What appears on the official IB transcript of grades?
The IB transcript of grades will display the candidate’s full name, date of birth, the name of the school attended, the subjects which the candidate were registered for and the grades achieved for each subject. For Diploma and Retake category candidates, the total points achieved and the overall Diploma result will also be displayed.
How does a candidate send a transcript of results to a university or higher education institution (HEI)?
Before the release of results, candidates should approach their school’s Diploma Programme (DP) or Career-related Programme (CP) coordinator to submit a request to the IB on their behalf. Through their DP/CP coordinator, they will be able to select up to six higher education institutions (HEI) worldwide, of which, no more than three HEI can be selected from Canada and one HEI from the US. An admissions center, for example, Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS), counts as one request. Requests received before release of results will be accepted without charge, providing they do not exceed the free limit. Once results are released, graduates can request for their transcripts to be sent to institutions directly by placing a request through rrs.ibo.org. A fee will be charged for each request made. In addition, for candidates of the current session, any requests beyond the initial six or for additional institutions from Canada or the US (regardless of date requested) will also need to make their request through rrs.ibo.org. All corresponding fees will apply. If a candidate/graduate’s chosen institution opted to receive IB transcripts via a secure IB website, they will receive it as soon as results are released (or for graduates, as soon as the IB has processed their order). Otherwise, they will be mailed a paper transcript. Please note that the IB is not responsible for delays in the postal service or for the processing of a candidate/graduate’s transcript at the university. Please also note that it is the institution that decides on the following:
1. The format in which to receive an IB transcript (electronic or paper format).
2. The receiving address for the transcript. This is usually a general/centralized admissions office. Therefore, if a candidate/graduate needs to check if their chosen HEI has received their transcript, please check with the university/HEI’s general/centralized admissions office first before writing to the IB.
If they are unable to locate it there, please contact IB Answers via support@ibo.org with the candidate’s name, school, university/HEI, and date of transcript request.
It is best to check the university’s admission policy before placing a transcript request. Some universities will only accept undergraduate applications coursed through a centralized admission centre. For example, candidates applying to Oxford University in the UK are required to complete an online UCAS application form. When submitting a transcript request for UCAS, ensure that the 10-digit application number is included in the transcript request form (under Notes if request is done via rrs.ibo.org).
Candidates/graduates are not required to have their personal code or session number (not required fields) to request for a transcript, so they will still be able to place a request even without this information. For more information regarding requesting for transcripts, please see our dedicated information page.
How long does it take for a transcript request to be processed?
For candidates of the current session whose transcripts were placed in our system before the deadline, their request will be processed by the release of results. If the request were placed via rrs.ibo.org, all requests should be processed within 14 working days of receipt of the request form. During the peak months of December and January, and from July through to September, transcript requests may take longer to process. The IB is not responsible for delays in the postal service or for the processing of transcripts at the university.
How does one know that a transcript has been received by a university?
For candidates of the current session, if their chosen university/institution opted to receive IB transcripts via our secure website, they will receive them as soon as results are released (or for graduates, as soon as the IB has processed the order). Otherwise, the university/institution will be mailed a paper transcript.
Please note that it is the institution that decides on the following:
1. The format in which to receive a transcript (electronic or paper format)
2. The receiving address for the transcript. This is usually a general/centralized admissions office.
If the chosen university informs the candidate that they have not received a transcript, it is good practice to revisit the university/institution’s admission policy on their website to:
• Review the university’s admission policy (Do they require an applicant to go through an admissions centre such as UCAS?)
• Check the contact information of their general/centralized admissions office There are times when students feedback to the IB that their chosen university has not received their transcript only for the IB to realize that the university requires the transcript to be sent to an admission centre (for example, UCAS). If such is the case, a new transcript needs to be requested for us to share your results with the admission centre. If the above is not the case, please check with the university/institution’s general/centralized admissions office if they have received the document. If the chosen university is unable to locate a candidate’s transcript, please contact IB Answers via support@ibo.org with the candidate name, school where IB diploma was obtained, year diploma was obtained, HEI, and the transcript request date so we can look into the matter.
Note: For candidates applying to universities in India, additional useful information can be downloaded here and here.
My child’s marks have changed as a result of a re-mark request. Do we need to order a new transcript to be sent to the university?
You don’t need to worry if your child’s marks have changed due to a re-mark request. If the grades have changed after the transcript has been received by the university, the IB will send them a new one free of charge.
If the university has opted to receive transcripts electronically, they will be automatically sent an email confirming changes to your child's transcript and they can download a new copy of the transcript by logging into our secure website. If the university has opted to receive transcripts in paper format, the IB will reprint a copy of the candidate’s transcripts and send it to the university at no extra cost.
My child is applying to a university in India. What is a migration certificate?
A migration certificate is usually required by universities in India. The migration certificate is a non-legally binding document which states that the student has appeared for the IB exams in a specific session and that the IB has no objection in him/her joining any college or university in India or appear for examination of any board. For candidates of the current session, a migration certificate can automatically be included with their transcript if the school’s DP/CP coordinator placed the request before the deadline. The school’s DP/CP coordinator would need to ensure that he/she has chosen the option to include a migration certificate with the candidate’s transcript request.
For the following groups:
1. Graduates of previous sessions – A graduate would need to place their request for a transcript AND migration certificate via rrs.ibo.org.
2. Candidates that were not able to place their request to send their transcript to a university in India before the deadline – A candidate would need to place his/her request for a transcript AND migration certificate via rrs.ibo.org.
3. Candidates that placed their request before the deadline but the option to include the migration certificate was not chosen – They would need to place a request for migration certificate (only) via rrs.ibo.org. Please note that all requests made through rrs.ibo.org has a corresponding fee.
Can the IB email/fax a transcript to a university/specific email address/fax number?
IB transcript of grades are sent to universities in the format which the university has requested. This may be in paper format by mail or electronic format via our secure website. Most universities will not accept emailed or faxed transcripts as official documents. However, under special circumstances, the IB may provide a copy by email/fax if the university confirms with us directly that they will accept the transcript in that format. If this is the case, please send a request to IB Answers via support@ibo.org for our review.
Please note that one of two conditions should be met before we can process this request:
1. For candidates: a request for the university was placed by the school coordinator in the system prior to the deadline
2. For graduates: an order was placed via rrs.ibo.org (please quote your order reference number) As this is subject to approval for special cases, the IB can only process requests of this nature if there is already an existing request. During peak times (July through to September, December, January), we will not be able to guarantee to provide this service.
How does a graduate request for a transcript to be sent to a university/institution?
IB graduates can request for their transcripts to be sent to institutions directly by placing a request here [rrs.ibo.org]. A fee will be charged for each request made. For more information regarding requesting for transcripts, please visit our dedicated information page. If the chosen institution opted to receive IB transcripts via our secure website, they will receive the transcript as soon as the IB has processed the order. Otherwise, they will be mailed a paper transcript. The IB is not responsible for delays in the postal service or for the processing of a transcript at the university.
Please note that it is the institution that decides on the following:
1. The format in which to receive your transcript (electronic or paper format)
2. The receiving address for the transcript. This is usually a general/centralized admissions office. To check if the university has received the transcript, please check with their general/centralized admissions office first before writing to the IB. If they confirm that the transcript was not received, please contact IB Answers via support@ibo.org with the graduate’s name, school where the diploma was obtained, university/institution, and request date.
Candidates/graduates are not required to have their personal code or session number (not required fields) to request for a transcript so they will still be able to place a request even without this information.
Can the transcript be sent by email? / Can the transcript be sent to the candidate/graduate directly?
The IB can only send an official copy of a candidate’s transcript of grades to universities/higher education institutions (HEIs). We do not provide this to graduates. However, all graduates will receive a copy of their certificate and results at the end of the exam session. These documents will be sent to the schools directly for them to distribute to their students.
