Students at College of the Canyons are now able to send electronic transcripts to any college within the eTranscriptCA database and, in most cases, have electronic transcripts sent from other colleges to the COC Admissions & Records office.

eTranscriptCA is an electronic transcript delivery service specializing in areas unique to California student transcripts and certifications necessary for transfer to University of California and California State University campuses.

This change is hugely beneficial to COC students, according to Steve Erwin, assistant director of Admissions & Records at the college.

“The future of college transcripts is here,” said Erwin. “Now student transcripts can potentially be sent to schools within minutes after processing a request, and that transcript gets uploaded directly into the receiving institution’s student system.”

Anyone who has requested a physical copy of their transcript in the past, only to have it be delayed in the mountain of other transcript requests piling in from other schools, can appreciate the more direct nature of electronic transcripts. Sending a transcript electronically significantly cuts out the clerical processing and mailing time, which can end up taking several weeks.

Even with the new system, students don’t need to do anything differently to request their electronic transcript. If an online request is made, and the school receiving the transcript is in the eTranscriptCA database, an electronic transcript will be sent to that school, almost immediately.

In addition, schools not included in the eTranscriptCA system will still be sent a paper transcript.

However, electronic transcript requests must be made online. Transcripts requested in person at the COC Admissions & Records office with a paper form cannot be sent electronically.

Currently, all CSU schools, some UC schools, and a large number of California’s 113 community colleges are included in the eTranscriptCA database. Some schools, like San Diego State University, are now only accepting electronic transcripts.

There will still be differences in pricing for speedier processing times, with the regular, rush, and on-demand (same day paper transcript) options and their prices remaining in place.

To request an electronic transcript, students can click the ‘MyCanyons’ tab located on the college’s web site home page at www.canyons.edu.

Upon logging in there will be an option on the ‘student page’ to request transcripts, with students asked to then follow the instructions for entering an online request.

Standard processing times — seven to 10 business days for a regular request, two days for a rush request — are still taken into account, while transcripts with a special transfer certification can also add time to the process.

“Nonetheless,” said Erwin, “transcripts are being sent and received at a much quicker pace than ever before. This system will only gain speed as more and more institutions become a part of the eTranscriptCA network.”

For more information please visit www.canyons.edu/admissions or contact admissions@canyons.edu.