Transcript FAQs

Parchment Award customer service department offers web support between 8 a.m.- 8 p.m. (EST/EDT), Mondays through Fridays. You can log into your Parchment account then visit the Parchment Help Center, where you can find answers to frequently asked questions and articles to support your needs. From the Parchment Help Center, you can submit a web case for support or contact a Learner Support Representative for assistance.

The Office of the Registrar offers transcripts delivered electronically via email. Electronic transcripts provide a fast and secure process for students and alumni. Transcripts can be ordered and sent in less than 30 minutes. Current and former students may submit a request 24-hours per day from any computer connected to the Internet. Parchment Transcript Services will be unavailable on the second Sunday of each month for maintenance from 1:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m. (EST/EDT).  

Electronic transcripts also offer improved tracking services. Transcript requestors are provided real-time email alerts to keep you up-to-date on the status of your order. And the use of electronic transcripts promotes an environmentally friendly, paperless process.

Electronic transcripts will be sent to the email address included in the request. After you have made your request and payment, you will receive a confirmation email from GW’s authorized vendor, Parchment Award. You will also receive emails letting you know when your request has been authorized and when your request for a transcript has been completed. Finally, the recipient will receive emails with instructions detailing how to download the secure PDF transcript. 

Recipients who cannot find emails from Parchment Award should check their spam folder.

Once the PDF of your electronic transcript is created and the recipient has received notification that your transcript is ready to be downloaded, the recipient will have 30 days to access the transcript. After the PDF has been downloaded, the recipient will have 48 hours to access it on the Parchment Award portal before it is no longer available.

If the download link or the PDF link expires, you will need to re-purchase your official transcript online.

You can purchase your official electronic transcript using Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover.

Paper copies of official transcripts can be requested online and mailed to an address you provide. Pricing varies depending on delivery method.

Effective December 21, 2020

Electronic delivery: Free

Mailed to Domestic Addresses:

Regular Mail $8*

International Addresses (and U.S. Territories):

Regular Mail $30*

*FedEx available for an additional fee

Yes, Parchment Award offers a School to School option between the institutions’ Registrars and Admissions offices. Students can search for receiving institutions by entering the institution name in the ordering portal.

If the recipient needs an official transcript, it should be sent directly to their email address, not to yourself. 

If a PDF is downloaded and saved, it can be used as many times as needed. 

Please note that once a transcript has been opened, it is no longer considered official. If an admissions office or potential employer requires an official transcript, you should have the transcript sent directly to them.

Both the official and unofficial transcript contain the same information about a student’s academic record: a list of classes, grades, and credits. Only an official transcript includes the Registrar’s signature and the college seal.  An official paper transcript may not be opened by anyone except the addressee (i.e. an admissions office, employer, etc.). 

If you attended GW prior to 1982, or do not have access to your GWeb account, visit Parchment Transcript Services to order. 

If you attended Ben Franklin University, Mount Vernon College, the Graduate School of Political Management or the Corcoran College of Art + Design, visit Parchment Transcript Services to order.  

Certain holds prevent the release of an official transcript. In this case, students who order a transcript will be notified of their hold status and will have 30 days to resolve the hold. Once the hold is removed, the transcript request will be processed. If the hold is not resolved 30 days after the initial order, the request will be canceled, and the student will not be charged.