Do any online BA or certificate programs allow Unoffiical Transcripts?

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by ooo, Apr 10, 2013.

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  1. ooo

    ooo New Member

    Do any online BA or accredited, financial aid eligible certificate programs allow Unofficial Transcripts for admissions and financial aid?

    For one semester at least?

    I have official transcripts from 2 other colleges, but my main/original college I only have unofficial transcripts right now.

    Prefer international relations, marketing/communications, or job-related certificates.

    I am looking to apply to financial aid, or at least a Stafford loan at the school. So, I do want an accredited school that's affordable, career-relevant, and not throwing money down the drain.
     
  2. Ian Anderson

    Ian Anderson Active Member

    Why not start taking courses pending transmittal of your official transcripts.

    At all the schools (mostly California CCs and CSUDH) where I obtained credit towards my Excelsior BS I was never asked for transcripts.

    For both my masters degrees I took two courses at each prior to enrolling. After I enrolled both schools required a copy of my Excelsior BS transcript.

    Some schools (AMU for example) obtain all your transcripts for a small fixed fee.
     
  3. ooo

    ooo New Member

    I'll be applying for financial aid (Stafford Loan, at least), so I have to be an admitted student in an eligible certificate or degree program. I can't be a non-degree student to get aid.

    Cool. Maybe I can try a CC too if those might be less likely to need transcripts. I'll have to check out CSUDH.

    I can't submit my current transcript yet-- at least not the first semester (one more semester). After that, I can.

    I have summer class credits from 2 other colleges that I could submit to a new school, but the bulk of my credits are from my original school. A local school here would let me take 3 credits as a non-degree student, but that won't work for me-- I can't do this without financial aid. I'm already $100K+ in the hole on a BA over the years, with all the cash, tuition benefits, and private student loans I've got. Anything else must be financial aid. I finally qualify for financial aid, thankfully (sort of thankfully, I would rather make much more income).
     
  4. Ian Anderson

    Ian Anderson Active Member

    From your last post it sounds like you do not have your BA yet. Have you checked out the big three?
    Here is the Excelsior site:
    Degree Completion - excelsior.edu

    By the way CSUDH is expensive - there are lower cost options. What major are you interested in.
     
  5. Ian Anderson

    Ian Anderson Active Member

    From your last post it sounds like you do not have your BA yet. Have you checked out the big three?
    Here is the Excelsior site:
    Degree Completion - excelsior.edu

    By the way CSUDH is expensive - there are lower cost options. What major are you interested in.
     
  6. ooo

    ooo New Member

    Thanks. I actually don't want to transfer my credits-- I want my BA from my original school.

    The problem is that I only have unofficial transcripts from my original school at the moment. Would any school let me attend as a matriculated student for one semester with unofficial transcripts, then let me send the official transcripts to them after the first semester?

    I'll have to look into Excelsior. Maybe they offer some undergrad certificate that I would get.

    Since I don't have a BA yet, the perk would be that I qualify for more financial aid/subsidized Stafford loans.
    So, I'm looking for an undergraduate certificate or something useful that I could earn from another school-- while I wait to finish my BA at my original school.

    Preferably in international relations, communications, or business related (business admin., accounting).
     
  7. sanantone

    sanantone Well-Known Member

    How come you can't get an official transcript? Central Texas College let me start taking courses and receive financial aid before they received my transcript from WIU. WIU said I owed them money....long story. Colorado Technical University also let me enroll and start taking courses with financial aid before receiving my WIU transcript. Both schools said I needed to have the official transcript sent to them before I graduate. I never graduated from either school, but it wasn't because of the transcript issue. I finished up somewhere else.

    The other schools I've dealt with at the undergraduate level wanted all of the transcripts: Alamo Community Colleges, University of Houston - Victoria, and American Military University. I applied to all of the Big 3 and I'm not quite sure if they absolutely require all of the transcripts before you enroll.
     
  8. ooo

    ooo New Member

    Very helpful. Glad to hear I might have options. I'll look into those schools and see if they have classes that might be a good match for me.

    I literally have to fly to my original school, in person with 2 IDs, to request a transcript. They won't issue it by fax, mail, or phone. Silly me put a "confidentiality hold" on my student account as a freshman. They used to list freshman dorm addresses, phone numbers, e-mails, etc. on the student directory if you didn't add a confidentiality hold to your student account. Needless to say, I never removed that hold, and they refuse to issue me official transcripts unless it's in person with 2 IDs. I offered to have a form notarized and mailed to them-- they refused. So, I have to visit the old school in person-- and I'm not able to take a trip this semester.

    All I can get until I visit the school is the unofficial transcript on the student login system. They won't send an official transcript to any other school directly until then, either. Talk about confidentiality hold. Oops!
     
  9. sanantone

    sanantone Well-Known Member

    Hopefully, you can eventually get the hold removed. Some schools will accept a transcript delivered by the student if it's in a sealed envelope. Many other schools will require that the transcript come directly from the original school.
     
  10. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    Why? Official transcripts can be had in a few days for a few bucks. Unless, of course, you still owe them money. If so, you won't see those transcripts until you pay up.
     
  11. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    So resolve this; don't try to work around it.
     
  12. ooo

    ooo New Member

    I'm looking for a certificate program anyway, regardless of the original school. Next semester I'll be able to visit the original school and get official transcripts. Can't make the trip there this semester, and don't want to keep delaying my education.

    It appears that there are 2 undergraduate certificate programs from other schools that are both relevant to a career and eligible for financial aid. I'll have to see if either could accept unofficial transcripts for the semester until I get get the official transcripts.
     
  13. ooo

    ooo New Member

    Later in the year I plan to visit and remove the confidentiality hold. That hold sure is a pain. Until then, hopefully I can find a school that would allow unofficial transcripts for a semester. One of the schools you mentioned had an interesting program that might suit my needs. I'll try inquiring to that school and a few I'm interested in to see if they'll both accept unofficial transcripts temporarily, and have financial-aide eligible certificate programs.
     
  14. Ian Anderson

    Ian Anderson Active Member

    You have invested $100K+ to date with no degree to show for the investment. Why not finish the BA rather than obtaining a cerificate that may not impress employers. All the certificate programs I know of in the US do not require transcripts and most do not carry accademic credit.

    If your school was a B&M institution why not contact them to arrange a way to complete your BA?
     
  15. sanantone

    sanantone Well-Known Member

    There are hundreds, if not thousands, of certificate programs that carry academic credit. The ones that carry academic credit will require transcripts. I'm kind of baffled at someone not knowing that there are academic, certificate programs and that they're different from continuing education certificates.
     
  16. ooo

    ooo New Member

    I plan to get the BA-- that's underway. I wouldn't want $100K down the drain to only have a certificate and no BA. I'm looking for something to do while I finish the BA requirement. And, too boost my GPA & be career useful.

    The certificate is just to supplement the eventual BA, definitely not to replace it. I guess it sounded like it was. I've been in contact with the B&M and I either have to find a similar class elsewhere to take or pass an exam. The certificate program would have an added benefit of trying to take that class there, while I also study for the exam. I'm trying to meet the BA requirements in as many ways as possible. :)
     
  17. ooo

    ooo New Member

    I'm impressed by how many there are too. I should've specified I'm looking for an undergraduate, for-credit certificate program, not professional development courses. It doesn't seem like certificate programs are as popular around here as BAs and MAs. I don't think I had heard of one until a few years ago.
     
  18. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    You won't "boost (your) GPA" by taking a set of courses elsewhere. Your GPA is calculated by the school granting your degree; these (hypothetical) credits won't change that.

    It sounds like there's more to this than is being let on, so I'm not really interested in trying to help. Good luck, though.
     
  19. ooo

    ooo New Member

    I meant boosting my overall GPA at all schools.

    I'm applying to a Master's program that automatically admits someone with a certain GPA among all schools they've ever attended. 3 more classes of all A's and I will be automatically admitted. The Master's doesn't require the classes to be at the original (BA) school. This MA looks at all transcripts, even summer school. No GRE needed.

    The other benefit of a certificate program is being able to take, cheaply and/or with aid, the last requirement for my BA. Boost my GPA. And hopefully get a work-related, accredited, for-credit undergraduate certificate to boot. Lots of benefits with it.

    I would have preferred to take the remaining class (plus a few more to boost my overall GPA among all schools) at the original school, but it's too far away-- so far I have to fly there just to get official transcripts. And, that's a big journey. All I have is unofficial web transcripts, or an opened official transcript from a few years ago. I'm also looking for cheaper than that school.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Apr 11, 2013
  20. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    I'm still struggling with the OP's OD ("original dilemma"). I just don't see how it is possible for the school to require him/her to appear in person to rescind a privacy restriction that (and I really can't believe this) extends to issuing transcripts. There is no way this cannot be done at a distance with the use of a notary. No way. And since when does this restriction extend to transcript issue? FERPA allows students to withhold information from the public that is non-directory. (This prevents the school from revealing to third parties any information beyond the fact that the person attended and what degrees he/she earned, if any. It does not extend to the student/graduate, though.)

    None of this makes sense. The only time I've heard of a school withholding transcripts when the student wants to issue them is when the student is in arrears. But even if it is true, since when must the student physically appear to rescind it?

    I wish the OP good luck. But I simply don't buy it. Sorry.
     

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