Application Instructions: Unofficial Transcript Details

Your academic transcript is an important part of your admissions application for our online master’s degree programs:

MCIT Online | MSE-DS Online | MSE-AI Online

By giving us a view of your previous coursework and grades, the transcript helps us determine whether you’re a good fit for admittance.

The process of submitting transcripts is straightforward, but it’s important to carefully follow the guidelines and make sure transcripts are received by the application deadline.

Transcript Basics

All transcripts must be uploaded to the online application in PDF format. Transcripts should be in English. Please be sure your transcripts meet all of the following additional criteria:

• Your transcript must include every academic course that you have taken for credit.
• Each course on your transcript must include all of the following:
  – course name
  – credits received
  – grade 
• If your transcript lists transfer credits without the grade earned, such as “T” for Transfer, you must also submit transcripts from the original institution where you took the course.
• If the grades on your transcript aren’t based on a 4.0 scale, please include documentation or a link to a website explaining the scale.
• We do NOT accept diplomas in lieu of transcripts.
• If you are currently enrolled in a degree program that has not yet completed, please provide your most recent academic records to date from that program.

We only require the unofficial version(s) of your transcript(s) when you apply for admission. If you are accepted into a degree program, you will then have to submit your official transcripts before you can matriculate. Please review the additional details and important information outlined below for clarity.

Unofficial Transcripts (Required for All Applicants):

When you apply, please submit an unofficial transcript from each university or college where you earned course credit. Your transcripts must be in English. Transcripts must include courses taken, credit hours, and grades earned.

If your unofficial transcript is not in English, we encourage you to use a transcript evaluation and translation service, such as Educational Perspectives and World Education Services (WES). If you are from a Chinese institution, we encourage you to use the Center for Student Services and Development.  Using a credentialing service to evaluate your unofficial transcript is optional, but it is strongly recommended. Please remember that the process of evaluating your transcript can take time. Be sure to account for this in your planning so that your transcripts reach us before the final application deadline.

Official transcripts will only be required if you have been admitted and choose to enroll.

Official Transcripts (Required for Admitted Students):

If you are admitted and choose to accept your offer of admission, you will need to arrange for your official transcripts and degree documents to be sent directly to Graduate Admissions as soon as possible.

Institutions in the United States: For each university or college you’ve attended in the U.S., we require your final official transcript showing the degree earned, the completion of coursework required for the degree, and the date of degree conferral. Transcripts should be submitted via a secure electronic service.

Institutions outside the United States:  If your official transcript(s) are from a university or college you’ve attended outside the U.S., we require that you contact a member of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) to have a course-by-course evaluation of your non-U.S. official transcript(s) sent directly from the NACES member to Penn Engineering Graduate Admissions. This evaluation should include course titles, grades received, GPA, and U.S. degree equivalency. All transcripts must be submitted in English. You can access translation services through Educational Perspectives (or another provider) for an additional charge.

While Penn Engineering accepts course-by-course evaluations from any NACES member,  many of our applicants have been successful using:

• Educational Perspectives
• Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE)
• International Education Evaluations (IEE)
• SpanTran
• World Education Services (WES)

When requesting documents to be sent to Penn Engineering Graduate Admissions, please ensure that you have indicated the appropriate office. In instances where multiple University of Pennsylvania profiles are available, you should select the option for the University of Pennsylvania, Dept: SEAS Graduate Admissions (Engineering) when possible. Please remember that the process of evaluating your transcript can take time. Be sure to account for this in your planning so that your transcripts reach us before the final application deadline.

The Fine Print

Offers of admission and matriculation into the program are not binding until academic documents are verified. If there are discrepancies between your self-reported academic work and your official records, your offer of admission may be withdrawn or you may be removed from the program.

Learn More

You can also review additional tips for required application elements by watching our Application Guide, browsing our collection of recent Admissions Webinar Recordings, or exploring our comprehensive FAQs. You can also contact us at any time to connect directly with our team for support as you work on assembling your application — we’d love to hear from you!