How Transcript Processing Delays and Non-Availability of Student’s Copy Affect Postgraduate’ Academic Pursuit

One of the greatest hitches of all time for processing postgraduate admissions especially in the international academic community is the delays encountered in the processing of transcripts from local universities.

A transcript is a document containing all the academic result of a graduate from 100 level to final year. It is a document that backs the academic acclaim of an applicant of a job or postgraduate studies.

A transcript is usually required by a company where an applicant apply for a job. It is also mostly requested by an academic institution for postgraduate studies or for transfer of studies from one institution to another.

Statement of Problem

Despite the use of transcript for graduate future career ambitions, many universities often delay in the processing of graduate’s transcripts. This has led to the expiration of many admissions and termination of career pursuits for many applicants in several sessions.

Many postgraduate institutions also require applicants to upload their transcripts online during application. Meanwhile, some universities do not give students copies of their transcripts, making it impossible for postgraduate applicants in such situation to complete their postgraduate application and subsequent forfeiture of admissions.

Many transcript processing offices in some universities lack the man power needed in such office to fast-track the processing of the transcripts. Transcripts which were supposed to take one week to process may take months to complete. The computer use efficacy of many transcript processing departments have been fingered to be a major cause for transcript delays.

Many universities do not send transcripts to establishments outside academic institutions. Hence, graduates who need their transcripts for job application have over the years repeatedly forfeited their job opportunity.

Consequences

As a result of delays in transcripts and unavailability of graduates’ copy of the transcripts, the following challenges have ensued:

1. Forfeiture of admissions as a result of delays in meeting up with application deadline
2. Forfeiture of job opportunities because some universities do not send transcripts to institutions outside academics.
3. Forfeiture of admissions for instances where transcripts are to be uploaded online by applicants themselves.
4. No open system for distance tracking of transcripts processing for applicants not within the vicinity of the university.
5. Applicants who wish to send transcripts to more than one recipients have to pay double rather than getting a students’ copy and sending themselves the to various addresses.

Suggestions

Due to the poor service delivery by the universities which graduates have to pass encounter to get their transcripts, the following suggestions have been put forward:

1. Approve students’ copies of transcripts. This will make several applications easier for the graduates community.
2. Overhaul transcript processing departments. Staff manning those offices must be qualified computer literates and not just staff who are familiar with computer keyboard keys.
3. Reduce the bureaucratic process in transcript processing if possible.
4. Set a maximum benchmark time for the completion of transcript processing so that applicants can work with that time.
5. Setup an upfront notification scheme where applicants are notified of their transcript processing progress to enable applicants to be aware of their transcript application.