Masters Programs: Official Transcripts Only from Degree Granted

Sorry for the awkward title, but I couldn't figure out a way to shorten it without losing my meaning.

I graduated from SUNY Empire State College in 2017 and have used the degree to change careers and upgrade my salary. This year, I decided to pursue a master's degree. I was away from the education boards for five years and had no idea about the changes to places like ACE or even about changes to accreditation. Eleven of the credits I used toward my degree were considered "credits by examination," which forced me to set up a Credly account. Needless to say, a couple of the resources I used did not partner with Credly, so I had to make several calls to hunt down my credits and receive my badges. Luckily, I was able to retrieve them.

But this led me to think: What if I hadn't been able to have those ACE credits verified? Most colleges seem to want ALL transcripts, even if the credits weren't used toward my degree. As an adult learner in my 40s, the thought of a college taking into account my 1990s grades (earned during a time when I simply didn't care) didn't sit well with me. I also thought about all the people who attended schools which closed and for whatever reason, they had no way of tracking down those transcripts. Finally, sending each and every transcript can be an expensive proposition for those of us who like attending school for reasons other than receiving degrees and certs.

That's why I'm compiling a list of online colleges that ask only for transcripts from the colleges from which the person graduated. So far I've tracked down the following. Please feel free to add to the list. Also, if I am mistaken, please don't hesitate to alert me so that I can update my list:

- American College of Education

- American Public University

- Troy University

- Columbia Southern

- University of Main at Presque Isle

- Western New Mexico University (states that the application must LIST all obtained credits, but appears to only require official transcript showing bachelor/master's award

Are you aware of others?

 

Colleges will typically not require transcripts from non-collegiate sources. They want transcripts from all accredited colleges attended for credit-bearing courses. Sometimes, they get confused and will ask for a transcript from an ACE or NCCRS source. All I had to do was explain that Davar Academy, for example, is not a postsecondary institution.

As for closed colleges, there is always a plan to keep the educational records somewhere, and the State Department of Education should have that plan. If one can't find out which transcript service or college is holding the records with a Google search, then one should contact the Department of Education in the state where the closed college was located. Sometimes, the state has the records.

But, I personally understand the inconvenience and cost of ordering transcripts from every institution attended. I jump on almost every free opportunity for credits.

 

Imperial College London asked me for only my official transcript from Georgetown University, which was my latest granted degree.

 

That's nice TEKMAN!

 

I'm now listing specific programs instead of simply naming the institution because departmental requirements often differ.

More programs that do not request transcripts from every college attended:

- Fordham University (MS in Real Estate) (I never knew such a program existed!)
- St. John's University (MA in Global Development and Social Justice)
- Touro University (MS in Industrial Organizational Psychology)

 

For a European university, this is not surprising. On the contrary, it is unusual for European universities to require transcripts for all credits. Most universities only want transcripts for the degrees and credits that are relevant to the degree in question.

 

It's simple, really. For applicants with credits from multiple sources, requesting only the final, graduating, transcript will sometimes paint an incomplete picture. This is because the final school may not list the credits in detail, their source, etc. Also, they will not, typically, list the credits they did not accept, like from failed courses or courses passed with a "D" grade.

Example: You got to community college, but have a bumpy ride. You withdraw from some courses, get a couple of incompletes, perhaps an F or two. Plus you complete 15 credits, 12 at a C or higher, with one D. Sometime later, you decide to pursue your degree at, say, Excelsior. Well, Excelsior will accept the 12 credits, but won't list all that other stuff. Admissions officials just might want to know the whole picture, though, and will often ask for that community college transcript directly.

Along with that, schools tend not to include transferred credits in their GPA calculations which, again, paints an incomplete picture.

 

Of course institutions are well within their right to request ALL transcripts where coursework was attempted or completed (as UMass Global does). As I wrote in my initial post, this requirement is more standard than not. That's why I thought it would be good to collect a list of institutions that don't require each and every transcript for acceptance into a master's program.

More programs that do not request transcripts for all coursework attempted or completed:

- Syracuse University (Various Programs)
https://newhouse.syr.edu/admissions/graduate/application-process/

- D’Youville University (MBA)
https://online.dyc.edu/master-of-business-administration/

- Manhattan College (Organizational Leadership)
https://manhattan.edu/academics/graduate-programs/organizational-leadership-accelerated.php

- Franklin University (Various Programs)
https://www.franklin.edu/admissions/graduate-students

Please alert me about any incorrect listings.

 

Put the line below into the Google search bar.

"admission" "transcript" "degree-granting" site:.edu

You can play around with the wording to see what kind of results you get. Since transcript requirements vary by program, one would have to comb through thousands of online programs. There are potentially hundreds of online programs that don't require all transcripts.

What I do is search for the specific type of online program I want, such as an MS or MA in Biology. Then, I start eliminating programs that don't meet my criteria i.e. requires all transcripts, GRE (my scores expired), letters of recommendation (there are only so many times I can bug my past instructors), too expensive, etc.