When You Apply

Ball State must receive transcripts from all colleges and universities you attended (this includes dual credit courses earned while in high school) in order for you to be admitted to your program of interest.

You may provide unofficial or official transcripts when you apply.

  • unofficial transcripts - Unofficial transcripts are copies of transcripts that you directly upload to your applicant status portal. Each document uploaded must include your name, the institution's name, the degree you have earned/are in the process of completing, and your cumulative GPA.  (By choosing to submit unofficial transcripts, you acknowledge that your application is being reviewed based upon the information you provided; an official transcript may be requested if further information is needed; and, after recommended for admission, that you will provide your official transcripts to complete the admission process).
  • official transcripts - Official transcripts are transcripts that are sent directly (electronically, by mail, or received in an official sealed envelope) to Ball State University’s Graduate Admissions Office from the issuing institution. You may order official transcripts to include with your application, rather than wait until after you're recommended for admission to provide them. This means any former or current institutions you attended will need to submit the official transcripts to Ball State.  

You do not need to submit Ball State transcripts.

If you have earned a U.S. degree, an evaluation from an external agency is not required for your foreign educational history (unless you are a doctoral applicant, and you do not have a master’s degree from the U.S.).

If you are currently enrolled in a program in the U.S., a WES or ECE may be required. Please contact the Office of International Admissions for more information.

If you have not earned a U.S. degree, your transcript and degree must be evaluated by an external agency.

If you’ve already received an evaluation from World Education Services (WES) or Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE), you may upload a copy of your evaluation to your applicant status portal.

You must select one of the following credential evaluation agencies to get your transcripts and degree(s) evaluated (this includes any earned certificates, diplomas, or degrees):

Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE)

World Education Services (WES)

Attention: Alternative options to WES/ECE credential evaluation

Due to the situation surrounding COVID-19, we are temporarily accepting credential evaluations from any NACES member company, as long as it contains the following information:

  • US equivalency of study/degree
  • US equivalent overall credits & GPA earned
  • Accreditation status of institution(s)
  • Course-by-course evaluation (each course listed along with credits and grade earned for the course)

Please note that if you have any credential evaluation done by a NACES member other than WES or ECE, you will need to upload your scanned official copy to your applicant portal, or send it to us via email at admissions@bsu.edu.

If you have studied at a non-U.S. institution but you did not earn a degree there, you must submit an unofficial transcript with an official translation. You may upload the unofficial transcript and official translation to your applicant status portal.

If you studied at a non-U.S. institution as part of a study abroad program and those courses are listed on your degree-granting transcript, you are not required to provide a transcript from the non-U.S. institution.

If your academic program of interest reviews your application and recommends you for acceptance to Ball State, you will then need to submit final official transcripts from any institution(s) where you earned a degree or certificate, or any institution(s) where you are currently enrolled.

Your applicant status portal will be updated at this time to list these requirements, but they must be submitted in an official capacity.

A copy of your official WES or ECE evaluation may be required and must be submitted directly from the issuing agency to Ball State University.

If you are enrolled at another institution at the time of your offer of admission, you will be required to submit a final official transcript indicating the title of the degrees earned and the date awarded upon completion. If you were not pursuing a degree, the final official transcript must show final grades for all coursework.

A registration hold will be placed on your record at the end of your first semester of enrollment if all final official transcripts have not been submitted.

How to Submit Transcripts

Official transcripts are transcripts that are sent directly to Ball State University’s Graduate Admissions Office from the issuing institution.

Transcripts are considered official if they are either:

  • received by the admissions office in a sealed envelope from the issuing institution (college/university)
  • sent via an electronic delivery service to admissions@bsu.edu

If you choose to hand-deliver the transcript, you must not open/reseal the envelope.

You do not need to submit Ball State transcripts.

To submit an official transcript directly from your institution, please email us: admissions@bsu.edu.

For electronic delivery services, such as Parchment, National Student Clearinghouse, or eSCRIPT, select Ball State University from the list of recipients.

Send official transcripts to:

Ball State University
Graduate Admissions
Lucina Hall
2000 W. University Ave.
Muncie, IN 47306

Request an evaluation to be sent to Ball State University from the issuing agency.

For Doctoral Applicants

If you have earned or have a pending a master's degree from a U.S. institution and a bachelor's degree from a non-U.S. institution, you will not need to submit a WES/ECE for your bachelor's degree. You may submit an unofficial transcript and an official translation of your bachelor’s degree to your applicant status portal.