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Transcripts and Grades FAQ

Transcripts and grade reporting generate quite a few questions from students. Please explore the categories below to find the most commonly asked transcript, grades, and GPA (grade point average) questions and answers.

Transcripts

How do I request an official transcript and how much does it cost?

Transcripts ordered through Parchment cost $3.10 each. You may request up to 20 copies of your official transcript at no charge in person or with the off-campus form. For information on requesting an official transcript, please visit the Registrar's Official Transcript page.

How do I view my unofficial academic transcript and GPA in Student Self Service?

Provided you have no transcript holds on your account, you can view your unofficial transcript and GPA statistics by going to your Academic Transcript screen. For instructions, see Review Your Unofficial Academic Transcript.

The GPA you see will not include grades for the most recently completed term unless those grades have been declared official. Grades are not usually declared official until the Thursday of the week following exam week. 

Viewing your unofficial transcript requires an active portal account. If you no longer have, or have never had, an active portal account, contact the ITS Service Desk at 901.678.8888. Request that a temporary account be activated. This account will allow you to login and view your unofficial transcript.

For more information, go to the Unofficial Transcript page.

How can I view my unofficial transcript if I no longer have an active UofM portal account?

Call the ITS Service Desk at 901.678.8888 and request that a temporary myMemphis portal account be established for you.

This account will be active for 24 hours only; however, this will give you time to view and print your Academic Transcript information. If you need more time beyond the 24-hour window, contact the Service Desk again.

Note: If you have attended the University very recently, you might try logging into the portal before contacting the Service Desk. Your student portal account remains active until the end of the semester following the last semester you attended (ex: if you last attended in Fall, the account remains active until the end of Spring). But if the login fails, you will have to contact the Service Desk.

I am not seeing all of my UofM courses on my unofficial transcript. Why are these courses not showing?

The unofficial transcript displays only those courses taken in Fall 1988 or later. Courses taken prior to Fall 1988 are recorded on microfilm and are not available for web display. To review this earlier course work, you will have to request an official transcript.

I recently transferred to UofM, but I don't see my transfer courses on my UofM unofficial transcript. Where are they?

Contact Admissions; that office receives and evaluates incoming transcripts. Either your transcript has not been received, or the evaluation has not been completed.

Why do some of my transfer courses have "LD" or "UD" course numbers?

LD = lower division course (freshman/sophomore); UD = upper division course (junior/senior)

Incoming transcripts are evaluated by Admissions. When a course is determined to be the equivalent of a UofM course, you are given credit for the UofM equivalent (ex., English 101 from XYZ College = ENGL 1010 at UofM).

However, when an incoming course is not deemed the equivalent of any UofM course, it is listed on your transcript with a subject area and then a course number of "LD##" or UD##", depending on whether it is considered lower division or upper. You receive general credit for this and other such courses, but they generally will not satisfy specific major requirements. For example, if you made a "B" in English 304 - Novels of Thomas Wolfe at your previous university, this course would likely be listed as ENGL LD01 on your UofM transcript because we do not offer that exact course here.

I took an advanced placement test in high school and scored high enough to test out of a UofM course, but I don't see the course credit on my transcript. Can you help?

Contact Admissions about this matter. Most likely that office has not yet received notice of the test score. When it receives the score, it will see that the course credit is added to your transcript.

I think that a course I took at my previous university should count as the equivalent of one of UofM's courses. How can I get this credit?

Visit Admissions' Transfers suite of web pages for equivalency information.

I graduated this past term, so why isn't my degree showing on my unofficial transcript?

Following the semester's Commencement ceremony, your Graduation Analyst will begin the process of approving your degree for certification after ensuring you meet all degree requirements. If you are unsure if you have met all requirements, you may visit UMdegree to view your Degree Progress.

Once your analyst has approved you for certification, the Registrar’s Office will award the degree. At this point, your degree will appear on your transcript, both the unofficial and official versions.

This review/certification process can be completed in as little as 3 days but can take up to 4 weeks if you have outstanding obligations. However, if you need an official transcript, you can submit your request before the process is complete. Simply indicate that you want the transcript held until the degree is posted; this way your request will be in the queue and will be released immediately upon awarding. See Official Transcript.

What do the  E, A, and I codes on my transcript mean?

These codes mean the following:

  • E = The course attempt is excluded from GPA (grade point average) calculation.
  • A = The course attempt is included in GPA calculation.
  • I = The course attempt is included in GPA and earned hours calculation.

To understand these codes and the scenario below, you must remember these basic rules about repeats:

When you repeat a course, the second attempt and all subsequent attempts are used in calculating your GPA. The first attempt remains on your transcript, but it is no longer used in calculating your GPA.

Important Change
Any transfer work posted before Summer 2015 and after Summer 2019 is applied to the Overall and Overall Combined GPA. From  the Summer 2015 semester to the Summer 2019 semester, the University's repeat policy changed with regard to courses that were transferred to UofM: such courses were not used in calculating GPA. Read more under Computing GPA

The last grade earned for a course "stands": it is always used in calculating your GPA, even if the grade is lower than a previous attempt's. As a rule, you can receive credit hours for a course only one time. (Some courses are exceptions to this rule, but these are noted in the course description sections of the catalogs.) For example, if you take a 3-hour course 3 times and pass it twice, you will receive only 3 hours credit, not 6.

Let's look at this scenario involving MATH 1710, a course worth 3 credit hours:

In Fall you take MATH 1710 and earn an F. The F is used in calculating your GPA, and since you made an F, you earned no credit hours for the class. In Spring, you retake MATH 1710 and earn a D. Your first attempt (F in Fall), will now have an E by it. Your second attempt (D in Spring) will now have an I by it. The first attempt is excluded (E) from GPA calculation; the second attempt is included in GPA calculation and results in 3 hours earned credit (I). Wanting a better grade, you decide to take MATH 1710 a third time in Summer. This time you earn a C. You now have three attempts of the same course on your transcript. The first attempt (F in Fall) will have an E by it, indicating it is excluded from GPA calculation. The second attempt (D in Spring) now has an A by it, indicating that it is included in GPA calculation but that you are no longer earning credit hours for the attempt. The third attempt now has the I by it, indicating that it is the only attempt that is used in GPA calculation AND results in 3 hours earned credit.

For more information on repeats, see Repeated Courses and Your GPA.

What does the # by a course mean?

The # indicates that the course satisfies a high school deficiency.

Can I remove a "W" grade from my transcript?

Refer to the term's Dates and Deadlines calendar for this deadline:  Courses Dropped on or After this Date Receive 'W' Grades.

Any course you drop on or after this deadline receives a W grade. A W grade cannot be removed: all graded attempts at a course are part of your academic record and appear on your transcript.

If you believe that the University made a mistake and that it should remove the W from your record, you may appeal in writing to the Registrar, Office of the Registrar, 003 Wilder Tower. Be sure to include the reason for the request and any supporting documentation.

I took courses at Lambuth but never at UofM; can I request my Lambuth transcript through UofM?

You can find forms for requesting either your Lambuth transcript or the release of your Lambuth medical records on the UofM website; however, you will still need to send the completed and signed forms to the Lambuth Campus. For more information, visit Former Lambuth University Students.

Parchment

In partnership with Parchment, UofM provides a means of requesting official transcripts online and even having these delivered electronically if you so desire. Refer to our Parchment FAQ page for Q&As that specifically address this service.

GPA/Grades

What is my GPA and how is it calculated?

For information on how to calculate your GPA, visit Grading Scale and GPA.

Check your grades and GPA by viewing the Final Grades page in Student Self Service. Please note that your cumulative GPA is always your current cumulative GPA regardless of the specific term information you may be accessing. Even when you check an earlier term's grades, the cumulative statistics will be current through the last term you completed. For example, if you view Fall 20XX's grades after the following Spring semester (or later), you will see the Fall 20XX term GPA under the Fall 20XX heading, but the cumulative GPA you see will include any additional credits and grades earned during later semesters.

If an A is worth 4.0 Quality Points, shouldn't an A+ be worth more?

Although the "+" earns you more Quality Points when it is attached to a B, C, or D, the same is not true when it is given with an A.

When the +/- grading system was adopted at UofM, the administration decided that it was not appropriate to award Quality Points in excess of 4.0. The A+ is an honor given for exemplary performance; however, it is not worth more than an A.

How will a repeated course look on my transcript? How does a repeat affect my GPA?

Through Spring 2015, all graded attempts of a course are recorded on your transcript. The first attempt is excluded from your GPA calculation after you repeat the course; the first attempt is then marked with an "E" (exclude) repeat code. The second and all subsequent attempts will be used in calculating your GPA. But all attempts are recorded on your transcript.

*Important Change*
Beginning with the Summer 2015 semester, the University's repeat policy changed with regard to courses that are transferred to UofM: such courses are not used in calculating GPA. You can earn credit for a passing grade, but you cannot affect your GPA. Read more under Computing GPA.

How does a W grade affect my GPA? Is it a bad thing?

When you drop a class and receive a W, the W does show up on your transcript. It becomes a part of your official record of coursework at the University.

As far as your GPA is concerned, a W at the University of Memphis is not punitive: it has no point value and is not used in calculating your GPA. The W simply indicates that you dropped the course. For example, if you made 2 A's, 2 B's, and a W for the semester, only the A's and B's would be used in calculating your GPA.

Although W's do not hurt your GPA, you should avoid accumulating too many of them if you plan to go on to graduate school or to some professional school (law, medical, etc.). Schools for advanced study often do not like to see too many W's on an applicant's record. Also, be aware that in certain instances, W's can also affect your financial aid, particularly your continued eligibility for Lottery Scholarships. W hours do count toward the number of hours covered by Lottery Scholarships.