Application Thursday: Transcripts

The most common transcripts question applicants have is, “What makes a transcript official?” Official transcripts are only official if they come from the issuing institution and are delivered directly to us. If you receive a transcript in a sealed envelope and open it, the transcript is no longer official. Having official transcripts is a standard practice in the admission process, if a transcript is mistakenly delivered to you instead of the school, don’t open it! Instead, place the sealed envelope in a larger envelope and send it to us. 

We require transcripts from any school that you have attended at the collegiate level. So, if you attended one school, you only need to submit that transcript. However, if you have transfer credit, you’ll need to request those transcripts as well. For example, if you obtained your BSN from School X, but you also took a few courses at Schools Y and Z, you’ll need to request transcripts from all three schools. 

We require official transcripts the institution(s) that conferred your Bachelor of Science in nursing, master’s degree in nursing (if applicable), and any international schools (yes, this includes Canada).

We will accept unofficial transcripts for any other degrees or coursework -- but that doesn’t mean that we will accept unofficial transcripts in any condition.

Unofficial transcripts must have at least:

• Your name
• The issuing school’s name
• Grades (including a calculated GPA with credit hours and quality points)
• If a degree was awarded, a conferral date must be listed.

When you upload your unofficial transcripts, they need to be clear and legible. As a rule of thumb those transcripts shouldn’t have been printed more than three years ago and shouldn’t be longer than two to four pages. You should never have to squint to read an unofficial transcript.

If you upload an unofficial transcript and we deem it to not be clear, we reserve the right to require an official transcript. 

We prefer electronic official transcripts, mainly because they can be uploaded to your application more quickly than waiting for mailed copies. However, we will gladly accept either! Electronic transcripts can be sent to nursing@buffalo.edu. Paper transcripts can be mailed to:

UB School of Nursing
Graduate Admissions - Beck Hall
3435 Main Street
Buffalo, NY 14214

Any transcript coming from any school outside of the US must be officials and in English. We strongly prefer that any international transcript be evaluated by a service like the World Education Services (WES), which will properly review your education and convert your grades to an American system, ensuring you’re being reviewed clearly and fairly.

We will not accept any unofficial copies from any international institution.

If you have any additional questions about transcripts, feel free to email me at tannerge@buffalo.edu or watch our video below!