Transcripts
Order an Official Transcript
If you were enrolled in a term from Fall 2010 to present:
Log in to MyUW and access the Parchment transcript ordering system through Student Center > Academic Records > Request My Official Transcript.
If you were enrolled in a term from Fall 1979 to Summer 2010:
Log in to MyInfo with your 10-digit UW campus ID and PIN, or by verifying four digits of your Social Security Number and a course you took while at UW–Madison. Once logged in, find the “Academic Records” box and click “Request My Official Transcript.
If you were enrolled in Summer 1979 or earlier:
You will need to log in or create an account with Parchment to place your transcript order. If you attended prior to 1978, some or all of your records may be non-computerized, which may result in additional processing time.
If you are a third party ordering someone else’s transcript:
All transcripts orders require correct authorization before the order can be filled.
Need Help?
Can’t place an online order?
Having trouble ordering a transcript through your Parchment account?
Having trouble accessing your MyUW Student Center to order a transcript?
Transcript Overview
Your transcript is the official record of your UW–Madison academic history, including courses taken, grades received, and degrees that have been awarded.
Transcripts are free. A PDF version may be available when you place your order, depending on when you were enrolled. If you need a paper transcript right away, please come to our office, where we can print your official transcript.
The transcript combines all of your UW–Madison enrolled activity in one document. If you attended for an undergraduate degree, a graduate degree, and Law School, these are all included in your transcript and cannot be separated out by degree or school/college.
Transcripts, like diplomas, are official legal documents verified by the University. Transcripts are signed by the University Registrar and are printed on security paper with the University of Wisconsin–Madison seal.
An official encrypted PDF version may also be available when you place your order, depending on when you were enrolled. These PDFs are delivered by email and have special access codes to protect your privacy.
If you aren’t familiar with ordering transcripts, please take a moment to read valuable information on this page about cost, processing times, delivery, and authenticity.
Resources
Unofficial Transcripts
Your unofficial transcript contains information about your enrollment and courses at UW–Madison, including:
- Your courses, majors, certificates, and degrees;
- Your grades, credits, and total GPA;
- Changes in your academics, like dropped classes or grade changes;
- Dean’s List or similar awards;
- Notes from dean’s offices and advisors; and
- Dates of your enrollment at UW–Madison.
Your unofficial transcript is different from your official transcript because it includes details like dean’s office notes, which are not part of the transcript. The transcript is printed on security paper or encrypted as a secure PDF so other organizations can trust that it is authentic. The unofficial transcript is a plain PDF that you can easily get yourself, when you need a summary of your academic history at UW–Madison.
View Your Own Unofficial Transcript
- Students enrolled in a term from Fall 2010 to present: Go to Student Center via MyUW.
- Students enrolled in a term from Fall 1979 to Summer 2010: Go to Student Center via MyInfo.
If you are unable to access Student Center, you can request an unofficial transcript in person at our office. Picture ID, preferably a student ID, is required. There is a limit of one copy per student per visit; however, they are printed on plain paper and you can easily make your own copies.
Types of Academic-Record Documents
Depending on your situation, you may be able to use a different kind of official document, like an enrollment verification or proof of your degree. Explore these other types of academic-record documents before you order a transcript—you might get the right information faster, without sharing more of your academic record than you need to.
If you just want to look at your academic history, and you were enrolled at UW–Madison in Fall 1979 or after, you can quickly view your Unofficial Transcript (sometimes called the “student record”) with a PDF through the online Student Center tool. Your Unofficial Transcript includes everything that would be in an official transcript, plus notes about grade changes or actions by deans on your behalf.
If you only need proof that you have earned a UW–Madison degree or have completed Graduate School requirements for a degree, you can receive a letter verifying your accomplishment.
Refer to our Verifications page for more information.
To prove that you are currently enrolled at UW–Madison, you can download a PDF with your enrollment status from Student Center.
Refer to our Verifications page for more information.
Prospective or current employers can order their own proof of your enrollment or degree through the National Student Clearinghouse, which charges them for each request.
Students using a UW–Madison-issued voter-compliant ID card also need to show proof of enrollment at their polling place. You can get a special version of this just for voting purposes.
Refer to our Verifications page for more information.
FAQs
An unofficial transcript does not contain official university signatures or seals and includes some details that will not appear on an official transcript, such as grade changes and breadth information. These examples and more will only appear on an unofficial transcript and are intended to provide advisory information for you, your advisors, and academic dean’s office.
An official transcript is a legal document verified by the university. Official transcripts are printed on security paper with the UW–Madison seal. A PDF version will be encrypted and have special access codes to protect your privacy.
Our suggestion:
- Are you looking to apply to graduate school? Order an official transcript.
- Are you looking for quick access to enrollment information such as your GPA? View an unofficial transcript.
UW–Madison transcripts are free of charge. The cost of producing a variety of official documents for students is covered by a one-time fee charged with the first term’s tuition.
There is no charge for first-class U.S. Postal Service delivery, nor for PDF delivery. FedEx service with tracking numbers is available for an extra fee. Visa and MasterCard can be used for online orders. Our office can accept checks for mailed or in-person orders.
Hard copy: Most online transcript orders take one to three days to process, not including postal/express delivery time. Please expect a longer process time if you have sent the Office of the Registrar a paper/PDF order form or if you attended UW–Madison prior to 1979.
PDF copy: Most PDF copies are delivered via email within an hour (often sooner) of placing the online order. Your recipient will receive two emails; one with a link for downloading the transcript and the other with an access code.
Pickup copy: The Office of the Registrar will email you when your pick-up order is ready. We typically send out notices each morning, but if you need to pick up your transcript the same day you placed the order, please give us a call and we’ll confirm if it’s ready.
Yes. Select your transcript to be delivered and enter the recipient’s information/choose the relevant one from an existing list.
Yes. Official transcript orders placed through the MyUW Student Center are considered sent directly from UW–Madison, either by mail or electronically. Mailed transcripts will arrive in sealed envelopes.
Yes. The first step in the order process is to choose between a PDF and a hard copy. Select PDF to order an electronic version of your official transcript.
Yes. The PDF is encrypted and only the recipients will receive instructions for downloading and opening the file.
You can, but you shouldn’t. The printed document will display watermarks and will be considered unofficial. You are welcome to order another copy to be mailed to you or pick up a printed copy from the Office of the Registrar.
Yes. After choosing a recipient, select the Yes radio button under the Attachment Options for this Recipient section at the bottom of the page. You will be asked to upload the attachment after the order has been submitted.
If the attachment requires additional information or signatures from our office, please select “UW–Madison must add information to my attachment” right before confirming the attachment.
In the Recipient search, search for and select the appropriate application service. Review the recipient’s information and any special instructions. You might be asked to provide further information specific to your application.
Attachments: Some application services will automatically generate an attachment containing your Application Service ID. Otherwise, you will be given the option to add an attachment.
Important Note: Official transcript orders placed through the MyUW Student Center are considered sent directly from UW–Madison even though our transcript vendor finalizes the processing. If your application service is asking for an attachment to be sent directly from UW–Madison, placing the order as instructed above will meet that requirement.
We advise to either upload an unofficial transcript or take screenshots of the official transcript and upload the images to the application system instead.
Yes. After choosing the in person pickup service, you will be asked to provide the name of the person picking up the order. Only that person will be able to pick up your transcript and they will be asked to present a valid ID.
You can only order one copy of your transcript at a time, but you can place as many orders as you need.
Yes. After you have successfully added a recipient, select the Add Recipient button.
Note: you cannot add additional recipients to orders that will contain an attachment.
Yes. After you have successfully added a recipient, select the Add Recipient button. You can choose a different delivery method for each recipient.
Yes. Refer to our step-by-step guide on Requesting Transcripts Without a NetID for more information.
It depends. Not all holds will prevent you from ordering transcripts. If the hold you have is preventing you from ordering your transcript, the transcript ordering system will not allow you to start the order.
The order will be canceled if you don’t authorize it or if your recipient doesn’t open the PDF file within 30 days of placing the order. Pickup orders will be cancelled after 14 days. If you still want an official transcript, you will need to place another order.
Yes. Log in to your Parchment account here, then select the Orders tab to check the status of your transcript order.
Courses that were transferred from other schools to a UW–Madison degree program are listed on UW–Madison transcripts. Course equivalency and credits awarded are included; grades from other institutions are not.
UW–Madison does not release official transcripts from other educational institutions, even if you previously submitted them to UW–Madison.
Please contact us if you received the wrong or blank transcript, or there’s an error like wrong degree, course, or grade.
If your legal name has changed since you were a student and you’d like your transcript to reflect that, complete the name change form before ordering a transcript.
Third-Party Ordering
If a third party has requested your transcript, you will be notified by email and asked to authorize the order. Transcripts will never be sent to anyone without you authorizing the request.
If you are ordering someone else’s transcript (e.g., you represent a college or employer who requires this information), use this ordering system. All transcripts orders require correct authorization before the order can be filled.
Parents
Parents are not able to order your transcript by themselves. You are free to share a transcript that you ordered with them, or you can designate them as a recipient of a mailed or PDF transcript.
Deceased Student’s Record
To order a transcript of a deceased student, please use the third-party order form or transcript order form, mail it to our office with an explanation of your request, and include a death certificate or newspaper obituary.
Student records and transcripts for the following units/institutions aren’t maintained by UW–Madison Office of the Registrar. Please see below for additional resources:
- Non-credit courses
These records include non-credit courses such as:- Non-credit continuing education classes through UW–Madison Continuing Studies
- Engineering Professional Development
- iSchool Continuing Education
- Small Business Development
- Pharmacy Professional Development
- UW–Madison Division of Extension (formerly known as UW Extension)
- UW Extended Campus
- UW Colleges
- Other UW Schools