As her December graduation date approached, Kailee Morgan and some of her classmates didn’t know Howard University was in the process of switching the digital system used for filing student transcripts.
They had been expecting to receive their transcripts by Dec. 16, but hadn’t received any updates. Then, Morgan said, students were told there was a system error when switching student information systems.
The university would be able to offer provisional transcripts, it told students, but they’d have to wait for official copies.
As a result, Morgan said, some students haven’t been able to apply for PhD programs. Others were anticipating getting pay raises, but those are on hold because there’s no official proof that they graduated with a new degree. In some states, board exams can’t be taken without the official transcript either.
“It’s costing people not only their day-to-day work, they’re not able to get jobs, they’re not able to pay for their bills,” Morgan said. “It’s threatening livelihood. It’s causing a lot more issues than just, ‘Hey, sorry, it’s going to be a couple of months from now.’”
Morgan and her peers graduated from Howard’s Master of Social Work program, and taking the LSW exam requires approval, she said. Many states won’t provide that approval without an official transcript, Morgan said.
In a statement, Howard said it recently finished a transition to a new legacy student information system, which it described as “a significant undertaking that resulted in processing delays.”
The university said it’s in the final phase of the transition period, and it anticipates pending transcript orders will be fulfilled as early as next week.
“In the interim, we have provided alternative mechanisms for current and former students to obtain relevant academic information,” the university said.
In some cases, Morgan said, provisional transcripts have been accepted or exceptions have been made because of the system change the university is making. But that hasn’t proven true in every case.
For students applying to PhD programs, one of the last steps is submitting an official transcript, Morgan said. Some Howard graduates applied for jobs ahead of time, knowing they’d just have to take a state board exam, but haven’t been able to do that without their transcripts.
In a mid-February email shared with WTOP, Howard told students and graduates that despite the system change, they’d still have access to enrollment verification, an unofficial transcript and their academic record.
The university also offered to send a provisional transcript to third parties who will only accept an official transcript.
But, Morgan said, “For most states and for most jobs, you’re not able to use a provisional (transcript). You have to have the official transcript from either the school or the ‘clearance house.’”
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