Systems and Procedures
A Division of The Office of Budget and Finance
A Division of The Office of Budget and Finance
The Office of the University Registrar receives sales income from four different services:
This document provides the details and accounting procedures related to the receipt and reporting of these financial transactions.
Current students, former students, and third parties request official transcripts through a web-based vendor used by the Registrar’s office to process and transmit official transcript requests. Requesters supply the vendor with relevant identifying information such as name, date of birth, student ID, and last four (4) of SSN. After entering their identifying information, users can choose to order an official electronic transcript (“e-transcript”) or an official paper copy. Users who request a paper copy can also select FedEx shipping for an additional fee. Payment is captured via credit or debit card on-line through the vendor’s payment processor. A portion of the funds from the transcript fees is held by the vendor as their processing fee, and the remainder is deposited electronically into the Office of the University Registrar’s account. A ledger is received every month detailing the transactions and fees.
In most cases, refunds are not processed for orders through the vendor. As the administrators for our storefront, we can apply a credit to a learner’s account in the event of an error with the order. In extenuating circumstances, we may request that a learner or third party be refunded within a 90-day period of the order being placed. In such circumstances, our vendor would process the refund to the method of payment used to place the order.
On rare occasions where the requester does not have access to a computer, transcript requests can be received by mail/fax. Each request will include information such as the number of transcripts requested, amount paid, and method of payment (check or credit card). The transcript team will ensure an accurate amount is recorded on the request.
All checks are examined by the Transcripts Team for correct payee, signature, date, etc. Checks are then tracked on a transcript request form with student name, ID, check number and amount. Checks are then handed off to the Bursar’s office for reconciliation. The Bursar will add the fee to the student’s account and immediately mark the account as paid. The Bursar employee initials the transcript request form, which is retained by the Transcripts team for one year.
Overpayment's are refunded by check via Refund Request (overpayment's of $5.00 or less will not be refunded unless requested by the customer).
The principal elements of each request are examined, such as signature, PSU ID, dates of attendance, type of degree and degree name. For any requests and/or attached payments without enough information to facilitate the requesters record retrieval, the requester is contacted for more information. If more information is not provided, the documents are returned to the requester.
Over-the-counter transcript requests are handled by the Customer Service Staff. The student record is checked for any hold restrictions. If there is such a restriction, the student is informed of the procedure to resolve the hold.
If the official transcript is to be mailed, the request for transcript form is marked paid; the transcript is produced and mailed. If the request is for an official transcript to be printed on demand, the Customer Service Staff retrieves the student record, produces the transcript on security/safety paper and validates it.
Counter requests must be paid in full to be processed. Payment is made by check or posted to the student’s bursar account. Student completes a Customer Service Transcript Request form. Payment is received at the Customer Service Counter. Check payments are processed by the Bursar’s Office before the transcript can be released.
Official Transcripts must be produced on a "security/safety" paper to ensure that no alterations or reproductions can be made without detection.
Upon receipt of requests, the Transcript Team matches the requests with transcripts produced, and verifies the accuracy of quantity and content (proper student, etc.) of the transcripts. If transcript errors are found, they are corrected by the Academic Records Team. The original transcript containing the error is destroyed. The corrected transcript is then sent back to the Transcript Team for mailing.
Students can request that transcripts be mailed overnight. Due to the higher cost of overnight mail services, students are charged the cost of established mailing fee. Payments are received and processed as indicated in the section, "Receiving and Coding Transcript Requests By Mail/Fax".
Overpayment's are refunded by check via Refund Request in accordance with the instructions for Refund Request on GURU (overpayment's of $5.00 or less will not be refunded unless requested by the customer).
Third parties may request enrollment or degree verification information through our third-party vendor. With limited exceptions (such as federal background investigators) the Office of the University Registrar refers all third parties to the vendor when requesting to verify this information. Students and Alumni do not need to go through the vendor to receive verification of enrollment or degree. A surcharge is assessed by the Office of the University Registrar in addition to the fee assessed by the vendor. These are paid by the user as one payment processed through their payment processor. Fees are assessed at the time of submitting the request.
Most requests are processed automatically based on enrollment and graduation data reported regularly by the Office of the University Registrar. For requests not processed automatically, the Transcripts team in the Office of the University Registrar will need to conduct Records Research to locate an older record that was never electronically reported or edit a record that may be inaccurate.
Students may request a duplicate diploma. The current approved fee for the diploma must accompany the request, or the requester is contacted, and payment is requested. If the requester does not respond within three weeks, the request is shredded.
Academic Records Staff receives and reviews the request to ensure all required documentation and payment has been included. The Student Information System is checked to verify that the student graduated. If the student did not graduate, the requester is notified in writing that there is no record of a degree awarded. If more information is needed, the requester is informed in writing or by phone of the documentation needed. If the requester has sufficient documentation and the degree is verified, the student's diploma is ordered from a third-party vendor and mailed to the requester.
All checks are examined by the Academic Records Staff for correct payee, signature, date, etc. Checks are then tracked on a spreadsheet signed by the Academic Records Team with student name, ID, check number and amount. Checks are then handed off to the Bursar’s office for reconciliation. The Bursar’s Office will post the fee to the student’s account along with the payment. The Bursar reviews the tracking spreadsheet to ensure the information matches the checks received. The Bursar employee signs off on the tracking sheet once their process is complete. Academic Records department retains the tracking spreadsheet for one year. Credit card payments are accepted and processed in accordance with Policy FN07 Electronic Payments: Credit Cards.
When a student provides a check with insufficient funds. The student account gets assessed a returned item fee and the charge would show as due on the account again. This fee will eventually go to collections if the student does not pay the balance. This follows the same procedure as any returned check payment that would be processed through the student's account. See Procedure FN2002 Processing Returned Checks for complete details on checks returned by banking institutions.
Violation of a financial policy should be reported to your supervisor, unit manager, Human Resources representative, and/or office responsible for the policy and/or procedure. Where those resources are inadequate, you may choose to make an anonymous report through the Penn State University hot-line by calling 1-800-560-1637.
The Financial Officer is responsible for ensuring that procedures pertaining to the accountability and safeguarding of all cash receipts, cash funds, and other assets are established and followed in accordance with approved University policies and procedures. Regular audits relating to advances, cash, travel, equipment accountability, and other expenditures provide a means to protect University assets. The Financial Officer is responsible for collaborating with Internal Audit when audits are being performed in the administrative area. Audits relating to sponsored activities or other audits performed by external auditors may also be performed. The Financial Officer would also be responsible for collaborating with the external auditor and/or a central university office related to these procedures.
University Records retention must be managed in accordance with Policy AD35 University Archives and Records Management, and Records Retention Schedules approved by the Records Management Advisory Committee, the Office of General Counsel, and Senior Vice President and Chief of Staff. These records retention schedules are derived from - or based upon - federal, state, and local statutes or regulations, University Policy, industry standards, and business needs. All University Records must be maintained in such a manner to provide ease of access, establish a suitable audit trail for all transactions, and to be reviewed prior to disposition.
University Records and Transitory/Disposable Record are defined below. See Policy AD35, Definition of Terms for additional information.
Upon completion of the retention period, University Records must be disposed of via secure destruction or transfer to University Archives, unless an exception to the disposition process set forth below applies. If the disposition method for University Records states "Review by Archives" on the records retention schedule, the employees responsible for those records should consult the University Archivist for a final determination of disposition. For University Records that must be securely destroyed, units may arrange for shredding services by contacting the Inactive Records Center.
Exceptions to the disposition process are as follows:
To safeguard the privacy of individuals, records that contain Personally Identifiable Information (PII), as defined in University Policy AD53 Privacy Policy, or student records, as defined in University Policy AD11 Confidentiality of Student Records, must be destroyed beyond recovery. For additional information regarding privacy and the protection of an individual's personal information, see Policy AD53 Privacy Policy.
Additional questions may be directed to the Office of Records Management.
There are no exhibits associated with this document.
For questions, additional detail, or to request changes to this procedure, please contact the Office of the University Registrar.
To request changes to this procedure, please contact the Office of Systems and Procedures by submitting a GURU Technical Support Request form.
August 12, 2024