Gather your information for requesting a transcript. You need to give your name, social security number or birth date in addition to the college division you attended, year of attendance, degree earned or pursued.
Determine whether you need an official or unofficial copy of your transcript. Official college transcripts contain a raised school emblem and are sealed in an envelope with the Registrar or Director of Records' signature. Official transcripts are often used to satisfy advanced school admissions requirements such as law school and medical school. Some jobs in the public service, law enforcement and teaching require official transcripts from applicants. On the other hand, unofficial transcripts are copies that students can keep for personal records or use.
Obtain the appropriate transcript request form in person at the Registrar's office or through the school's website. There are different request forms for official and unofficial transcripts. Fill in your name, address, phone, email, birth date, degree title, dates of attendance, number of copies requested and recipients for the transcript copies. For the online versions of the forms, type your information into the interactive PDF (portable document file) and email or print the form.
Prepare your payment fee for your transcript request. As of July 2011, each official transcript copy is $10; unofficial transcript copies are $2 each. Payment is by cash, check or credit card if making the request in person. If requesting the transcript by mail, you must pay by cashier's check or money order. Be aware that if you are requesting that a transcript be sent to more than one party, you must pay the fee for each copy of the transcript to be made.
Indicate any special instructions for producing the transcript. For instance, the school allows you to request that the transcript be held for pickup or to be mailed when ready. You can also request that the transcript be processed after current grades to be posted, after a grade change or after graduation from the school.