Grades and Transcripts

Study abroad program providers typically send the official transcripts to Brown within two months of the program end date. It typically takes two to four months, and sometimes longer, for transcripts to be issued for direct enrollment programs at host universities. If your study abroad credits have not been posted on your internal academic record in Banner after two months, contact your study abroad program to see if they have sent the transcript to Brown. 

Sending Transcripts to Brown

In order for us to process your credits from your study abroad experience, we’ll need a transcript from your program or host institution. 

For Brown and CASA programs

Transcripts are automatically sent to our office by the Brown/CASA program staff for processing as soon as your grades are available; you do not need to request that your transcript be sent to Brown.

For Approved Alternative and Petition Programs

You must request to have your official transcript for your study abroad semester(s) sent to the Office of the Registrar at Brown (detailed instructions below); otherwise your course credit will not be reviewed for transfer approval and your courses taken while studying abroad will not count toward your Brown degree.

Check with your study abroad program/host university to be sure you have completed any necessary paperwork to request your transcript. 

The Office of the Registrar will notify you after your transcript has been received. Once the Office of the Registrar receives your transcript, they will forward it to Study Abroad Advising for credit evaluation. Please allow for at least two weeks for us to complete the evaluation process.

Transcripts from study abroad can be sent electronically to registrar@brown.edu if the program provider or host institution offers password-protected, secure, online transcript delivery (i.e. not just an attachment that is password protected.)

If electronic delivery is not an option, official transcripts should be mailed to:

Student Records Coordinator

Office of the Registrar

Brown University

Box K

69 Brown Street

Providence, RI 02912 USA

Graduate Schools and Study Abroad Transcripts

While grades from your study abroad transfer courses do not show on your Brown transcript, keep in mind that graduate and professional schools (including business, law, and medical schools) generally instruct applicants to provide study abroad transcripts as part of their undergraduate record.  The grades you earned will appear on your program or host institution-provided transcript, meaning they will be visible to graduate schools. You may wish to request multiple copies of your official transcript after completion of your studies.

Credit Posting

Direct Brown Credit

If you took a course remotely from Brown or if you participated in a Brown study abroad program that offers a Brown course (Brown in Paris or Brown in Bologna), your course title, grade, and credit will show directly on your Brown transcript.

Transfer Credit

All other study abroad courses are posted as transfer credit, which will automatically count towards your 30 course credit degree requirement at Brown. Once the College has processed your transcript from your study abroad program or host institution, your transfer credits will appear on your Internal Academic Record (IAR), accessible via Banner.The grade you earned for each course will not be posted. Successfully earned credit will be documented as “T” in place of a grade, indicating that it was transfer credit. 

Most study abroad credits will show on your official Brown academic record as unassigned course credits in the nearest subject areas offered at Brown. For example, a course with the code “Math 210” at your study abroad institution may show up as “MATH UASGN” on your Brown transcript. For courses that do not fall under a standard subject area at Brown (e.g. Marketing), you may find unassigned credits listed as NOSP for “no specific subject”.