The host institution is the university or affiliated partner that you attended during your time abroad.

Transcripts should always be sent directly to the Office for Education Abroad (not admissions, registrar, college, etc.)

Electronic transcripts can be sent to eacredit(at)msu.edu.

Physical copies should be sent to:

Office for Education Abroad
Michigan State University
427 N. Shaw Lane, Room 109
International Center
East Lansing, Michigan 48824
ATTN: Doreen Sheridan

You should check with your host institution to be sure your transcript will automatically be sent or if you have to request it. Sometimes you may be asked to give them permission or sign a form.

The most common reasons why a transcript is being held include:

• There is a financial hold on your account at the host institution.
• The host institution process takes more time due to a longer summer break or holiday periods.
• Missing steps at the host institution like incomplete forms or missing signatures.
• The host institution does not know where to send the transcript.
• The transcript was sent to an incorrect office at Michigan State

You are encouraged to check with your host institution before you leave to clarify what is needed to have your academic transcript sent back to Michigan State.

In most cases, you can request an official transcript be sent to you directly from your host institution. (Most universities or employers ask for an official copy of host institution transcript.)

For an unofficial host institution transcript, email eacredit(at)msu.edu and include your name, host institution you attended, and the semester in which you participated.

When your transcript arrives, the Office for Education Abroad will check it for completeness, verify a Course Approval Form has been completed, and the courses on your transcript match your Course Approval Form. (see Course Approval Process for more information)

Receiving a transcript can take some time to arrive. The average time to receive a transcript is 3 months after the program has ended. Some could arrive earlier and some can take longer. Consult your host institution if you’d like clarification on how long it takes for your transcript to be issued.

When everything is complete, materials will be sent to the Office of the Registrar so they can process the transcript and enter the credits and approved MSU course codes in their system.

It typically takes about 3 months after your program has ended for the credits to show up on your MSU student record. Depending on when your transcript arrives, the process can take as little as 4 weeks or more than 6 months for some programs.

If you have questions about the process, send an email to eacredit(at)msu.edu.

The most common reason for a delay in credit processing is incomplete course approvals. If this is the case, staff from the Office for Education Abroad will reach out to you. (See Course Approval Process for more details.)

It is also possible that the official academic transcript has not arrived or sent to the wrong office. Please make sure to update your host institution on where the transcript should be sent to avoid unnecessary delays.

If your credits are not posted and you need them to graduate, email eacredit(at)msu.edu for assistance. Be sure to include your name, the semester you participated and the name of the program.

While your unofficial transcript list courses and grades from your host institution in the transfer course section, the grades will not affect your MSU grade point average.

Courses evaluated as transfer credit come to MSU as credits-only as long as you’ve earned the equivalent of a 2.0 grade. Grade and Credit Conversion charts can be viewed on the Education Abroad Partner Programs webpage on the Office of the Registrar’s website.

Grades for transfer credit courses will NOT be included on your official MSU transcript. Some places like graduate schools, other universities or employers may require you to submit an official transcript for all host institutions attended to still have the ability to review grades for any transfer courses. In those instances, you should work your host institution to have an official transcript sent.

If you participated in a Non-MSU Program and have an approved petition, you will follow the normal process for course approvals and transcript processing.

If you do not have an approved petition, you need to work with the Office of Admissions and the Office of the Registrar for guidance on how to proceed. To start the process, please contact your academic adviser at Michigan State.