Transcripts Only include Grades
Parents ask me questions about transcripts all the time. I’m the first to say that I’m not a College Consultant expert, yet because I worked in higher education, I do have some college knowledge I can share. A biggest barrier as to why parent strong arm’s their child to finish the semester is because they aren’t aware of the implications of withdrawing on their transcripts. They even want to know if attending a treatment program will show up on their child’s transcript. The simple answer is “no.”
So, what does show up then? First and foremost, if a student takes a break from school no matter what they do, unless it involves college credits which would be labeled from that other college, no information is ever shared. Transcripts are for grades. Yes, there might be a break in the timeline in when those grades are visible, but no one is asking what a student was doing during said break(s).
Aside from the A-F lettering system, what could be visible on a transcript? Below are some common alternatives.
A “W” typically indicates a student withdrew from that class, or a series of classes. There are no credits earned because these classes were dropped. The only thing this impact is FAFSA progress eligibility.
A “R” in front of an A-F grade could mean that the class was “retaken” after previously failing it. Depending on the college, there is a maximum number of classes where a student can do this.
A sign or symbol indicating a “Medical Leave” will show up differently for every college and how they code it. A Medical Leave is intentionally broad and doesn’t include anything specific about why a student requested that. Some college refer to this as a “planned leave,” especially if it’s requested in advance to the start of a semester. Medical Leave is often referenced to a student stepping away after the start of the term. Regardless, most colleges have a maximum number of semester where a student can request this, but not all.
It could look like a bunch of “RW” for a semester which would indicate a retroactive withdrawal. That means that the student retroactively requested that a specific semester of grades be removed from their transcript. This is an appeal process, and every college is very different about whether they allow this option for students or not. Some have deadlines for when these can be submitted.
In all of this, transcripts are for grades only and not anything else. What’s even more important is that when a student earns a diploma, it won’t show their transcript. A diploma indicates that a student completed all requirements from that single school to earn a degree. Period. Often, students may take college classes at multiple colleges and earns a diploma from one institution, but it may be comprised from coursework at several institutions. Some of those transcripts may include some of letters listed above, or they may not. In the end, it doesn’t matter because they got their college degree.
If you are a parent and worried about your child not finishing this semester, or what will be listed on their transcript if they must take time off to take care of themselves, then you’ll hopefully find this article to be reassuring that whatever happens for them can be confidential. Get them the care that they need and don’t fret about the transcript for now.
For questions or comments contact Joanna.
