Transcripts

PROCESSING DETAILS

• Your handwritten signature is required for each new paper transcript request.
• Transcripts will not be released if you have a financial hold.
• Transcripts are typically processed in 2–3 business days. Processing time may increase during busy times or when the college is closed.
• Processing time does not include USPS delivery time for paper transcripts. We cannot guarantee mail delivery time, so allow ample time for arrival.
• For electronic transcripts, your authorization must be submitted before we can begin processing your transcript. The 2–3 business day processing time frame begins once your authorization form has been received and approved.
• If you attended any time prior to August 1984, you do not have access to an electronic transcript — you can request a paper transcript.

OFFICIAL PAPER TRANSCRIPTS

To request an official paper transcript, complete a transcript request form with your handwritten (not typed) signature. Your signature is required because transcripts contain confidential information such as courses and grades. Complete one form for each third-party recipient. If you'd like transcripts for yourself, indicate that on the form.

Official paper transcripts are free to process and mail via USPS first class. There are additional charges for expedited shipping (more below).

Please limit the number of transcripts you request at one time to 5. This is the maximum we can fit in one envelope. You can always request more transcripts later.

Return the form to us by email to transcripts@hope.edu, in person, fax or mail. If you don’t have a scanner to email your signed form, you can use a smart phone to take a picture of the form. Please make sure the picture is of high enough quality for us to print and read. If you fax your transcript request, please call to verify your request was received.

If you need your transcript to include your final grades and/or degree, check the appropriate box on your request form. We will process your transcript when all of your grades have been received and/or all graduation requirements are met and your degree awarded.

Special forms or attachments should be included with your submitted transcript request form, so that we can process and mail them together.

RELEASE AND PACKAGING OF PAPER TRANSCRIPTS

Each official paper transcript is individually sealed, printed with the Registrar's signature, and packaged in its own envelope.

Paper transcripts that you request to yourself will be stamped "Issued to Student." If you are receiving your own transcript and plan to pass it onto another party, it must remain in the individually sealed envelope in order to be considered official. Some recipients will not accept transcripts stamped "Issued to Student."

If you need someone else to pick up your paper transcript for you, specify their legal name on your transcript request in the indicated box. They will be required to show a valid ID at pick up.

OFFICIAL ELECTRONIC TRANSCRIPTS

Hope College is partnered with Parchment to process and deliver official electronic transcript orders. Parchment charges a $3.15 fee for processing electronic transcripts; Hope does not charge an additional fee. Orders can be placed via Parchment here.

You will need to create a Parchment account to submit an order. Instructions for doing that and submitting an order are available here.

Electronic transcripts are not available if you attended prior to August 1984, since we stored our records differently at that time. You will need to request an official paper transcript.

Emailing a transcript is not the same as secure electronic delivery. Hope does not email transcripts, as that renders the transcript unofficial and is not secure. If you would like an unofficial transcript, read more below in the "Unofficial Transcripts" section.

You will receive email notifications when our office processes your request and when the recipient retrieves the transcript. Your card will be charged once our office processes and sends your transcript.

If you request an electronic transcript to yourself, it will have an “Issued to Student” watermark. Electronic transcripts are official in their original PDF format only. If you print it, it will no longer be official.

UNOFFICIAL TRANSCRIPTS

Unofficial transcripts can be accessed in plus.hope.edu. Log in with your Hope ID (9-digit number) and password/PIN. Go to Registrar and Student Accounts > Student Records > Unofficial Transcript. You can print or save it as a PDF by choosing the print function on your browser (or using ctrl+p or command+p).

Your plus.hope.edu account never expires. If you started at Hope after August 1984, you will have a plus.hope.edu account. If you attended prior to August 1984, you will not have a plus.hope.edu account or an unofficial transcript. You can request a paper transcript using the form above.

If you are a former student and have forgotten your ID, or have never used plus.hope.edu, fill out the plus.hope.edu password reset request form. You can email the completed form back to us. If you are unable to print and/or scan it:

1. Type your information on the top part of the form
2. Save it as a PDF
3. Handwrite your signature on a piece of paper and take a photo of it with your smartphone
4. Email the photo and the PDF attachment to registrar@hope.edu

We will use the completed form to verify your information. We will email your login information to the email address you provide on the form.

If you are a current student (or recently admitted and have received your account sheet from Admissions), you don't need to fill out a form; simply use the "Need to reset your password?" link on the login page to have a reset email sent to your 1Hope account.

COMMON QUESTIONS

OFFICIAL VS. UNOFFICIAL TRANSCRIPTS

Typically, official transcripts are for colleges or universities you are applying to, job applications and scholarships. Official transcripts should be sent directly to the receiving organization from Hope and must be requested via the official paper transcript request form or the electronic request form via Parchment.

Unofficial transcripts are useful if you want to see which classes you’ve taken, your GPA, how many credits you have earned and specific grades. Some scholarships and other organizations may accept unofficial transcripts. It may be helpful to you to review your unofficial transcript on plus.hope.edu before you request an official transcript.

WHAT'S ON YOUR TRANSCRIPT

Your Hope transcript includes:

• Your name at the time you last attended Hope
• Any courses you attempted (completed or not)
• Grade, credit hours and quality points earned for each course
• Semester/term earned hours, GPA hours, GPA and quality points
• Overall earned hours, GPA hours, GPA and quality points
• Whether a course was repeated (indicated in the "R" column with an "I" or "E" – see below)
• Any courses you are registered for (current or future terms) are listed as In Progress
• Any other credit that has been applied to your Hope academic record, including transfer, AP, IB and CLEP
• If applicable, degree earned, majors/minors if you have earned a degree, and date of degree

The R column is for a repeated course. The "I" means that the course is included in your GPA. Courses with an "E" have been excluded from your GPA: if you have repeated a course to try to improve your grade, your most recent attempt is included in your GPA.

FINANCIAL HOLDS

Our office cannot release transcripts for anyone with a financial hold. To find out if you have a financial obligation with Hope that would prevent your transcript being released, check the status of your account in plus.hope.edu or contact Business Services. If you make a payment to your account, please contact Business Services to have the hold lifted from your account.

If you have a hold on an electronic transcript request, we will notify you via the Parchment system. You have 30 days to resolve your hold before your order is canceled. The canceling of orders is automatic, so make sure to reserve a few days for processing by Business Services and the Registrar's Office. Again, if you have made a payment, be sure to contact Business Services to have your hold lifted, and notify the Registrar's Office, so that we know to begin processing your request before it is canceled. You will not be charged by Parchment until we process your electronic transcript.

EXPEDITING YOUR TRANSCRIPT

We have a few options for expediting shipping on transcripts. Both options still require 2–3 business days for processing and additional days if you have a financial hold.

Option 1: Expedite your official paper transcript

• We offer two domestic expedited shipping options: $9 for USPS Priority, or $27 for USPS Overnight. You must pay the fee online before we can begin processing your transcript.
• Check plus.hope.edu or contact Business Services before you make your request to find out if you have a hold.
• Check the applicable expedited shipping box on your paper transcript request form.
• If you need expedited international shipping, email us to request a price estimate.

Option 2: Request an official electronic transcript

Read the Official Electronic Transcript section above to make sure you qualify for this option and can complete all steps. Read the Processing Details above for information about when we process transcripts.