Office of the University Registrar

Beginning tomorrow, July 1, the University’s official transcript fee increases from $4 to $9.  The increase was approved by the UW Board of Regents at its June 11 meeting.

While no one—the students who pay the fee nor the Office of the Registrar—likes a fee increase, some facts about the increase (the first since 1994) are worth noting. We hope they will help soften the blow of the additional cost for transcripts. And students shouldn’t overlook the easy availability of free, unofficial transcripts: just a click or two away through MyUW.

In percentage terms, the transcript fee increase is large: 125%. But given some context, it’s clear that the fee isn’t an undue burden on students. The fee was last increased in 1994 when it was raised from $3 to $4, which is what it had been since 1980. That’s only two increases in nearly 30 years!

Historical information is interesting, but it doesn’t change the fact that current students will pay the higher cost. So it is also important to note that UW’s new fee is still in line with that charged at many other universities:

• $8 at Kansas State University
• $8 at University of Southern California
• $10 at University of Texas at Austin
• $12 at University of Chicago
• $15 at Arizona State University
• $15 at University of California at Berkley
• $20 at University of Colorado