I'm nearly finished with my Excelsior business bachelor and intend to apply to the USQ MBA program. Which documents from Excelsior will I have to submit for application? The diploma, the transcript or both? Will Excelsior send the documents in question directly to the school of my choice? Thanks for input, Dennis
Yes, Dennis, it is customary that US universities send transcripts wherever you request for a small fee (less than $5 usually). I am sure Excelsior has published a form for transcripts requests that you can fax or send by mail after you fill it up (and pay). Good luck with that admission process
If you are applying to US schools, you will usually not have to supply a copy of the diploma, just the transcripts. marilynd
Hi Dennis - Please allow me to put a slightly finer point on this answer. There are "transcripts" and then there are "official transcripts." Hopefully I can describe the distinction. You can ask for a set of transcripts from your university and they will send you a listing of all the courses you took, the respective grades, etc. However, in order to try to avoid situations in which a person might falsify their transcripts, "official transcripts" are sent. Typically, these are sent in an envelope that is sealed in a specific manner. If the receiving university notices that the seal has been broken then this suggests that the transcripts might have been altered. When applying to grad programs you should be certain to request that "official transcripts" be sent to the receiving university. If you request that these "official transcripts" be sent to you (so that you can submit an entire, complete application packet at once) then you need to be certain that you don't open your transcripts to "take a peek." If you want to see your transcripts you can ask the school to send two sets, one to your school and one to you. It will only cost a few dollars more. Good luck in your applications. Jack
Yeah, what Jack said. Be aware, however, that many schools will not accept transcripts that have not been mailed to them directly from the school in question. Indeed, many schools will not mail official transcripts to you directly. Nevertheless, if you plan to include unopened official transcripts as part of the total application package, I would check with the school you're applying to and make certain that this process is acceptable to them. marilynd
Dennis mentioned USQ, so I thought I'd mention my experience. I found USQ easy to deal with -- no official transcripts etc. Here's the letter I received in response to my application (to MPIT program): To further assess your application for admission you are now required to provide us with documentary evidence of having satisfied all program prerequisites. This means that you must send us certified copies of ALL relevant documents which demonstrate that you have met all prerequisite requirements for entry to the program (including a full academic transcript of results). You are also required to provide documentation to indicate how and to what level you have met the English prerequisite if your first language is not English (for example IELTS results). It is also your responsibility to have such documentation translated, if necessary (and certified) before sending it to the University. To have documentation certified you need to take your original transcripts and a copy of each transcript to an authorised person in your community. Authorised persons include Justices of the Peace, Notary Publics, Police Officers and School Teachers or University professors. They need to sign on your copies that they are a true and correct copy of the original, print their name and position and if possible affix an official stamp. Initially this documentation can be faxed to: Bill Bryon Assistant Administration Manager Faculty of Sciences Fax No. +61 7 <snip> and we may be able to provide you with a tentative decision regarding your application. PLEASE NOTE: Students will not be formally enrolled in programs until the certified copies of the documentation are received by mail. These should be posted to: <snip>
oxpecker: US universities are obviously a lot less trusting. Was this your experience when applying to Birkbeck as well? marilynd
In truth, I don't remember. It wasn't a big deal (or I would remember!). USQ was particularly easy because our departmental admin who sits right outside my office is a Notary Public, with official stamp and all.
Birkbeck just wanted to see my certificates and took a photocopy of them for the registry records. However, they accept transcripts as well, which have to be included with your application. I should add that I've always gained the impression that they're a lot more interested in your references . . . which do have to be sent sealed. Angela
I showed my transcript to the nice lady at the registrar's office, who asked me "Does it say somewhere that you've earned the degree?" It did.
