Prepare Transcripts

• Requirements for All Applicants
• Additional Requirements for Applicants with International Credentials
• Requirements for Admitted Students (only applicable AFTER you are admitted)

All Applicants

All applicants must have received—or be on track to receive before matriculation as a graduate student—a baccalaureate degree from a college or university of recognized standing. For students with international credentials, an equivalent international degree is required. Transcripts are required for every college or university you have attended. If transfer credits are noted on your undergraduate transcript, you should list the transfer school on your application but there is no need to upload a separate transcript. Please inform your prospective graduate field if your name on any of your credentials will be different from the one noted on your application.

The online application requires you to upload an unofficial copy of each official transcript. To prepare your transcripts, follow the steps below:

1. Do not upload transcripts that include a U.S. Social Security Number (SSN). Redact, cross out, or cover your SSN, if applicable, before scanning the document.
2. The online application will not accept or properly display encrypted or password-protected documents. Official electronic transcripts (e-transcripts) must be printed first, then scanned and uploaded.
3. Scan or save each transcript (and the English translation, if applicable) as a PDF, TIFF, JPEG, or GIF file. Combine multiple pages from the same transcript into one file; the file size for each upload cannot exceed 10MB. 
4. Ensure each scanned or saved image is clear and easy to read before submitting your application.

Admitted students are required to submit official electronic transcripts (e-transcripts) directly to the Graduate School Admissions Office after accepting the offer of admission. Please see below for additional details.

Applicants with International Credentials — Additional Requirements

In addition to transcripts, applicants with international credentials must also provide a certified copy of the diploma and/or degree certificate for any conferred degree. All academic records must be official documents issued by the college or university and provided in the original language. A certified or notarized English translation must accompany the academic records if the original language is not English.

A complete set of academic records should include the name of the degree program in which you were enrolled, your dates of attendance, a list of courses taken each year, grades received in each course, and the date your degree was conferred (if applicable). Combine multiple pages from the same set of academic records into one file; the file size for each upload cannot exceed 10MB. 

Admitted students are required to submit official electronic transcripts (e-transcripts) directly to the Graduate School Admissions Office after accepting the offer of admission. Please see below for additional details.

Admitted Students

This section is only applicable to admitted students who have accepted an offer of admission from Cornell.

You must submit an official electronic transcript of your undergraduate degree, with the degree marked as conferred or awarded, to the Graduate School Admissions Office. Submit your documents as soon as possible to avoid processing delays. Documents must be received before October 1 for summer and fall admits, or before March 1 for spring admits.

• If you earned your undergraduate degree from Cornell University, you do not need to submit an official transcript.
• The Graduate School Admissions Office requires its own official electronic copy of your documents. Any transcripts or other academic records that you submitted with your application, or sent directly to your admitting program, will not fulfill the final transcript requirement. 
• If you earned your undergraduate degree at an institution outside the U.S., you must provide the transcript, a certified copy of your diploma and/or degree certificate, and a certified translation of all documents if they are not already in English. All documents must be delivered electronically.
• Any documents sent to the Graduate School Admissions Office will become the property of the university and physical copies will not be retained.

Electronic submission is required

Transcripts and other required academic records must be delivered to Cornell electronically either by your institution OR by a credential verification service. We do not accept transcripts directly from students. Preferred providers include:

• Parchment (Account Name: Cornell University Graduate School)
• National Student Clearinghouse
• TEC – The Evaluation Company (formerly Spantran)
• World Education Services (WES) (Course-by-Course ICAP only)
• Any NACES member credential evaluation service
• We also accept transcripts that have been certified and uploaded directly to your application by IIE, or Amideast or were submitted through SOPHAS, VMCAS, or LSAC.

Important Notes:

• We have download accounts with Parchment, TEC, and WES.
• If you are using another service, or if documents are being electronically delivered by your institution, please have transcripts or retrieval instructions delivered to gradtranscripts@cornell.edu.
• E-transcripts with a retrieval deadline or expiration date should not be submitted to the Graduate School Admissions Office between March 1-June 1.
• Due to the volume of transcripts we receive and process, we are unable to send a confirmation receipt when we receive your transcript. We will only notify you directly if we are missing any documents.
• If you are having financial or logistical difficulties meeting the final transcript requirement, please use our online request form to contact us regarding your options.