Kentucky eTranscript To Ease College Admissions Process, Create Efficiencies

FRANKFORT, Ky. (July 30, 2013) — Kentucky high school seniors will soon be able to send electronic transcripts to Kentucky colleges and universities, as well as some out of state schools, using the free Kentucky eTranscript process, Lt. Gov. Jerry Abramson said Monday.

“The statewide adoption of electronic transcripts will streamline the college admissions process, in some cases allowing students to complete the process totally online,” Abramson said. “The eTranscript system will be easy for our students to use, and it will reduce costs and save time for all parties.”

Jefferson County will be the first to make the system available districtwide. By the end of the year, Kentucky eTranscript should be available to students in public and private high schools across the state, as school districts are phased in and go live with the system.

"The University of Kentucky is very pleased to be a part of this important statewide initiative," said Michelle Nordin, UK associate director of undergraduate admission and associate registrar. "Kentucky eTranscript will allow students to send their high school transcript, free of charge, to all participating institutions including UK.  The service will improve efficiencies for students, guidance counselors and also for the admission process here at UK and we are very excited to be involved."

Kentucky’s eTranscript is provided free to high school students, school districts, colleges and universities by the Council on Postsecondary Education (CPE), the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) and the Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority (KHEAA) which collaborated on the project. There is a nominal charge for students to send transcripts to non-participating colleges or universities.

“High school counselors and students will benefit by having a simplified request and delivery system available 24/7,” said Tommy Floyd, KDE’s chief of staff.

They’ll also be able to upload documents such as letters of recommendation for paperless delivery and track the entire transmission process, he said.

Transcripts and other materials are delivered in a PDF format to colleges and universities through a secure online portal.

Aaron Thompson, CPE’s senior vice president, said the electronic format will increase campus efficiencies.

“Colleges and universities will benefit by having one transcript format, less mail to process, and the potential to directly import transcript data into their student information systems,” Thompson said.

“This has truly been a collaborative effort that will benefit the students of Kentucky,” said Carl Rollins, executive director of the Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority. “Hopefully it will make the entire college admissions process easier and encourage more students to seek a postsecondary education whether that be at a two-year or four-year institution.”

The three state agencies worked with two private firms, Parchment and Infinite Campus, on the project. Parchment is the leader in eTranscript exchange in the U.S. and Infinite Campus is the largest American-owned student information system.

A list of participating colleges and universities is available at this Kentucky Department of Education website: http://education.ky.gov/districts/tech/Documents/Participating_KY_CollegesUniversities-eTranscripts.pdf. An example of an eTranscript can be found here: http://education.ky.gov/districts/tech/Documents/KY_Sample_eTranscript.pdf.  

To learn how to plan and prepare for higher education, go to www.gotocollege.ky.gov.