Sealed Transcripts and Official Documents: What US Universities Mean by Original Records
By Muntasir Minhaz • Published Aug 19, 2026
A sealed transcript is one your school seals itself in an envelope, usually with a stamp or signature across the flap, not one you seal yourself. Most US universities and credential evaluators accept this seal as proof of authenticity and only ask for notarization on top when a specific program or country process requires it.
📩 Sealed means the school controls the envelope from issue to delivery
A registrar's stamp and signature on the document usually satisfies "official"
Notarization confirms a signature is genuine, not that the transcript content is accurate
Evaluators reject documents you already opened, so request a fresh copy instead
What "sealed" actually means
A sealed transcript is a document your school's registrar issues and places inside an envelope, then closes with the school's own stamp, signature, or seal across the flap. The seal is the school confirming that nobody, including you, touched the contents after issuing them.
ECE, a NACES member evaluator , defines these as documents issued by the institution in an envelope stamped and sealed by the institution, and states it cannot return them once received, since they exist only for that one evaluation.
If you open a sealed envelope to check the contents, most universities and evaluators no longer accept it as sealed. Request a fresh copy from your school's registrar rather than sending an opened one.
What "official" means when there is no envelope
Some countries and schools do not issue documents in sealed envelopes at all. In that case, "official" usually means the document carries a fresh ink stamp, a raised seal, or an original signature from the registrar rather than a photocopy or a printout you made yourself. Document requirements vary by country, so check what your specific evaluator or school expects rather than assuming the sealed-envelope model applies everywhere.
When a registrar stamp is enough
For most undergraduate and graduate admissions, a registrar's stamp and signature on an original transcript satisfies "official," without any extra notarization. Universities generally want proof the document came from the institution itself, not proof from a separate legal authority.
When notarization is asked for on top
Notarization adds a notary public's confirmation that the person who signed a document is who they claim to be. It says nothing about whether the academic content is accurate. Some receiving institutions, licensing boards, or specific countries' school systems ask for notarized copies in addition to the registrar's seal, usually because their own domestic process for local documents also requires it.
Do not notarize documents unless the school or evaluator specifically asks for it. Unnecessary notary stamps on an academic document occasionally lead an evaluator to question whether the document was altered after issuance.
How this affects credential evaluation orders
Agencies that produce credential evaluations for US admissions, such as NACES members, generally need transcripts sent directly to them by the school, or sealed and forwarded unopened by you. Opening the envelope to make copies for other schools first defeats the purpose.
Order multiple sealed sets from your registrar if you are applying to several schools or need one set for direct admission and one for a separate evaluation agency. Registrars in some countries charge a fee per set and take days to weeks to issue them, so request early.
Quick reference
| Document state | Usually accepted for |
|---|---|
| Sealed envelope from registrar, unopened | Direct university admission, most evaluators |
| Original with registrar stamp, no envelope | Schools whose country does not use sealed envelopes |
| Notarized copy | Only when specifically requested by the school, board, or country process |
| Photocopy or scan you made yourself | Rarely accepted alone, usually needs the sealed original to follow |
Confirm the exact requirement on your target school's international admissions page before requesting documents, since the difference between "sealed," "official," and "notarized" changes what your registrar needs to prepare.
Electronic transcripts as the digital equivalent
Many US schools and evaluators now also accept transcripts sent electronically, direct from your school's registrar to the receiving school or evaluator through a secure delivery service. This works the same way as a sealed paper envelope, since the school controls delivery from issue to arrival and you never handle the file yourself. Ask your registrar whether it offers electronic delivery before requesting a paper copy, since electronic delivery often arrives faster and skips international mail entirely.
If your documents are not in English
A sealed or official transcript in a language other than English still needs a certified translation before most US schools or evaluators process it.
The transcript and its translation are two separate documents. Sealing or notarizing the transcript does not remove the need for translation, and translating the document does not remove the need for the sealed original.
If your school has closed or cannot reissue documents
Some applicants come from schools that closed, merged into another institution, or lost their own records. In that situation, contact the receiving school or evaluator directly and explain what happened, since most have an alternate process for this exact case, such as accepting records from a national education ministry or a successor institution instead. Do not submit a self-made replacement document in place of an official one without checking first, since evaluators generally reject anything that did not come from an authorized source.