitted by the registrar with a seal or signature and often travels in a sealed envelope or through a verified service like Parchment or the National Student Clearinghouse. An unofficial transcript carries the same academic content but no authentication, so colleges and employers that need verified records will only accept the official version.

When you’ll get your Academic Transcript

Your child is applying to colleges and you requested copies for the applications
You're transferring schools and the new one needs proof of completed coursework
An employer or licensing board asked for proof of your degree or GPA
You homeschool and maintain the transcript yourself as the official record
You requested your own records from a school you attended years ago
The school sent an end-of-year unofficial copy for your records

What’s on your Academic Transcript

These are the fields Granite reads and extracts automatically the moment you upload one.

Student Name: The student the record belongs to, as registered with the school.
School Name: The issuing high school, college, or university.
Course History: The heart of the transcript: every course by academic year, with department, grade earned, and credits.
Cumulative GPA & Scale: The running grade point average, and the scale it's on (4.0, 5.0 weighted, or 100-point).
Grade Level / Class Standing: Where the student currently stands: 12th grade, junior, senior.
Expected Graduation Date: When the student is on track to finish.
Official / Unofficial Marking: A seal and registrar signature (official) or a watermark like "Unofficial Transcript" (unofficial).
Issue Date: When the copy was printed. Colleges often want transcripts issued recently.
Student ID & Date of Birth: Identifiers used to match the record to the student. Sensitive: treat a transcript like an identity document.
Total Credits: Cumulative credit hours earned toward graduation.

How long to keep it

Keep every transcript permanently, especially final high school and college transcripts.

FERPA gives you the right to inspect your records, but it sets no federal rule requiring schools to keep them forever; retention schedules vary by state, and a school has up to 45 days to respond when you request access. Ordering official copies also typically involves fees and processing time, and if a school closes or merges, its records move to a state agency where retrieval gets slower. Transcripts resurface decades later for graduate school, professional licensing, and employment verification, so your own copy is the one you can actually count on.

How Granite handles your Academic Transcript

Drop a transcript into Granite and it recognizes what it is, pulls the student's name, school, GPA, grade level, expected graduation, and the full course history, and files it with that student's records. Ask "what was her GPA sophomore year" or "when does he graduate" and the answer is right there. Sensitive identifiers like date of birth and student ID are encrypted at rest, the same way Granite treats passports and Social Security cards.

FAQ

Academic Transcript: common questions

What is an academic transcript?: An academic transcript is the school's cumulative record of a student's coursework: every course taken, the grades and credits earned, and the GPA, organized by academic year or term from enrollment through graduation. It's issued by the school's registrar or records office and is the standard proof of academic history for college applications, transfers, and employment.
What is the difference between an official and an unofficial transcript?: The academic content is the same; the difference is authentication. An official transcript is issued directly by the registrar with the school's seal and signature, usually in a sealed envelope or through a secure electronic service, and it's what colleges and employers require. An unofficial transcript is a plain copy, often self-printed from a student portal, useful for advising, personal records, and preliminary reviews.
Is a transcript the same as your GPA?: No. Your GPA is one number on the transcript. The transcript is the full record behind it: every course, the grade and credits for each, year by year. Colleges ask for transcripts rather than GPAs because they want to see course rigor (AP, honors, dual enrollment), grade trends, and exactly what the GPA is built from.
How do I get a copy of my transcript?: Request it from the registrar or records office of the school you attended. Many high schools and most colleges route orders through services like Parchment or the National Student Clearinghouse, and current students can usually download an unofficial copy from the student portal. Under FERPA, a school has up to 45 days to let you inspect your records, and official copies often carry a per-copy fee, so request them ahead of deadlines.
How long do schools keep transcripts?: Most schools treat transcripts as permanent records, but there is no federal retention requirement; how long records are actually kept is set by state retention schedules, and it varies. If a school closes or consolidates, its records typically transfer to the district or a state agency, which can make retrieval slow. That's why keeping your own copies is the reliable path.
Do transcripts expire?: No. A transcript is a permanent record of completed coursework and it remains valid indefinitely. What does age out is the copy: many colleges and employers want an official transcript issued recently (often within the last year), so you may need to order a fresh sealed copy even if you have an old one on hand.

Sources

This page is checked against primary and authoritative sources:

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