Obtaining your school records online can seem like a confusing task at first, but it doesn’t need to be. Our article gives you details on where to look for your school records and what to consider when you start to think about how to obtain your school records online. Read on to learn more about your school records and how to obtain them.
Who Might Ask for My School Records?
Your school records are a common part of applications when applying to higher education or specific educational programs, and you may be asked to submit these records as part of your applications. Companies hiring for internships and employers at your first job right out of high school or college may also ask for your school records to verify you have the necessary education and training to complete a job.
What to Consider When Looking for School Records
There are a couple of different things that you should consider when you are looking for school records. We give you an overview of these items below so you can start looking in the right place.
Your Location
If you are requesting school records for your own use, you may need to take your location into account. While many school records can be requested online, you may need to go to your school or educational program in person to obtain others. This can be true of very old records or very confidential school records.
That being said, most online school records are available no matter where in the world you are located.
Type of School
Sometimes, the educational facility you are trying to work with will have specific policies on how you request your school records online and whether or not you need to use a designated school portal to do this. For example, law school records for admissions applications are requested through the Law School Admissions Council (LSAC) portal and sent to schools, while your law school transcript after graduation is handled by the records office.
Keep in mind the exact records you need, and any specific policies or websites you need to utilize to request your school records online.
Official versus Unofficial
It might not sound like too big of a difference but making sure you obtain the right kind of school record between official and unofficial is actually a big deal. Unofficial records can be kept for your own needs, and some employers or educational programs may accept these records. However, official records must be sealed and typically mailed directly to the person asking for them to ensure no tampering occurs.
When you are requesting official records, you may need to pay a small amount to request the documents and to ensure these arrive at their destination intact.
How Do I Obtain School Records Online?
Once you have reviewed our considerations for looking for your school records and figured out which educational institution you wish to request your records from, you can navigate to the website of this college or educational program. From there, you can request official or unofficial copies of your transcripts and graduation records.
Many employers or other educational programs will want to ensure that your records are sealed, so you may have to request that your transcripts and school records be mailed directly in a sealed envelope to the address of your employer or educational program.
Additionally, many schools will charge a fee for this service, so be prepared to pay anywhere from a few dollars to around 20 dollars for a copy of your official transcript; unofficial transcripts tend to be lower cost or free.
Are School Records Part of the Public Record?
While your transcripts and specific graduation records are private and personal information, details on where you went to school and where you graduated from are generally part of the public record. This means that your graduation date and the educational programs you attended or graduated from will be visible on a background check report.
You can always request a copy of your own background check report or look at your background information online to make sure that your school and educational information is correct.
Obtaining Your School Information
For many of us, the process of obtaining school records can be confusing and overwhelming. However, this process doesn’t need to be difficult as long as you remember what to consider when obtaining your school records and you reach out to the correct educational institution. From there, the records office at your school should be able to help you obtain all of the school records you need.