Building and downloading transcripts

_In the app: `/transcripts`_

Build high-school transcripts from scratch or pre-filled from your student records. The tool calculates GPA and credits automatically. Watermarked preview PDFs are free to download; clean PDFs (no watermark) come with paid plans or a one-time $19 purchase.

How to

Build a transcript without logging in

Go to /transcript-builder (no account required)
Fill in the student's name, birthdate, cohort year, and gender in the Student section
Fill in your school/issuer name, supervising parent, address, and contact info in the School/issuer section
Add semester blocks and courses: each block is one semester or year, and can include courses from different schools (co-op, charter, community college). Click '+ Add a course' to add courses to a block, or '+ Add another block for this year' to split a year into Sem 1 and Sem 2
For each course, enter the subject name, mark (letter grade or percentage), credit hours, and toggle Honors/weighted if it's an AP or honors course. Optional: add curriculum notes and course description
Optional: Toggle 'Include the Grading Scale block' and/or 'Include Credit Summary by discipline' in Display options
Optional: Add admin notes and explain any asterisks (e.g., '* = Dual-enrollment course'). Use the preset chips (Dual enrollment, Honors weighted, AP, Audit, Custom field) to append common notes
Fill in the signature section: parent/issuer name and date signed
Click 'Download watermarked preview' to get a free PDF with a watermark. You'll need to verify with a CAPTCHA
To remove the watermark: pay $19 for a one-time clean PDF, or use the Family plan ($29/month) or Transcript Pro ($60/year)

Build a transcript for a registered student (logged in)

Go to Transcripts in the left nav (requires login)
Under 'Start a transcript', click '+ From [Student Name]'s records' to auto-populate from the student's enrollments and grades. Or click 'Blank' to start fresh
The editor opens with all form fields the same as the anonymous builder: student info, school/issuer, semester blocks, courses, display options, and signature
Edit any fields; the form auto-saves every 800ms (you'll see 'Saving…' / 'Saved.' in the top-left)
Pick the format: Standard (clean homeschool layout) or Common App (institutional layout with per-block GPA, designed for college admissions)
Click 'Generate watermarked PDF · [Format]' to download a preview. You'll see watermarked in the file or you can buy a clean PDF
Return to Transcripts to view all your drafts and generated transcripts

Use the pre-fill option from student records

Go to Transcripts (logged in)
Under 'Start a transcript', click '+ From [Student Name]'s records'
The builder pre-fills with the student's name, your family/school name, and their enrollments from each school year. Each year becomes a single 'Year' block, though you can split it into Sem 1 / Sem 2 in the editor
Each course pulls the subject name, curriculum, mark (letter or percentage grade), credit hours, and course description from your records
The form also auto-detects weighted/honors/AP courses and checks the Honors toggle
Edit anything before generating the PDF

Split a year into semesters

Open a transcript in the editor
Find the year block you want to split (e.g., '2024-2025')
Click '+ Add another block for this year' at the bottom of that block
A new block appears below with the same year label, grade level, and school, but with 'Sem 2' as the term (or 'Year' if the sibling was already Sem 2)
Move courses into the new block by removing them from the first block and re-adding them, or just leave them and add new courses to the new block
When you generate the PDF, both blocks render as separate tables

Mark courses as weighted (Honors / AP)

In the course grid, find the 'H' (Honors) column
Check the box to mark the course as weighted. This adds a '+1.0' boost to the weighted GPA calculation and prepends an 'H ' to the subject name on the PDF
Honors, AP, and some dual-enrollment courses are often weighted; the pre-fill from records auto-detects these

Add an asterisk to explain a special course

In the course grid, find the '*' (asterisk) column and check the box
Go to the 'Admin notes & asterisk legend' section at the bottom
Click a preset chip (Dual enrollment, Honors weighted, AP, Audit, Custom field) to append a common explanation, or type your own explanation
The asterisk and explanation both render on the PDF

Generate a PDF in Common App format

Open a transcript in the editor (logged in only)
Scroll to the 'Format' section
Click the 'Common App' chip to switch from Standard to Common App
The preview updates to show the institutional layout: school profile, per-block GPA + grading scale, and admin-notes legend
Click 'Generate watermarked PDF · Common App' to download

Download a clean PDF (no watermark)

Generate a watermarked preview first (click 'Download watermarked preview' or 'Generate watermarked PDF')
If you're on the free builder: enter your email and click 'Buy clean PDF — $19'. You'll go to Stripe checkout. After payment, you get a download link good for one year
If you're logged in and have Family plan or Transcript Pro: the button is disabled because your plan includes clean PDFs. Just generate the PDF again; it will be clean (no watermark)
If you want to buy a one-time clean PDF while logged in: use the CTA card on the preview ('Remove the watermark' — $19), or contact support

View all your transcripts (logged in)

Go to Transcripts in the left nav
You'll see a list of all your transcripts, grouped by student name, showing the format (Standard or Common App), status (Draft or Generated), watermark status, GPA, and total credits
Click 'Edit' to modify a transcript, or click the three-dot menu to delete it

Delete a transcript

Go to Transcripts
Find the transcript you want to delete
Click the 'Delete' button on the right side
Click 'Confirm' to delete. This removes the draft and any associated PDFs

Options & settings

Student info: first name, last name, preferred/nickname, birthdate, gender, cohort year
School/issuer info: school name, supervising parent, address, city/state/zip, email, phone
Semester blocks: year label, grade level, term (Sem 1, Sem 2, Summer, Year, Fall Sem, Spring Sem), school name for this block
Courses: subject name, curriculum (reference only, not printed), mark (letter, percentage, or special marks like P/I/W), grade type (letter, percentage, pass/fail, not graded), credit hours, weighted toggle (Honors/AP), asterisk toggle
Course description: optional 2–3 sentences for Common App transcripts, hidden on Standard format
Display options: Include Grading Scale block (checkbox), Include Credit Summary by discipline (checkbox)
Admin notes: free-text note explaining any asterisks on courses
Signature: issuer/parent name and date signed
Format: Standard (homeschool, monochrome 1–3 column grid) or Common App (institutional, multi-page)

Common questions

Why is my preview watermarked?

Watermarked previews are free for all users. To remove the watermark, you need a paid plan (Family $29/month or Transcript Pro $60/year) or a one-time $19 purchase. The watermark shows on the PDF but not in the editor preview.

How is GPA calculated?

Letter grades (A, B, C, etc.) map to a 4.0 scale. A+ and A = 4.0, A- = 3.7, B+ = 3.3, etc. Percentages convert to the same scale (93+ = 4.0, 90–92 = 3.7, etc.). Weighted courses add +1.0 to the weighted GPA. Pass grades (P) count toward credits but not GPA. In-progress marks (Scheduled, I, W) don't count toward GPA or total credits and are marked '(in progress)' on the transcript.

Can I use a transcript for college applications?

Yes. Pick 'Common App' format when generating the PDF — it uses an institutional layout with school profile, per-block GPA, and grading scale legend that admissions offices expect. Standard format works too, but Common App is designed specifically for college submissions.

Do I need to log in to build a transcript?

No. The anonymous builder at /transcript-builder works without an account. You get a watermarked preview for free, and can buy a clean PDF for $19. If you log in, you can save multiple transcripts, pre-fill from your student records, and get clean PDFs with a paid plan.

Can I add courses from different schools in one transcript?

Yes. Each semester block can have a different 'School (for this block)' field, so you can show co-op courses, dual-enrollment at community college, or charter school sections all on one transcript. The school name defaults to your issuer school but is editable per block.

What happens to courses marked 'Scheduled'?

Scheduled courses show on the transcript but don't count toward total credits earned or GPA. The transcript shows '(in progress)' in the footer of that semester to indicate the year isn't fully graded. Other in-progress marks are I (Incomplete) and W (Withdrawn).

Can I edit a transcript after generating the PDF?

Yes. On the editor page, make any changes to the form. It auto-saves. Then click 'Generate watermarked PDF' again to download the updated version. The version number increments each time.

What's the difference between Standard and Common App format?

Standard is a monochrome homeschool-friendly layout with a 1–3 column auto-balanced grid of semester blocks, optional grading scale, and credit summary by subject. Common App is an institutional layout (like what colleges use) with a school profile header, per-block GPA lines, and grading scale legend. Use Common App for college admissions, Standard for everything else.

How long does the re-download link last after I buy a clean PDF?

One year from purchase. After that, you'll need to generate a new PDF or contact support.

Can I download the same transcript in both Standard and Common App format?

Yes. In the editor, generate in Standard format, then switch the Format chip to Common App and generate again. Both PDFs are stored separately with version numbers.

Good to know

Watermarked previews are default for free/anonymous users. Don't mistake the preview watermark for the final PDF watermark — they're the same, but the point is you can buy clean.
The 'Curriculum' field in each course is for your reference only — it doesn't print on any PDF. It's there so you remember what curriculum you used (e.g., Saxon Math, IEW, etc.).
Course descriptions are only visible on Common App transcripts, not Standard. If you add a description and download in Standard format, it won't appear.
Semester blocks must have at least one course; trying to remove the last course in a block won't work. Add another course first, then remove the old one.
If you use the pre-fill from records, the first school year becomes a single 'Year' block. You can split it into Sem 1 / Sem 2 manually in the editor.
Scheduled, In-progress (I), and Withdrawn (W) courses don't count toward GPA or total credits. Pass (P) courses count toward total credits but not GPA.
The weighted GPA boost (+1.0) applies to the entire course and stacks with the base grade. A weighted A- is 4.7 (not 3.7), but percentages and other letter grades still follow the standard scale.
Admin notes don't support formatted text (bold, italics, etc.). Keep them plain text; the asterisk legend will render as-is on the PDF.

Plans

Watermarked preview downloads work on all plans, including free (no account). Clean PDF downloads require: Family plan ($29/month, 14-day trial), Transcript Pro ($60/year), or one-time purchase ($19). The anonymous builder (no login) caps you to one free preview every few minutes per IP.