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PDF Delivered Transcripts

1. What is the PDF Transcript Delivery Service?
2. Is the PDF transcript different from traditional printed transcripts?
3. Is the PDF transcript official?
4. What are the advantages of the electronic delivery of my transcript?
5. Do I need any special software or configuration on my computer?
6. Are there any students who may not request this service?
7. I am a current or former Penn State student. How do I request electronic delivery of my transcript?
8. I am requesting electronic delivery of my transcript. Do I also need to provide a mailing address?
9. I requested my transcript to be delivered electronically, will the Registrar's office notify me of delivery?
10. I ordered a transcript using the request form and selected electronic delivery, but DID NOT provide MY e-mail address. How will the Transcript Department respond to this request?
11. I DID NOT provide an e-mail address for the recipient on the request form. Will my transcript be delivered electronically as requested?
12. I DID NOT provide a legible recipient e-mail address. How will the Transcript Department respond to this request?
13. I provided the wrong e-mail address for the recipient. Can I correct this mistake?
14. I am not a current or former student. Why have I received e-mail messages from Penn State?
15. How do I retrieve the electronic transcript?
16. Can I book mark the Web site to save a step as I receive additional electronic transcripts?
17. I successfully retrieved the document and saved it on my desktop, but I cannot open it again.
18. I successfully retrieved the document, but DID NOT save it on my desktop. Can I retrieve the document again from the Web site?
19. How do I know the electronic transcript is valid?
20. I received a document certification message of "UNKNOWN." There was a question mark to the left of this message, what does this mean?
21. I received a document certification message of "INVALID." There was a red X to the left of this message, what does this mean?
22. If you send transcripts as a PDF document why won't you send it as an e-mail attachment?

1. What is the PDF Transcript Delivery Service?
• It is the electronic delivery of an official transcript.
• The electronic transcript has an additional first page that provides information regarding the document itself.
• The transcript is downloaded from a secure Web site as a PDF document.
• The PDF document is protected by an electronic signature.
• The electronic signature guarantees the document was sent from the Penn State Registrar's office and the document has not been altered.

2. Is the PDF transcript different from traditional printed transcripts?
• The content of the transcript is identical.
• The electronic transcript has an additional first page that provides information regarding the document itself.

3. Is the PDF transcript official?
• Yes, it is an official document from Penn State.
• The content of the transcript is identical to a printed transcript.
• The University seal appears on the transcript.
• The electronic signature of the University Registrar appears on the transcript.

4. What are the advantages of the electronic delivery of my transcript?
• The requestor is notified when the recipient received the official transcript.
• Delivery is within minutes of the request being processed.
• More reliable than surface mailing.
• No additional fees resulting from overnight mailing.
• More organizations are insisting on electronic documents and are not willing to accept paper documents.

5. Do I need any special software or configuration on my computer?
• You may use any Web browser (be sure to have the most recent version).
• You must have a copy of Adobe Reader 6.04 or higher installed.
• If you do not have a copy, you may download a free copy of this software.

6. Are there any students who may not request this service?
• Students enrolled prior to 1986.
• Students enrolled in law courses prior to 1997.
• Students enrolled in noncredit course.

7. I am a current or former Penn State student. How do I request electronic delivery of my transcript?
• Complete transcript ordering instructions may be found on our Web site.
• If you are using the online ordering application:

  a. Select "Electronic" delivery option from the drop down selection
  b. Provide the e-mail address of the recipient

• If you are using the Transcript Request Form:

  a. Select "Send Electronically in PDF Format"
  b. Provide your e-mail address
  c. Provide the e-mail address of the recipient

8. I am requesting electronic delivery of my transcript. Do I also need to provide a mailing address?
• Yes. The name and address of the recipient are included on the official transcript.

9. I requested my transcript to be delivered electronically, will the Registrar's office notify me of delivery?
• You will receive two e-mail messages.
• The first will confirm that your request has been received by the University.
• The second will confirm that your identified recipient has received your official transcript.

10. I ordered a transcript using the request form and selected electronic delivery, but DID NOT provide MY e-mail address. How will the Transcript Department respond to this request?
• If you provided a daytime telephone number, we will attempt to call you.
• We will process the request and deliver your transcript electronically.
• You will not receive e-mail notification that your request was processed or received by the recipient.

11. I DID NOT provide an e-mail address for the recipient on the request form. Will my transcript be delivered electronically as requested?
• No. We will produce a printed copy of your transcript and deliver it by U.S. first class mail.

12. I DID NOT provide a legible recipient e-mail address. How will the Transcript Department respond to this request?
• If you provided a daytime telephone number, we will attempt to call you.
• We will process the request and deliver your transcript by U.S. First class mail.

13. I provided the wrong e-mail address for the recipient. Can I correct this mistake?
• If the e-mail address was a valid address and if the transcript was delivered and opened, you will need to make a new transcript request. The regular fee will be charged again.

14. I am not a current or former student. Why have I received e-mail messages from Penn State?
• The Penn State student identified on the transcript has authorized the Penn State Registrar's office to send you their official transcript electronically.

15. How do I retrieve the electronic transcript?
• You will receive two e-mail messages from Penn State:

  a. The first e-mail will contain a link to the Document Delivery Service Web site.
  b. The second e-mail will contain the passcode.
       Copy and paste the passcode into the Document Delivery Service Web site.

16. Can I bookmark the Web site to save a step as I receive additional electronic transcripts?
• No. The Web site link is unique for each specific electronic transcript.
• If you bookmark the URL this will result in an error message if you attempt to retrieve a different transcript.

17. I successfully retrieved the document and saved it on my desktop, but I cannot open it again.
• You must open it with Adobe Reader, version 6.04 or higher.

18. I successfully retrieved the document, but DID NOT save it on my desktop. Can I retrieve the document again from the Web site?
• No. The transcript may only be retrieved one time.
• The requestor will need to request another transcript.
• The transcript fee will be charged again.

19. How do I know the electronic transcript is valid?
• When you download the PDF document you will see a valid certificate message at the top of the page.
• There will be a blue ribbon displayed to the left of this message.

20. I received a document certification message of "UNKNOWN." There was a question mark to the left of this message, what does this mean?
• The author could not be verified.

21. I received a document certification message of "INVALID." There was a red X to the left of this message, what does this mean?
• Call the Registrar's Office immediately.
• 814-865-6357, 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon, 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. eastern time, Monday through Friday.

22. If you send transcripts as a PDF document why won't you send it as an e-mail attachment?
• E-mail is not secure.
• Sending as an e-mail attachment increases rejection from e-mail filters and spam blockers.