Thursday 20 May 2010

Obtaining Transcripts from Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT) -- How-TO

Update  September 18 2014: The original blog-post was written close to four years back. Things have changed since then. However, a lot of you have provided vital knowledge in the comments. Please look at the comments for the latest information.

This post contains details regarding the procedure for obtaining OTs from CUSAT (the college from where I did my engineering). I had a tough time getting my OTs done. This is to help others so that they don't face the same difficulties which I did.

Disclaimer: I have tried to be as accurate with the details, but there could be discrepancies as things change and memories fade. As with all things, rely on your personal judgment. If you mess things up after reading something listed below, don't blame me. I claim no responsibility. That said, if you do find something which could be corrected, let me know.

For those who don't know transcripts or Original Transcripts or OTs are official documents which you will need for higher studies. OTs will contain all your degree marksheets in a sealed envelope, with each marksheet signed and sealed by the university. You will need to mail the OTs to the (foreign) university where you want to pursue higher studies. OTs are something which you absolutely need for pursuing an MS in U.S.A.

So without further ado, here is the procedure.

1. Getting Into Administrative Block

The OTs are made by a collaboration of people, all of whom sit in the Administrative Block (from hereon referred to as ADM). The people concerned are the examination controller, the accounts department, registrar, and a host of other people.

In order to gain audience with said people, you need to first enter the ADM. If you have never entered ADM, know that you first need to get something called a gate pass. The gate pass is issued to you by the security personnel present at the room to the right of the ADM gate.

Note: You need to carry a valid proof of Identity to obtain the gate pass.

Once you get the gate pass, you will sign in a register and be allowed to go inside.

2. Meeting the Examination Controller

Once inside your first course of action should be to meet the examination controller (EC). The examination controller's office is on the 1st floor of ADM, towards the right. You will need to carry an application, requesting for OTs. The application should contain the list of universities, where you are applying to, and their respective addresses. Some universities require you to send 2 sets of OTs. If so mention both addresses.

You should show this application to the EC. Let the EC review the application. Once done, the EC will ask you to pay the required amount of cash.

Note: If you are requesting the OTs on behalf of somebody else, you will need to carry an authorization letter and the application for OTs. 

3. Paying Cash

CUSAT only accepts cash for OTs (I'm not sure about DDs). No cheques. No online transfer. So carry the required amount and a little more. The cash required when I got my OTs done in November 2009 was

  1. Single OT - Rs 1200
  2. Two sets of OTs to the same address - Rs 1200 + Rs 600
Note: If the two sets of OTs requested by the foreign university are to be sent to different addresses, then the cost is Rs 2400 and not Rs 1800. 

The cash counter is on the ground floor. Give the application, which you showed to the EC, to the person at the cash counter. (S)He will go through it and calculate the amount which needs to be paid. Ensure that this is the same amount which you calculated. If it's less than what you calculated, be wary and check again.

Once you pay the amount, you will be given a receipt. Safeguard this receipt. Scan it.

4. Meeting the Examination Controller, once again.

After getting the receipt, you should go to the examination controller (on the 1st floor if you remember). Show the EC the application and the receipt once again. Let the EC review it once again. If it's up to the EC's satisfaction, (s)he will stamp it and ask you to proceed towards J-Block.

5. J-Block

The J-Block is on the same floor and is a room which will remind you of the stereotypical government office. You will not see a single computer in sight and the whole room is full of files, files, and more files. You should find out the people who are responsible for your branch's transcripts and hand over the stamped application to them. They will take it from here and get your OTs ready. Be sure to get their phone number and an expected date when the OTs will be done.

But wait, this is not all. There is more, much more, to do.

6. Follow up

Just because you wrote an application and paid money, doesn't mean that your OTs will get done automatically. No. You have to follow-up. Call the university at least weekly once to get the status of your OTs.

7. Mailing the OTs

Most Indian universities which I know of, hand over the OTs directly to you. And you are expected to post the OTs to the respective foreign universities. Not so in the case of CUSAT.

CUSAT chooses to mail the OTs using regular Indian post! If you choose this method, there is no way to track the status of your OT package when it is in transit. There is a high chance of it getting lost as well. Instead I would suggest you courier it. CUSAT does provide an option to courier the OTs. But that too has its intricacies.

You can only courier your OTs through DHL.

So once the OTs are ready, you or your authorized representative has to go inside ADM and go to the people who have your OTs. Carry the cash receipt (section 3). Then you call the DHL courier chap and ask him to come to ADM.

Once he has come in, you can ask the ADM folks to hand over the OTs to the courier. Each package will cost you around Rs 1000/-

Only once you have handed over the OTs to the courier, is your job done.

8. Other Tips
  1. Apply for the OTs as early as possible. Expect the university to take 2 months to process your OTs. 
  2. Be polite and courteous to the people in ADM. Shouting at them is not going to get your job done any faster.
  3. Get in touch with someone who has gotten their OTs done recently and get details from them.
9. Conclusion

Getting your OTs done from CUSAT is a character building experience. I hope this how-to helps you and makes your experience smoother. Although be prepared for surprises. The world would be a much duller place without them.


Update: 18 Novermber 2010.
A commenter (Rahul) has provided more information regarding this process. I have listed down the points presented by him.

1. You need to write a letter to the examination controller, stating your intent to apply for OTs. Please write all relevant details (including your Name , Registration no, University name and address and your own address) in this letter.

2. Get a xerox of your s7 and s8 mark list (applicable for B-Tech students).

3. As soon as you enter the main building, on the left, there will be a cash section. Deposit the money (Rs 1200 per OT). Collect the challan.


4. Climb up the stairs and come to 1st floor. On the right, you will find examination controller's cabin where a couple of people sit.

5. Submit :
a. s7 and s8 mark list.
b. Application letter.
c. chalan.

Examination controller will verify the said documents, staple them and place a stamp on these documents. Remember to keep a copy of chalan for yourself (the cash counter should have given you two copies; so you don't have to worry).

6. Insist the examination controller you want to personally hand over these docs to the J-section. Take the stamped documents and submit them to the staff in the J-section.

7. Call the J-section once a week and follow up. Please email  rahulilr05 [at] Google's Mail Site [dot] com if you need the contact number of the J-section.


Update: 10 October 2011.

A commenter (Thomas) added this useful piece of information on getting transcripts directly in your hand.

To get the sealed envelopes in your hand rather than sending them directly, you need to fill up the following form.

http://cusat.ac.in/03Current_Student/Forms_Download/forms/cusat_downloads/Applicationavailingdirectissuanc

Thomas: "I need to call the university to verify the exact procedure for this though."



 


67 comments:

d_grail said...

i studied in an Indian PG college just to avoid all this unpleasantness :P

Rohit said...

@d_grail: I have wondered many times whether I should have also done the same.

thisisaby said...

hey-
i had completed my B.Tech degree at a college affiliated to CUSAT. I'm planning to pursue higher studies now in New York, and have just started looking up all the things that need to be done. Just wanted to say that your post was incredibly useful and I am using it as my first point of reference!! :D
i'm at mumbai, so am going to be asking a friend to apply for me. The fact that they don't give the OTs directly to you is a total buzz kill-the applications for Fall 2011 open only in September as well!!
Anyways-thanks. Let me know if you have any more tips for me!

Rohit said...

@thisisaby: Welcome. To be helpful was the intent. One universal tip is to be early in doing everything :)

thisisaby said...

rohit, i am curious abt this whole matter of CUSAT sending out the OTs by themselves. When we apply to our desired university--I am guessing they require all the docs together? If so, then how does this work-how did you get past this?

thanks
ABY

Rohit said...

@thisiaby: Actually in my experience I have found that most universities are OK with getting multiple separate packages from you.

For example, your financials come from you in one package and your transcripts come from the university in another.

But don't take my word for it, email the university; tell them your case and see if they are agreeable to receiving multiple packages.

Unknown said...

does cochin university works on saturday need to get migration certificate and pay fee

Rohit said...

@ganesh: I think, they do work on some Saturdays. The 2nd Saturday or the last Saturday of the month (or both) are Holidays. But better call them up and confirm.

Rahul said...

First of all, let me thank you Rohit for the wonderful article. It was immensely helpful.
I applied for OTs yesterday (18-11-2010) and thought it would be wise if I could update with some of my learning.

1. You need to write a letter to the examination controller, stating your intent to apply for OTs. Please write all relevant details (including your Name , Registration no, University name and address and your own address) in this letter.


2. Get a xerox copy of your s7 and s8 mark list (applicable for B-Tech students).

3. As soon as you enter the main building, on the left, there will be a cash section. Deposit the money (1200 per OT). Collect the challan.


4. Climb up the stairs and come to 1st floor. On the right, you will find examination controller's cabin where a couple of people sit.

5. Submit : a. s7 and s8 mark list.
b. Application letter.
c. chalan.
Examination controller will verify the said documents, staple them and place a stamp on these documents. Remember to keep a copy of chalan for yourself (the cash counter should have given you two copies; so you don't have to worry).

6. Insist the examination controller you want to personally hand over these docs to the J-section. Take the stamped documents and submit them to the staff in the J-section.

7. Call the J-section once a week and follow up. (Please email me ( rahulilr05@gmail.com ) if you need the contact number of the J-section).

-Hope this helps.

Rohit said...

@Rahul: Thanks. Updated the post.

Rahul said...

@Rohit.

Thanks man :-)

Unknown said...

Dear Rohit, this article was very helpful....thanxs very much : Sujith

Smithu said...

Thanks a lot people! Very helpful!

Thomas said...

Hey,
Thanks for all the info. I was gonna go to CUSAT applying for the transcripts today. I came across this form:

http://cusat.ac.in/03Current_Student/Forms_Download/forms/cusat_downloads/Applicationavailingdirectissuanc

Apparently its used to get the sealed envelopes in your hand rather than sending them directly. I need to call the university to verify the exact procedure for this though.

Thought it might be of use to someone.

eternal flame said...

does it actually take about 2 months??? i needed it kind of within a month?? is there anyway they could speed up the process or anything like tht??

Anupa said...

Hey Thomas, any update on ur transcripts from CUSAT? Am planning to apply next week..

Anupa said...

Hi friends,

I have applied for the OT's last week and got a call from university that OT's can be collected from office..It took only 1 week for the same..I have given request for getting the OT's directly to me..Anyway, it took only one week!..Thanks a lot for the info shared here..

gopalakg said...

Some universities ask for a scanned copy of the transcripts as well as an official copy. In that case we need to apply transcripts for each university(2 copies) since I saw that they have specified the address of the university to which we are applying on each page. There is no other alternative?

Kikazz said...

First off, let me give a big thanks to this blog post and for everyone who contributed. I found this as the first ranked page when I searched for 'CUSAT transcripts'!
I just went to the ADM block today to apply for my transcripts. And it took me 15 mins. thats it. The document for getting transcripts in hand does work! But the link is slightly different. Here it is: http://cusat.ac.in/03Current_Student/Examinations/Forms_Download/forms/cusat_downloads/Applicationavailingdirectissuanc

I went to the EC, he approved my letter. I filled up the form, submitted at cash counter with the money, received the receipt. Attached to the form and gave it to the EC. He said he will submit it as needed, so I left it at that. He also gave me a number to call on to follow up. All in all, not as big a headache as others have experienced (might be just my luck though).

Aashish D said...

Hey folks,
thnxs a lot for detailed procedure but is it necessary to provide the university with the address of the institution where m applying or else can we get the OTs without address so that we can post it directly in hand without instituion address....

Aashish D said...

Hey folks,
thnxs a lot for detailed procedure but is it necessary to provide the university with the address of the institution where m applying or else can we get the OTs without address so that we can post it directly in hand without instituion address....

Unknown said...

yes,you will get the OT directly to ur hand but it will be in sealed condition, if u broke that seal the validity will loss.

Allwin said...

can we get our OT in hand and send them to the universities and also can we take the photocopies of OT ? or one OT serves only for one university applicatin?...

last time i filled in the form to get my OT by hand ,but they sent it directly to the university where i wanteed to apply. The problem is that i wanted to take some copies so tht i can snt it to some other unis also...

Allwin said...

http://www.cusat.ac.in/erp5/web_site_module/cusat/03Current_Student/Examinations/Forms_Download


this is the link to download application for applying to get OT in hand...

Rohit said...

It seems like a lot has changed since I published the original post. I would rather have this made into a wiki, so that in the future as more things change people can freely make modifications. If anyone has suggestions as to where the ideal place for such a wiki might be please feel free to create it and I will link that off the post.

tom thomas said...

Can anyone help on this?

is it necessary to provide the university with the address of the institution where i am applying or else can we get the OTs without address so that we can post it directly in hand without instituion address

tom thomas said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
tom thomas said...

Hi friends,
ANSWER TO THE ABOVE QUESTION
From Cusat we cannot get transcripts without providing the foreign university's address.We should give foreign university's address for each set of transcript to be issued

Rohith.R.Nair said...

Does the transcript contain any documents other than individual marklists..? Can we use individual marklists instead of transcripts...?

Blog1 said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Blog1 said...

Is it possible to get CUSAT B.Tech academic transcripts till the 7th semester?

Unknown said...

Does the transcripts contain any information which specifically mark the institute? Like the address of the university written on the sealed cover or something?
I am to apply transcript to send it to university X and potentially change it to university Y before I send.

abhijeet said...

Hi,
I got the following link for direct issuance of official transcript.

http://www.cusat.ac.in/examinations/directissuance.doc

I will try out this option and let you know.

Br,Abhijeet

Unknown said...

Any way to submit the request remotely? My wife is applying to grad school here in the United States and needs her OTs sent to a variety of American Grad Schools.

Thoughts?

Unknown said...

Some updates based on Official Transcript applications from CUSAT:

1. Each official transcript now costs INR 2000, even if multiple transcripts are addressed to the same university.

2. CUSAT does deliver transcripts to applicants as well apart from delivering the same to addressed universities directly(through speed post).

3. They claim that a time of upto 2 weeks is required for delivering the transcripts directly. But I have been waiting for over 2 weeks now for the same and it is really difficult to get in touch with them

All in all, CUSAT is one of the most student averse universities in INDIA

cusat OT said...

Hi ,

anyone knows if you have to submit
the copies of your mark sheets in order to get OT?or just the application form

Thanks

Sari34 said...

Hi
Can we apply for OT through friends/relatives provided they submit an authorization letter signed by the main applicant?
Any suggestions?

Bets said...

Hi, does any one know if you have to provide a name and address for the university that you are applying to? Can I get the transcripts in hand and then decide to which university to send it to?

Johny said...

Hi All,

We can get the OTs by hand with in a sealed cover if required. The proper link for the Application form is below.
Select option A2.
http://www.cusat.ac.in/downloads.html

MANISH JHA said...

Guys , I found this site : http://www.cleartranscripts.com/products/cochin-university-of-science-and-technology-official-transcripts , which claims to provide transcripts w/o visiting the campus .
Is there anyone who has tried this before ?

sHe said...

The form can be downloaded from http://www.cusat.ac.in/downloads.html.

I have applied for my OT. They have told me like it will take minimum 10 days. waiting my fingers crossed :(

sHe said...

It is always better to take all your marklist photocopies. Atleast make sure that you have the copy of consolidated 8th sem mark list. If you dont have any of these, it will consume extra time for them to find out the month and year in which you wrote the semester exams to find the marklist. I have even mailed a scanned copy of all my mark lists to them.

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

Hi,
I'm sending my brother to collect OT from Cusat for me. So I need to help him out with the formalities to get it done.
1. Other than the Appln form and authorization letter, should he carry any other documents?
2. What is the fee for issuing OTs directly? I'm planning to apply for at least 4-5 copies, so it will be safe to know how much amount to be expected.
The official site gives no information regarding OT fees. This is the only site that provided some valid informations. Effort appreciated.
Please reply guys.
Thanks in advance.

sHe said...

I'm sending my brother to collect OT from Cusat for me. So I need to help him out with the formalities to get it done.
1. Other than the Appln form and authorization letter, should he carry any other documents?

>> Yes please get a copy of all your marklists to speed up the process.
2. What is the fee for issuing OTs directly? I'm planning to apply for at least 4-5 copies, so it will be safe to know how much amount to be expected.

OTs cost 2000Rs + additional charge depending on your year of passout. If it is 2009 or higher additional charge is zero else it will be like 500Rs or more depending on year of passout. I am not sure abt the cost for 4-5 copies. i just needed one only

The official site gives no information regarding OT fees. This is the only site that provided some valid informations. Effort appreciated

hope u got ur answers :)

I got my OTs within a week.

computerfreeeaak said...

I went for transcript on 18 sept 2014 and had a very pleasant experience. All staff were cordial and very helpful. I'm sharing here the step by step procedure I did and some pointers I got from visiting CUSAT.

[READ ALL STEPS ]

Step 1: Download the Application form from CUSAT Site.

Here is the link: http://cusat.ac.in/examinations/directissuance.doc

Step 2: Fill the form (in Captials)

What I did: I took 6 printouts of the form for 6 universities and fill them separately.

What they told: You only need to take one printout of the form then attach a paper with the addresses of all the universities applying.

Step 3: Get photo copies of the marklist S1 -S8 (they only ask for S7 and S8 but I went with copies of S1-S8 along with Degree certificate and they were happy)

Step 4: Go to CUSAT University

Step 5: Go to the cash counter(ground floor) give your Application form(s). It will cost Rs 2000 for one transcript (If you need two transcripts for same university it will cost you Rs.4000)

Step 6:After getting the cash receipt go and see Examination Controller(Second Floor). He/she will verify the data and put a seal on your application and direct you to a section(A - J) according to the college you studied.

Step 7: Go to that Section (In my case it was G) and handover the applications, where they will verify the data's we entered (esp. Univeristy Address ).

Step 8: That's it. They said it will take upto 2 weeks but probably will get it in one week.

Hope this helps

computerfreeeaak said...

Got the transcript today 24 sept 2014. It took just 6 days.

Unknown said...

The price for the transcript has been raised to 2100, plus a search fee of 265(independent of number of transcripts applied) will be charged if your year of completion of course is older by one or above.

Sarah8 said...

Wow, first of amazing blog. Well updated. I'm having a tough time contacting their office to get some doubts cleared regarding payment mode. I want to apply to get 6 transcripts send to my home address. Do they accept cash or only DD? If so please provide me more details on this. I'm a 2010 passout. So from the above comments I understand that cost for one transcript (in my case) will be 2000/-. I have copies of S7 & S8 marklists. Will I be asked to pay for search fee then? Please reply since I'm already losing a good chance to apply to Universities. Thanks in advance. :)

bensamjones said...

just wanted to clear some doubts,

i am planning to apply for the Masters next year winter(September) intake
1. We should apply for the transcripts after fixing the universities or can we apply for transcripts without that?

2.One transcript can be used for only one course or one university?

3. Usually how we will able to send the transcript to respective university, any other means than post or courier?

4.If i am planing for next September(2015).. how w early i should start applying for transcript?

Rohit said...

@bensamjones: I am not current so I can't comment on anything except your 4th question.

If you are applying for Fall 2015, I would suggest getting the transcripts done ASAP. Most university deadlines are around December 15th and transcripts are only one piece of the puzzle.

sHe said...

Hi bensamjones,

ust wanted to clear some doubts,

i am planning to apply for the Masters next year winter(September) intake
1. We should apply for the transcripts after fixing the universities or can we apply for transcripts without that?
>>> You can apply only after fixing the university. Because they will ask for the University address. The transcript also contains a letter from registrar addressing the university.

2.One transcript can be used for only one course or one university?
>>>One transcript can be used only for one university. Some universities suggest to submit one transcript for multiple programs. In fact transcripts will be enclosed in a sealed cover from Cussat. If you submit this to a university, they will open the seal and thus it becomes invalid for further use.

3. Usually how we will able to send the transcript to respective university, any other means than post or courier?
You can even submit the transcripts sealed cover personally to the university. I have submitted mine via a friend to the university.

4.If i am planing for next September(2015).. how w early i should start applying for transcript

>> In my case i got my transcript ready in less than a week. I needed only 1 transcript. If you need more than 1 transcript it may take time. Registrar will only sign the transcript once it gets verified by 5 people. So if you just let them know it is urgent, the process may speed up. :)

Hope I answered all your queries :)

Sarah8 said...

I haven't fixed the Universities yet. It's possible to send transcripts to our home address right?

sHe said...

Hi Sarah,

Transcripts are supposed to be send directly from one unversity to another. That is from Cusat to one you are planning to apply. Cusat now also provides an option to hand over the transcript to students, so that they can directly submit them with out delay. As Cusat will be using normal post to send the transcript it will cause delay. So please understand that.

As i said earlier, Transcript also includes a letter from Registrar of Cusat to the university you are applying. So if you dont know the name of university how can the letter be addressed?

Also the transcript packet will be given to you in way they are ready to be posted. That is the receiving university address is already written on the packet by Cusat.

What is exactly happening is, instead of giving the transcript sealed packet to a postal guy , they give it to you. So you cant even change the receiving university address.

As of my knowledge they Cusat wont send the sealed transcripts for applying University to your home address.Either you should collect the sealed packet by yourself or by the authorized person.

sHe said...

Hi Sarah,

Just missed your first query ...
please find my answers inline........


Wow, first of amazing blog. Well updated. I'm having a tough time contacting their office to get some doubts cleared regarding payment mode. I want to apply to get 6 transcripts send to my home address. Do they accept cash or only DD? If so please provide me more details on this. I'm a 2010 passout. So from the above comments I understand that cost for one transcript (in my case) will be 2000/-. I have copies of S7 & S8 marklists. Will I be asked to pay for search fee then? Please reply since I'm already losing a good chance to apply to Universities. Thanks in advance. :)



You can pay in Cash.
I am also a 2010 passout.
I needed only 1 transcript and i payed 2000Rs for that.
There is no additional search fee if you have or not have your marlists with you. marklist copy will only help to speed up the process.

Please feel free to post any queries :)
Hope your doubts got cleared :)

Sarah8 said...

@sHe Thanks a lot for the all the informations. Very well explained. It's of great help. :)

philips said...

Hey
Does this transcript contains our marks.Do we have to send the mark list separate for the university to calculate the GPA.
Thanks in Advance.

MAHESH said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
MAHESH said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
MAHESH said...

Dear all,
If you require official transcripts from any universities in India.
You can contact me. Mahesh s +918951179640 / +918553899409.
contact me for quickly process.
Mail me the query to: maheshmahi746@gmail.com
visit www.allindiatranscripts.com

Anonymous said...

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www.cleartranscripts.com
+918067569290
+19174844990

We have no other franchisees or phone numbers.

sibil said...

I am 2015 pass-out and i need to know that,whether i should follow this steps or any changes in this step to get my transcript.Plz help me!!

Sebin Philip said...

hi friends!
I've read all the comments so far and appreciate all the help.
My question - I don't have any of my mark sheets. What would be the procedure to obtain the mark sheets again? S1 to S8. I know it sounds so lame. I only have my official degree certificate with me currently. I also know that there is a consolidated mark sheet (s1-to-s8 combined) and I actually prefer to get the consolidated one as i'm only trying to migrate to another country. Thanks in advance for your help!
cheers!
Sebin

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Unknown said...

Hi.. I applied for OT yesterday.It would be helpful,if anyone can provide phone number to check status of official transcript.

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