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Transcripts and Credits

Check on Your Transcript

It's your responsibility to determine if your program will send your study abroad transcript to the Office of Global Learning on your behalf or if you must request it. Check on the process before you return to the United States—and request your transcript, if necessary.

Caldwell Hall, home of Cornell's Office of Global Learning

Send Transcripts to OGL

Your study abroad transcript must be sent to the Office of Global Learning—not directly to your college. Our office will forward your transcript to your college or school after review. You'll receive confirmation from your college when it is being processed.

The Office of Global Learning will accept official electronic transcripts when sent by secure means to abroad@cornell.edu. If you are using a transcript service, be sure to enter abroad@cornell.edu manually. Don't accept a default email address for Cornell University—transcripts sent to a Cornell default address will not reach us!

Transcripts may also be sent by mail or shipping service:

Office of Global Learning c/o Education Abroad
Cornell University
B50 Caldwell Hall
Ithaca, NY 14853-2602 USA


Your Courses and Credits

Once your study abroad transcript is processed, your official Cornell transcript will indicate the institution or program you attended, the courses you took, credits earned, and grades as assigned. This means your grades will appear exactly as recorded on the official transcript from your study abroad program or university. Your grades will not be factored into your Cornell GPA.

Transcript Notation

For semester or year study abroad, students are registered at Cornell in a single 15 credit “S/U course” associated with their study abroad program. After the study abroad transcript is received and courses and credits are processed, all course titles and the grades earned in those courses will appear on the official Cornell transcript in a notes field associated with the S/U course.

For Cornell winter, summer, or spring break programs, Cornell course titles and grades from Cornell classes will appear as regular Cornell courses on the Cornell transcript, and grades earned in these courses will factor into the Cornell GPA.

Grade Conversion

Cornell University does not convert international grades when noting them on the Cornell transcript. As a reference, Education Abroad uses the grade conversion scales produced by World Education Services when communicating the equivalence of a "C" for passing/satisfactory credit.

It's your responsibility to plan for credits to return.

If you experienced a scheduling conflict or chose to take different classes than the ones on your approved course plan for any other reason, it was your responsibility to email your academic or college advisor for approval. If you failed to notify your advisor of major changes that affect your major or distributional credit, your credits may not return to Cornell as planned.

More transcript questions?

How long does it take to receive my study abroad transcript?

Programs vary greatly. Transcripts from programs run by study abroad providers typically take one to two months after the program is over. Transcripts from international universities often take two to three months. Grades from Cornell faculty-led programs are available within a month of completion.

I've received my transcript.  Can I give it to you for processing?

Cornell University can't accept transcripts directly from students. The only exception is if there's an online transcript verification process. If in doubt, ask your Education Abroad advisor.

I can't see my study abroad grades online. How do I know if my transcript has been received?

Your unofficial transcript in Student Center will not show your courses and grades from your semester abroad. To see how your courses and grades are reflected on your Cornell transcript, request a free official e-transcript to be sent by email. Cornell courses and grades from faculty-led short-term programs will show on the unofficial as well as official transcript.  

Help! I've found an error on my transcript. What should I do?

All grades on the official transcript from abroad will appear on your Cornell transcript. These grades are final unless your study abroad program or institution sends a revised transcript. If you think there's a mistake, work with your program and/or the faculty member who taught the course to resolve the misunderstanding and get a revised transcript.

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