Requesting Transcripts For The Penn Foster High School Program

If you're applying to the High School Completion Program at Penn Foster, then you will be required to submit transcripts as part of the application process. Here are the steps and FAQs for doing so!

What Are Transcripts?

A transcript is basically a list of the classes you completed in high school. There are two types of transcripts:

• Unofficial Transcripts will need to be submitted directly in the Guild application.
  • Usually a digital copy (email, text, image)
  • Sometimes a paper copy that has been opened
  • If your school name is listed within the Guild application, then you can order these transcripts directly in the application through a third-party service called Parchment. Otherwise, you would need to order these separately and upload them directly into your application. 
    
    
• Official Transcripts will be sent directly to Penn Foster once you’ve been admitted to the program.
  
  • Usually in a sealed envelope
  • Sometimes a digital copy from a transcript service 
  • Used to transfer in credits from previous high school experience
  • If your school name is listed within the Guild application, then you can order these transcripts directly in the application through a third-party service called Parchment. Otherwise, you would need to order these separately and send them directly to Penn Foster.

Note that you will need to get transcripts from ALL high schools you've previously attended, or access your GED scores if you’ve ever passed any tests. 

When and Where to Send Official Transcripts

• When: 
  
  • After you have submitted your application and after you have been accepted into the program, you should send your official transcripts ASAP (if you have not done so already). 
    
    
  • You can also submit them sometime before your start date or as you begin in the Penn Foster program. The sooner you send them, though, the better.
    
    
  • You will get an email from Penn Foster when they receive your transcripts. 
    

• Where:
  
  • If you're not able to order your transcripts through the Guild application, then you will need to call your previous high school and request that they send an Official Transcript in a sealed envelope directly to Penn Foster.
    
    
  • If your high school subscribes to Parchment, you can order your transcript online. For both options, send to this address:

ATTN: GUILD
High School Transcript Center
929 Oak St.
Scranton, PA 18515

• If your school sends your official transcript directly to you*, put the sealed envelope in another blank envelope and send it to the same address listed above. 
  • *Don’t open the envelope with your official transcript inside! Once you open the envelope, it becomes an unofficial transcript.

• If your school is being unresponsive, please reach out to your Student Success Advisor, and they can provide you with an Official Transcript Request Form.

How Are Transcripts Evaluated?

Once Penn Foster receives your transcripts, they will compare the classes you completed in high school with their own curriculum. Often, full-credit classes that you have passed and that match will be awarded as transfer credits. This ensures that you won't have to re-take any courses that you already have taken in high school. No transfer credit will be awarded until official transcripts have been received and evaluated by Penn Foster. 

Other Things to Know About Transcripts

• If you are not interested in transferring credits or have taken the SmarterMeasure exam, you do not need to submit an official transcript. 
  
  
• Not having an official transcript in won't stop you from starting the program on your start date. 
  
  
• Penn Foster allows up to 16 credits to be transferred in. The Penn Foster program requires 21.5 credits total to receive your diploma.
  
  
• The first three courses in Penn Foster can't be transferred in. This gives you extra time to get your official transcript submitted. 

Still Can’t Find Your Transcripts?

• If it’s been a while since you attended school, your school has closed down, or you were homeschooled, you may need to contact your state’s Department of Education to request your transcripts.
  
  
• For students in California who have passed the California High School Proficiency Examination, you can request transcripts by clicking here.
  
  
• If you attended high school outside of the U.S. and your transcripts are in a language other than English, you will need to have them translated before submitting them to Penn Foster. To learn how to do so, we'd recommend connecting with a Guild coach first. 

The process for evaluating transcripts takes about 2-3 weeks. After you have received confirmation that Penn Foster has your official transcript, you can either reach out to your Student Success Advisor or call the Guild/Penn Foster Support Line at 1-800-840-0457 to find out which credits have transferred.

Article written by Dani Turnbull and Katie Kottemann, Student Success Advisors