Most boards require official transcripts sent directly by the institution or its clearinghouse. A sealed copy you were given, or a PDF you forward, generally does not count — even when the content is identical.
Why the rule exists
Chain of custody. A document that has passed through the applicant’s hands cannot be relied on as unaltered. The requirement is about provenance, not about doubting you.
Why it costs weeks
Because it fails silently. You submit an application believing it complete. The board marks it pending on transcripts. Depending on the state, you may not be told promptly — the file simply sits, and the clock you thought was running is not.
Then the request goes to your program, which has its own processing time, and if the program has merged, closed, or changed its registrar since you graduated, that time is not short.
Practical handling
Order the transcript before you file, not after. Order it to the board directly, using whatever address or clearinghouse code the board specifies — a transcript sent to the wrong department inside the right agency is a real failure mode.
If your program has closed, find out early who holds its records. That is usually a successor institution or a state archive, and it is not a question you want to be asking with a start date approaching.
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