Intro To Transcripts

What Are Transcripts? 

A transcript is a document that lists all the classes you have taken and the grades you received. Every high school and/or college you attended should have access to your transcripts. You should be able to obtain them without too much trouble unless there are any extenuating circumstances, like owing money to the school. If you didn’t graduate or it’s been awhile since you were enrolled, schools typically keep records or transcripts from years back, so you should be able to get them one way or another. 

Why Do Transcripts Matter? 

If you are applying to a program through the Guild network, it is important that you contact every school you’ve attended and request transcripts from each of them. This will help give us a better understanding of your academic history!

To us, understanding academic history is very important for multiple reasons. Some of our schools have specific GPA and transfer credit requirements that you’ll need to meet in order to be considered. Rest assured, though, that whatever your previous academic records show, we will do our best to help you find a program through your employer benefits package that will be an awesome fit for you.

Another reason why transcripts matter is because, in order to be considered for transfer credit, the school you’re looking to transfer into must do a credit evaluation via your official transcript. 

But What If I Had Bad Grades?

We get it, sending in your academic history to strangers is intimidating — especially if you didn’t do well in school the first time. But here at Guild, it’s our job to help working adults like you reach your education goals. We look at your transcripts as proof that you went to school, and as a way to make sure that you start out in the right program. Plus, federal databases track the schools you've attended, and so there's no point in hiding your previous enrollments. You won’t be able to enroll in or graduate until you send in official transcripts from every school you’ve attended.

What If I Don’t Want You to See Certain Transcripts?

While we don’t judge things that may have happened in the past, we do need your complete transcripts to help you move forward in your education.

If you’re holding back transcripts because of past grades, you won’t be able to enroll in your program. It’s best to be completely honest about your academic record from the start so that we can help place you in the right program. If you try to hide any of your transcripts, we will find out, and it will only delay your education.

Can I Provide Alternatives To Transcripts?

The short answer is no. If the program you’re applying to requires transcripts, then we will need to see your actual transcripts. If you have questions about this, please reach out to your Guild coach and they’ll be able to assist!

If you didn’t attend high school and don’t have transcripts, we need to see proof that you completed the 8th grade. Acceptable forms for proof include report cards, transcripts, or documents from your school that verify completion.

 Article Contributor: Zoë Wallis, Education Coach