About transcripts

Student sitting on bench with Waterloo sweater

Quick links: Transcript legend | Transcript key | Transcript formats | Order an official transcript | Unofficial transcript

Overview

  • Official transcripts include a complete record of a student's academic history at the University of Waterloo, including all undergraduate and graduate courses taken, grades earned, academic standing, co-op requirements, awards of excellence, and degrees conferred. All official transcripts are complete and unabridged and are representative of the time they are issued. Partial transcripts are not issued. Official transcripts are available in two formats: digital and paper.
  • An unofficial transcript is meant for personal use and is not considered an official document.

What appears on an official transcript?

Section label What's included
Transfer credits This section details:
  • Course work taken at another university or college that is being credited towards a Waterloo degree.
  • The name of the institution at which transfer credits were taken.
  • Specific Waterloo course equivalents, where appropriate.
  • Course work without a specific Waterloo equivalent such as "BIOL 1XX Biology Transfer Credit" ("1XX" means an unspecified course at the 100 level; "2XX" or "3XX" may also appear for 200- or 300-level courses).
  • The total number of external transfer credits.
Degrees Awarded All undergraduate and graduate degrees earned from Waterloo; appearing in chronological order.
Academic Program History A complete history of program and academic plan enrolment(s); appearing in chronological order.
Undergraduate Record This section details:
  • All courses passed and failed; by term.
  • Course subject, number, title, unit weight earned/unit weight of course, grade earned.
  • Requirement designation and requirement designation grade (if applicable).
  • Term units and cumulative units.
  • An honour, such as a Term/Distinction/Dean's Honours List notation (if applicable).
  • Academic standing.
  • The text of advising comments.

See the transcript legend for grade details.
Milestones Milestones are requirements such as the Undergraduate Communication Requirement/English Proficiency Requirement (ELPE), Work Reports, or Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS). They appear with the date of completion.

Note: Co-op work reports display as milestones but also have the status of courses with appropriate weighting. They also appear with other courses with grades but are not included in average calculations.
Scholarships and Grants

If a merit-based scholarship administered by the University was received, the name of the scholarship or award and the year it was awarded will be listed. External scholarships do not appear on transcripts.

Transcript formats

An official transcript is available in two formats: digital and paper.

Digital transcript

Digital transcripts are issued by the University of Waterloo and are made available through the MyCredsTM Learner portal. Digital transcripts can be shared securely with educational institutions, employers, government authorities, and other third parties. Students can access official transcripts faster and share them worldwide making for faster decision making for employers and educational institutions.

Learn more about how the University of Waterloo is using MyCreds.

Paper transcript

Paper transcripts are printed on security paper with the University of Waterloo seal and signature of the Registrar. Paper transcripts are issued by the Office of the Registrar, via The Centre, and are shipped directly to an address provided by the student.

Unofficial transcript

An unofficial transcript is meant for personal use and is not considered an official document.

In addition to what is listed on the official transcript, unofficial transcripts also include:

  • Average calculations (e.g., term average, cumulative overall overage).
  • Additional advising comment text.

Notes:

  • Before fall 2001, students in Applied Health Sciences, Arts, Environmental Studies, and Independent Studies who took a course in Engineering, Mathematics, or Science would have seen a letter grade derived from the assigned numeric grade. The original numeric grade will now appear. The original weighting value of the letter grade is used in average calculations.
  • Before fall 2001, students in Engineering, Mathematics, or Science who took a course in Applied Health Sciences, Arts, Environmental Studies, and Independent Studies would have seen a numeric grade derived from the assigned letter grade. The original letter grade will now appear. The weighting value of the letter grade is used in average calculations.
  • For courses taken before fall 1985, the grades are not included in averages and the attempts are not reflected in unit counts. These courses and grades will be considered when reviewing eligibility to graduate.

Students and alumni who have studied at Waterloo since September 2001 can self-generate an unofficial transcript at any time. See instructions on viewing an unofficial transcript.