Sending Final Transcripts and AP/IB Scores to Your College
By Muntasir • Published Nov 06, 2024 • Updated Sep 20, 2026 • Guides
Colleges need your final high school transcript and any AP or IB scores to confirm your admission and award credit. Send AP scores for free by choosing your college before June 20, or pay $15 per report after that. IB score reports to your first six universities are free before 5 July for May exams or 16 December for November exams, then $19 per report after.
📩 Ask your high school counselor to send your final transcript directly to your college.
Admission stays provisional until the college confirms you graduated.
A big grade drop senior year can get an admission offer withdrawn.
AP: one free score send a year, then $15 per extra report.
IB: six free score reports before the deadline, then $19 per report.
Why Your Final Transcript Matters
Every admission offer for a first-year student is conditional. Colleges admit you based on your junior-year grades and the classes you are taking senior year, then check your final transcript over the summer to confirm you finished those classes and graduated. Your enrollment is not fully locked in until that final transcript arrives and matches what you reported on your application.
A serious drop in your grades, a failed required class, or a missed graduation date can lead a college to rescind an offer. This does not happen over one B turning into a B-minus. It happens when the pattern looks like you stopped trying after getting in.
How to Send Your Final High School Transcript
Your high school sends the transcript, not you. Most schools have a form or an online request through your counselor's office, or they use a transcript service like Parchment or Scoir. Ask your counselor in the spring which method your school uses and how long it takes.
Check your admitted student portal for your college's final transcript deadline, usually sometime in July. Request the send at least two to three weeks before that deadline so a processing delay at your high school does not put you at risk.
Sending AP Scores to Your College
The College Board gives every AP student one free score send a year. You choose your college or scholarship recipient by June 20 to use it, and your scores arrive by early July. Miss that date, or want to send scores to a second school, and each additional report costs $15 , delivered within 24 hours of ordering.
Send your scores through your College Board account online. Many colleges also accept a self-reported score list for course placement while they wait for the official report, but check your school's policy since some require the official send before granting credit.
Sending IB Scores to Your College
IB graduates get six free transcript sends to universities if the request goes in before 5 July for a May exam session or 16 December for a November session, through your Diploma Programme coordinator. Requests placed after that deadline, or sent through the IB's online system, cost $19 per transcript.
Confirm with your college whether it accepts scores through the IB's secure online portal or needs a paper transcript. Some schools pull results directly once the IB releases them, which skips a separate request entirely.
AP and IB Scores: Credit Versus Placement
A high score does not automatically turn into college credit. Every college sets its own minimum score for each AP or IB subject and decides whether that score earns you actual credit hours, exemption from a class with no credit, or nothing at all. Two students with the same score at two different colleges get different outcomes.
Look up your specific college's AP and IB credit policy page before you assume a score lets you skip a course. Some schools cap the total credit you can earn this way, and some require the score to be posted before you register for a class tied to that placement.
What to Send and When
| Document | Who sends it | Typical deadline |
|---|---|---|
| Final high school transcript | Your high school counselor | Set by your college, often mid to late July |
| AP scores | You, through your College Board account | June 20 for the free send |
| IB scores | Your IB coordinator or the IB directly | 5 July (May exams) or 16 December (November exams) for the free send |
What Happens If Scores or Transcripts Arrive Late
A late final transcript usually triggers a hold on your registration or class schedule until it arrives, not an automatic loss of your spot. A late AP or IB score mainly affects credit and placement, since you might start in a lower course level than you qualify for and adjust once the college processes your official score. Contact your admissions or registrar's office directly if a delay is out of your control. Most schools have a process for it.