Applicants must submit official academic records (transcripts or mark-sheets) with grading scales for each year of post-secondary education (college or university). If detailed transcripts are not available, the certificates must be accompanied by official statements showing the class or quality of the degrees or diplomas as well as marks actually received on degree examinations as compared with the maximum marks obtainable. Official copies of credentials must be validated by a school administrative officer, such as the registrar or an official of the issuing body. Unless institutional policy prohibits, official documents should be assembled by the applicant and sent with all other application materials in the same envelope. Otherwise, the registrar of the institution should forward the transcripts or records directly to Graduate Admissions, 970 E 58th Street, Third Floor, Chicago, IL 60637.

Documents should be issued in their original language. All documents not issued in English must be accompanied by official translations. The translation should be prepared or verified by a person whose position requires knowledge of both English and the pertinent language, i.e., a professor of English at a French university.

To clarify the University’s expectations regarding previous educational achievements of foreign students, specific guidelines are listed below:

Applicants from Europe (non-French; non-British) should submit official records of all university courses and examinations taken and the grades received. Photocopies of each student book, where available, should be certified by a school official.

Applicants from French-patterned educational systems, including Francophone Africa, should have completed, or expect to complete, the Maîtrise or a qualification such as a Diplôme des Grandes Ecoles.

Applicants from British-patterned educational systems, including Anglophone Africa, should have an Honours Bachelor’s Degree in First or Upper Second Division and should present photocopies of their graduate and post-graduate diplomas. A statement showing the division or grade of the degree is necessary, as is an official list enumerating the subjects studied.

Applicants from India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan should have a master’s degree completed by the time of matriculation at the University of Chicago. Applicants should present official certificates or certified copies of the degrees and diplomas earned. Applicants must also submit detailed mark sheets covering the work completed for each year for all degrees. Wherever possible, the rank in the university or in the examination should be indicated. True copies made by the registrar or the appropriate administrative official of the university attended, bearing the official seal and signature, are required. True copies prepared and signed by faculty members, or by city or government officials, are not considered official.

Applicants from Latin America should submit official records of their credentials from all universities attended. An official transcript covering all courses taken and grades received should be submitted for each school attended, together with a photocopy of the degree or diploma received.

Applicants from the Near and Middle East should present university records that describe each subject studied, by years, with grades received and degree or diploma awarded.

Applicants from the People’s Republic of China who have studied at universities since 1978 should present the results of their university entrance examinations in addition to their other transcripts. Records should be presented in Chinese accompanied by an English translation.

All other applicants should present official detailed transcripts from their universities that include all courses and grades received and degrees awarded. If the schools attended no longer exist, or if it is impossible to obtain official transcripts from them, applicants should ask the Ministry of Education of the appropriate country to furnish an official statement testifying to the impossibility of obtaining records. Applicants must also ask the Ministry to supply the University of Chicago with a list of the courses ordinarily required by that school or university.