Transcripts
When you complete your IFSA program, IFSA will mail your home institution an official Butler University transcript with your credits and grades from abroad translated into the U.S. equivalent. Your home institution registrar can then treat your credits abroad the same way as they would U.S. transfer credits. You will have access to this information in your IFSA Student Portal.
There is no need to order your initial transcript from Butler University; transcripts are part of the IFSA program and are always sent to each participant’s home institution.
Because the American and host university schedules differ, it may take as long as five months for your transcript to arrive. Most U.S. universities are accustomed to this delay and will accept a phone call or letter from our office as explanation.
Transcript Mailing Timeline
FALL SEMESTER: March-May
SPRING SEMESTER: Late June–September
ACADEMIC YEAR ABROAD: July–late September
SUMMER TERM ABROAD: August–November
WINTER TERM ABROAD: March-April
Transcript Translation
IFSA bases grade translations on your host university’s own translation or on the recommendation of the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO). We translate the final grade according to these scales, which are included in the Student Handbook, which is available in the Resources section of the IFSA Student Portal. Translations do not augment or reduce the grades; they are equivalent to the host university grade.
The grade report issued by a host institution abroad is considered a legal document, and IFSA cannot alter the grades—the transcript must reflect the original document’s content. We can make a change in class title, grade level, or credit only if we receive a revised grade report document from your host university’s registrar (or equivalent office). We will not change a grade if we receive a letter from a university official, a university professor, or a student if it has not first gone through the registrar.
Each university abroad sends official grades and assessment reports to the IFSA office in that country. No grades may be released directly to students or to their home universities.
Requesting Butler University Transcript
IFSA alumni may order additional official transcripts from Butler University. Requests for official Butler University transcripts must be submitted via Butler University’s online transcript ordering service provided by the National Student Clearinghouse, a nonprofit organization serving the higher education community.
The ordering website allows you to track your transcript, receive texts and/or email updates on your transcript status, upload any documents that must be submitted for your Butler University transcript, and request an electronic PDF transcript. You may also request that your transcript be expedited for an additional fee. If you studied abroad through IFSA prior and up to 2008, please enter your Social Security Number to request your Butler University transcript.
You may need your Butler University student ID number to request your transcript if your Social Security number is not recognized. This number can be found in the IFSA Student Portal if you studied abroad in Spring 2017 or later. If you cannot access your Butler University ID in the IFSA Student Portal, please send an email request to our Academic Records Team at aa@ifsa-butler.org. A member of the team will reach out to you to ask a series of security questions to share your identification number.
Ordering Your Transcript
- Go to the National Student Clearinghouse website.
- Type “Butler University” in the “Enter the school you want to request your transcript from” field.
- Use your U.S. Social Security Number to identify your records to order your transcript from this ordering service.
- Follow the website ordering prompts. You will be able to enter the specific physical address or email address where you want each transcript sent, and they will be sent in a sealed envelope or secure electronic format.
- There is a $9 fee for each transcript requested plus a $2.50 processing fee for each recipient. All requests are processed within five working days, but there is an option to have one sent overnight for an additional fee.
If you have any other questions about the transcript request process, please contact IFSA at 317.940.9336 or 800.858.0229.
Butler University will not issue a transcript where there is an outstanding account balance, including library fines, unpaid telephone bills, and any costs resulting from damages to IFSA or host university facilities.
Alliance Program Transcript Requests
Prior to Summer 2014, Alliance program transcripts were issued by Arcadia University. Students enrolled in one of these programs (prior to summer 2014) can request additional copies of transcripts online or in writing from the Arcadia University Registrar’s Office.
Students who attended an Alliance program in summer 2014 or later can follow the steps outlined in the Requesting Butler University Transcripts section above.
Isle Program Transcript Requests
1982 to 2017
From its inception through 2017, the ISLE program was managed by a consortium of colleges and universities. Bowdoin College issued a grade report (not an official transcript) for ISLE participation to consortium institutions. Each consortium member institution may have handled grades and transcripts in a different manner. If you participated in the ISLE program during this period and attended from a consortium member institution, your classes and grades for the ISLE program should appeared on your transcript.
Check your home institution transcript to see if the ISLE program classes and grades are listed. If not, please contact the registrar at your college or university.
2018-Today
Butler University has served as the school of record since ISLE joined IFSA in 2018. If you attended the ISLE (now called IFSA Study in Sri Lanka and IFSA Study in Sri Lanka: Research) program from 2018 on, you can order your transcript by following the steps listed above in the Requesting Butler University Transcript section.
Requesting a Rush Transcript
If you need a transcript sent for athletic eligibility, graduate school applications, financial aid, or impending graduation, please submit a rush transcript request while you are on your program before your program end date. This form is available in the IFSA Student Portal.
Please note that a rush means that we will rush the transcript to you, not necessarily that your host university or universities will rush the grades to us. IFSA’s ability to rush a transcript depends upon the host university’s delivery of your grades to us quickly.