Transcript Requirements

The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) and the Council on Teacher Education (CoTE) must verify that you have completed the required coursework and degree for your specific license or endorsements. ISBE has strict standards regarding acceptable documentation for these verifications, and only official documents are accepted. Likewise, the Council on Teacher Education can only accept official academic records.

Transcript Orders for All Licensure Program and Endorsement Completers

CoTE requires that all licensure and endorsement candidates send their University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign transcripts to ISBE. The transcript must show:

• Final grades for all licensure coursework.
• The awarded degree, if applicable.

When placing an order for transcripts to be sent to their destination, the timing of the order needs to be specified: hold for grades, hold for degree, or send now.  In most situations, 'hold for degree' is the appropriate selection for transcript orders for the Illinois State Board of Education. Contact CoTE if you have questions about your particular situation.

Step-by-step order instructions can be found in your Student Portal and on the Quick Links page. 

What is the difference between official and unofficial transcripts?

Official transcripts are academic records that are sent directly from the issuing institution or its transcript processing service. CoTE can accept official transcripts in any of the following ways:

1. Sent directly by a transcript processing service (such as Parchment or National Student Clearinghouse)
   • Delivered electronically or by mail directly to a University of Illinois academic unit (CoTE, Graduate College, etc.).
   • If sent to a unit other than CoTE, that unit must forward the transcript directly to CoTE. 
2. Sent directly by your college or university
   • Delivered electronically or by mail directly to a University of Illinois academic unit (CoTE, Graduate College, etc.).
   • If sent to a unit other than CoTE, that unit must forward the transcript directly to CoTE. 
3. Delivered in a sealed envelope.
   • Hand-delivered to CoTE by the licensure candidate.
   • The envelope must be officially sealed by the institution or transcript service and must not be opened.

Unofficial transcripts do not meet ISBE or CoTE requirements and will not be accepted. These include, but are not limited to:

• Transcripts submitted directly by a student (email attachments or paper copies).
• Transcripts in an unsealed envelope or an envelope not properly marked by the institution.
• Records downloaded from a “degree audit” or other progress-toward-degree application from your institution.
• Any transcript labeled “unofficial.”
• Any transcript that CoTE cannot confidently verify as official.

Academic Records from Institutions Outside of the US

If you completed coursework or earned a degree at a college or university outside of the United States that will be applied toward your license or endorsement requirements, ISBE requires CoTE to collect the following:

• An official transcript from the institution.
• An official Out-of-Country Credentials Evaluation from an ISBE-Approved evaluator.  (All service providers on the ISBE-approved list are qualified to perform credential evaluations, and a specific evaluation service cannot be recommended.)

Important considerations:

• The credentials evaluation report must be sent directly to CoTE by the evaluation service (electronically or by mail), or delivered in an officially sealed and unopened envelope.
• Even if your transcripts are already in English, a credentials evaluation is still required if the institution is outside of the United States.
• U.S. territories (Puerto Rico, Guam, US Virgin Islands, etc.) are part of the United States and do not require a credential evaluation.
• Transcripts from Canadian educational institutions do require a credentials evaluation.