Before we tell you what preparation is all about, please remember that the transcript must be prepared by the school/college/institution that you have attended.  You need attested copies of all your original mark-sheets, which will also be sent along with the transcripts.  The university will require a minimum of 4 years' mark-sheets including the most recent.  Of course if you are mailing your applications to undergraduate programs in January 2001 to meet college deadlines for the Fall term and you have not yet appeared for HSC, O/A ‘levels - obviously you can't send those but you will send the previous 4 years.

You may also prepare transcripts on your institution letter paper by compiling and stating all the subjects you have covered and the marks that you have obtained, then have your school or college office attest them.  These must be authenticated from your institute, i.e. attested by a registrar/principal, and sent to the Universities where you finally apply.  Several institutions are now becoming more and more familiar with what is required by overseas universities.

Remember, universities overseas require official transcripts, which is:

• The transcript is typed on the letterhead of your college
  

• The transcript is attested in original on every page.
  

• The transcript is sealed in an envelope, which has the stamp of the college across its flap.

Usually, every university asks for 1 or 2 copies of your transcripts, but make sure that you get extra copies done, in case of emergencies.  They ask for these transcripts to be mailed directly from the school/college/institution they are from.  But, most colleges in India do not send the transcript directly; in such cases students are given sealed transcripts, which the students mail, directly to the university with other application material.  You can send the official transcript along with the application material.

In countries like India, many institutions here are yet not totally familiar with what is expected in a transcript.  These countries usually issue a ‘mark-sheet’, and the universities abroad ask for a transcript.  The difference being that a mark-sheet is what you obtain after your examinations and reflects your performance for the same, on the other hand a transcript is more comprehensive than the mark-sheet as it incorporates additional features such as the number of hours per week that a particular course is conducted, the number of years your course in spread over and an explanation of the grading system followed by your college.  Hence, please follow the sample transcript.

In the application package that you receive from the university, you will receive a transcript request form, which is used by students to request their colleges/institutions to mail transcripts directly to the university where the student has applied.  Unfortunately, most colleges/educational institutions in India do not follow this system of mailing transcripts, thus you will have to request the Registrar to issue the transcripts to you, which you will have to mail along with the application package.

If you have completed any courses apart from your college courses, i.e. Chartered Accountancy/ Company Secretary/ Computer Science course, please make transcripts for these courses as well.  These transcripts must be confidential, typed on the institute's letterhead, attested in original, placed in an envelope with the stamp across the sealed flap, as shown in the diagrams below.  They must also include the number of hours per week and an explanation on the grading system followed.   The best thing to do for programs that do not get certified from a university and are from private institutions is – enclose a photocopy of the syllabus, attested by the institute.

Mailing

Each transcript envelope must contain:

	Attested photocopies of previous years’ mark sheets, stamped and signed by the registrar’s office at School/ College.
	Attested photocopies of your previous years’ mark sheets stamped and signed by the registrar’s office at college on the college letterhead.

Your transcripts must be CONFIDENTIAL.  These envelopes should be sealed and signed by the School/ College authorities: a stamp of the institution and if possible the Principal or registrar’s signature, as shown in the diagram below.

Sample sealed Transcript Envelope

The sealed transcript envelope should be sent along with the application package to the universities/colleges you are applying to.

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