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Read our comprehensive overview of which school transcripts & supplementary documents are required by the respective international university systems.
In almost every line of work, most of us will do anything we can to avoid it. But sending school transcripts to multiple international universities is a lot of paperwork.
If you’re a regular reader of our blog, you’ll know that we cover a lot of international university systems. Each university system has its own bespoke requirements for submitting important documents.
For school counselors and advisers overseeing international applications, keeping track of these competing requirements is one of the hardest parts of the job, and something we get asked about a lot here at BridgeU.
Let’s take a quick look at what most counselors can expect to find in their in-tray when application season comes around.
Many university systems have automated the document sending process, with organisations such as UCAS, the Common Application and Parchment making it easier to submit academic transcripts and certificates online.
This doesn’t change the fact that submitting school transcripts and other application documents is often a lot of complex work.
But the good news is that, when you strip away the jargon and terminology used in different countries, most universities are looking for broadly similar information from the documents schools are required to send.
So if you’re currently administering your students’ university applications and feeling stressed about the sheer volume of documents and supporting materials you need to send, worry not!
We’ve put everything you need to know about submitting school transcripts and document sending in one place.
So let’s dive in and break down some of the most popular university systems in more detail.
Compared to some countries, the UK is very straightforward. Because many university applications are administered through UCAS, the most important documents for UK university applications will be sent through a centralised system.
When students create a UCAS account, they are required to fill out information about themselves. This includes:
The most crucial supporting document that most UK universities require is the UCAS reference. The UCAS reference is one document sent by the student’s school.
The main challenge the UCAS reference poses for counselors and is that they must collate individual teachers’ reports into one document. This means that counselors must ensure that teachers’ comments are clear, concise and backed up by clear anecdotal evidence.
Whilst it’s true that most school transcripts and supporting documents for UK universities can be sent through UCAS, it’s worth being aware of additional requirements that international students may face.
The United States is the most complex system in terms of sending school transcripts & supporting school documents.
US universities will require a number of documents to be sent throughout the year. Below is a brief overview of the most important ones.
US universities want to know more about the secondary/high school that an applying student came from. It helps to put the students’ grades and achievements in a wider context. The School Profile will need to include information such as:
A student’s school transcript is a summary of their academic performance. It summarises the classes and courses students took, when they took them and their grades and cumulative GPA.
Some US universities will ask for students to send copies of their test scores (such as the SAT/ACT) Many universities will only accept copies from the testing organisations themselves, so it’s useful heading over to their websites for more information.
There are normally two types of letter of recommendation that a US university would want to see – the teacher’s letter of recommendation and the counselor’s letter of recommendation.
US universities will ask for Mid-Year reports after the first semester/halfway point of a student’s final year at school. The mid-year report is often accompanied by a mid-year transcript.
At the end of the academic year, US universities will ask for the final school transcripts from a student who is deciding to enrol. This demonstrates that the student kept their grades up during the final year of school/has met their predicted grades from earlier in the year.
Common App allows counselors to send documents to US universities through its online platform. The document requirements for Common App universities & colleges in the USA are broadly the same as above. In the case of the Common App, counselors can expect to submit the following:
In addition to the Letters of Recommendation, Common App will ask counselors to fill in what is known as a Counselor Recommendation Form. This is a supplementary form that asks counselors to describe how long they have taught the student, in what capacity they know them, and a brief assessment of their academic & personal characteristics.
Like the Common App, Coalition allows counselors to upload key documents like School Reports & Letters of Recommendation through its online platform. The Coalition platform has a slightly different format to the Common App, but many of the requirements are the same.
It’s worth briefly exploring the UC system. Because the University of California is a statewide organisation that encompasses the nine universities, it has its own application system, with its own requirements. The UC system will ask international students to submit the following.
It’s important to note that counselors shouldn’t submit Letters of Recommendation to a UC university unless a specific university requests it.
Finally, remember that the UC system has different application deadlines to other US universities and platforms, with applications due by November 30th.
Documents for entry to a Canadian university will vary depending on what region/province the university is in. The academic requirements for international students will also vary depending on which course/degree the student is applying for.
If you have students interested in Canada as a destination you/they will need to check the document sending requirements of their university carefully.
Broadly speaking, universities in Canada will require students to provide a minimum of the following:
Canadian universities generally require strong academic grades in either a national or international high school diploma. In some cases, high grades in a qualification towards the IB can actually count towards university grades.
For students of the IB and English National curricula, students will need to submit their final grades in the summer after their IB/A-level exams.
Canadian universities don’t tend to rely on standardised tests like universities in the US do. However, some universities in Canada will have them as a requirement – so students should make sure they check with any universities they want to apply to.
International students applying to Canada may have to prove their proficiency in English or French (depending on which language their degree is taught in). There is no standardised test for French language universities, but these universities will assess international students on a case-by-case basis.
Additional Resources: Read more about the documents required for a Canadian university application here.
Some universities will require students to apply to the university directly, while other universities will accept applications through a centralised system called Uni-Assist.
Uni-Assist is currently used by over 180 German universities to process student applications. Again, document sending requirements for German universities will vary depending on the country you’re applying to. However, the following documents will generally be required.
You can also use Uni-Assist to check the documents required for different international curricula. Head to https://www.uni-assist.de/en/tools/info-country-by-country/ for more info.
Additional Resources: Read more about the documents and school transcripts required for German university application here.
Again, some documents will need to be sent to Dutch institutions directly, whilst others can be sent through the centralised Dutch university application system, Studielink.
Generally speaking, Dutch universities will require the following documents from counselors and students.
Additional Resources: Read more about the necessary documents for studying at university in the Netherlands here
Like Canada, Australia has no centralised application system, but some individual Australian states will process university applications through what is known as a Tertiary Admissions Centre (TAC). Students should check to see whether their chosen university requires them to submit a direct application, or an application through a TAC.
In terms of application documents, the Australian system does not require counselors and students to submit as much material as some other countries. Broadly speaking, students applying to the Australian system will need to submit the following.
An Australian university will typically require students to submit proof of a secondary school qualification, whether that’s a high school diploma, AS/A-levels or an IB diploma. Because Australia has two application cycles (winter and summer), students could expect to apply with either their predicted grades or their actual results.
If students are applying directly to a university, they will need to check the entry requirements of that institution carefully.
Additional documents that some universities will ask for include:
Additional resources: Read more about Australian universities and the necessary documents/transcripts for application here
Again, universities in Hong Kong have their own specific entry requirements. But the most common documents and supporting materials required by HK universities may include:
If your students are applying to Hong Kong, the Referees Report must be written by someone who knows the student well, whether it’s a teacher, counselor or high school principal. The Referees Report must focus on the students’ academic achievements and overall personal qualities.
International students who wish to apply to university in Japan must take the Examination for Japanese University Admissions, or EJU. The EJU is designed to test students’ basic academic abilities and Japanese proficiency.
It’s also worth noting that individual universities may require students to take entrance exams in addition to the EJU.
In addition to preparing your students for the EJU, you will be required to send over:
Application submissions and document sending for universities in Spain will vary slightly depending on whether your students are applying from an EU country or from anywhere else in the world.
For those who are in a European country, application submission takes place through the SNUDE, the Spanish National University for Distance Education. The application, called the solicitud de inscripción, opens during the month of April.
Upon completion of the application, students need to print and mail it to the SNUDE, using the address on their website. Students should also expect to submit a copy of a passport, identity card or school leaving certification with the application. If accepted students receive a Credencial de Accesso within a period of three months. They should then send this to the university they wish to apply to.
Students applying from outside the EU must first obtain documentation from their high school that they have met the basic entry requirements to study at a university in Spain. This is known as a ‘homogolacion’ in Spanish.
Students should then have their high school transcripts/certificates validated by the Spanish embassy in their country. The Embassy will then provide a student with what is known as a ‘Volante Accreditation’.
In addition, non-EU students must register for an entrance exam, known as the ‘Pruebos de Aceso a la Universidad’.
It’s also worth noting that Spain has no centralised international admissions system, so universities will have their own unique entry requirements and students may have to sit additional entrance exams and aptitude tests.
Every university in South Korea will have slightly different application criteria. Many South Korean universities now allow students to submit online applications. While some universities will only ask for grades and scores, some universities will also ask students to take interviews and extra aptitude tests.
Some of the documents South Korean universities may ask for include:
Students who want to apply to university in South Korea must demonstrate a certain level of English and Korean proficiency. Students must sit a Test of Proficiency in Korean (TOPIK) in order to apply for a South Korean degree course.
If students are planning to only take a course in English, then it will only be necessary for them to provide proof of their English language proficiency.
If you and your students are in the midst of application preparation, then it’s important to check the requirements for each of the above university systems carefully. Each university will have their own bespoke entry criteria. It’s also vital to be mindful of any and all deadlines as this year draws to a close.
To help you keep track of your students’ application documents, we’ve created a free Document Submission Tracker spreadsheet. Download it below.
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