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.

  • official transcripts - Official transcripts are transcripts that Ball State University receives directly (electronically or by mail) from each institution that you attended.  Official transcripts must bear the institution's seal, the date, and an appropriate signature.
  • unofficial transcripts - Unofficial transcripts show your college academic progress but are not official because they are provided by you.  Often times, you are able to download these documents from the student portal of the institution(s) you have attended.  These documents can be utilized by your program of interest to make a recommendation for admission.  However, the admission process will not be completed until you submit final official transcripts from any institution(s) where you earned a degree, or any institution(s) where you are currently enrolled.

Upon completing your Graduate School application, you acknowledge that:

  • Your application is being reviewed based upon the information you provided.
  • You may be asked to provide an official transcript if further information is needed.

You do not need to submit Ball State transcripts.

 

Transcripts confirm your academic progress, degrees, and attendance by the granting institution.

Unofficial and official transcripts must include:

  1. Your full name.
  2. Your college or university's name.
  3. The number of credit hours earned/in progress.
  4. Your cumulative GPA.
  5. The degree you have earned/are in the process of completing.

You do not need to submit your Ball State transcript. Your official transcript will be provided by the Office of the Registrar to your program of interest with your application.

Your official, final transcript showing that you have graduated with your degree will be provided by the Office of the Registrar to complete the admissions process.

Official transcripts are verified documents issued by a higher education institution that confirm your academic progress, degrees, and attendance by the granting institution. These documents are sent directly by the issuing institution to Ball State electronically or by mail.  Official transcripts must bear that institution's seal, the date, and an appropriate signature. 

Unofficial transcripts show your college credits and degrees earned but are not official because they are provided by you.  Often times, you may download these documents from the student portal of the institution(s) you have attended.  The documents can be utilized by your program of interest to make a recommendation for admission.  However, the admission process will not be completed until you submit final, official transcripts from any institution(s) where you earned a degree or any institution(s) where you are currently enrolled.
This will depend on your particular circumstances, and we offer both options to allow you maximum flexibility. For example, if you are only applying to Ball State and want to expedite your admission process, then it may make the most sense for you to submit an official transcript from your degree-granting institution at the time of application. If you are applying to multiple graduate schools and wish to save money on transcript submission during your application process, then it is advisable to submit unofficial transcripts at the time of application.
Failure to submit your official transcript(s) by the deadline will result in a hold being placed on your future registration.  Your admission decision will also be rescinded if your official transcript indicates your final academic standing does not meet the Ball State Graduate School admission requirements. For example, if your official transcript indicates that your required degree was not completed before the start of the semester your graduate program began or if your bachelor's degree GPA fell below 2.75, then your admission will be rescinded.

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.  If you have both foreign and U.S. earned education, you may not need to submit transcripts from all colleges and universities you attended.  Please refer to the section below regarding transcripts from non-U.S. institutions.

If you have earned a U.S. degree, documentation 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 NACES Member Evaluation of your foreign documents may be required. Please contact the Office of International Admissions for more information.

Members of NACES are independent, non-governmental organizations that provide credential evaluation services to individuals who have completed part or all of their education outside of the United States.  If you have not earned a U.S. degree, your transcript and degree must be evaluated by a NACES member organization.

If you’ve already received an evaluation from a NACES member organization, you may upload a copy of your evaluation to your applicant status portal.

 Your NACES Member Evaluation report must contain the following: 
  • 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 any institution(s) where you are currently enrolled.

Final official transcripts must be received within the first semester of enrollment.

Final official transcripts must be received by Ball State University within the first semester of enrollment.
Failure to submit your official transcript(s) by the deadline will result in a hold being placed on your future registration.  Your admission decision will also be rescinded if your official transcript indicates your final academic standing does not meet the Ball State Graduate School admission requirements. For example, if your official transcript indicates that your required degree was not completed before the start of the semester your graduate program began or if your bachelor's degree GPA fell below 2.75, then your admission will be rescinded.

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

You do not need to submit Ball State transcripts.

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

Direct your institution to send official transcripts to:

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

In an effort to remove barriers and provide more options during the application process, the Office of International Admissions is now accepting credential evaluations from any NACES organization (in addition to the previously accepted evaluation companies of WES and ECE). Members of NACES are independent, non-governmental organizations that provide credential evaluation services to individuals who have completed part or all of their education outside of the United States. If your prospective student has not earned a U.S. degree, their transcript and degree must be evaluated by a NACES member organization.

NACES Member Evaluation reports must contain the following:

  • 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)

For Doctoral Applicants

If you have earned or have a pending 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.