Start with the university record itself. Do not order translation, notarization, an Apostille or a credential evaluation before confirming what the university can issue and what the receiving organization requires.
Obtaining the university transcript or locating the available archive record, translating it, arranging sealing or delivery, obtaining CSSD verification and submitting documents to WES are separate steps. If you are unsure which route applies, start with the China Academic Document Guides.
Can You Get a Chinese University Transcript After Graduation?
Often, yes, but availability depends on the university’s records and current procedures.
Chinese universities manage qualifying student and teaching records under the applicable higher-education archives framework, and many institutions publish alumni transcript or archive-service procedures. The framework supports the preservation and use of relevant academic records, but it does not guarantee that every individual transcript survives, is digitized or can be reproduced in a modern format. See the Ministry of Education’s higher-education archives framework.
If your graduation or degree certificate is also missing, follow the separate guide to recovering a lost Chinese graduation or degree certificate. Certificate recovery and transcript retrieval are related but distinct processes.
First Identify What Kind of Transcript You Need
Ask the receiving organization what language, format, issuing source and delivery method it accepts before contacting the university.
Newly issued university transcript
A transcript issued or reproduced through the office authorized to certify academic results.
Archive-certified historical record
A copy, extract or certification based on archived academic material. It may not use the current transcript design.
Chinese, English and translated transcripts
A Chinese transcript is the source record. An English or bilingual transcript is issued or approved under the university’s procedure, where available. A translation is not automatically a university-issued English transcript.
Sealed and electronic transcripts
A sealed transcript is closed and marked under the university’s procedure. An electronic transcript is digitally issued or verifiable through an authorized system; an ordinary scan is not automatically official.
A CSSD transcript verification report is a separate document that verifies an underlying academic transcript through the applicable CSSD process.
I’m Overseas—Which University Office Should I Contact?
For former international students, identifying the correct office is often the first obstacle. The office that supported you while you were studying may no longer control alumni academic records.
International Students Office → Academic Affairs Office or Registrar → Graduate School → University Archives → Continuing Education College or successor institution
- Undergraduate records may be controlled by Academic Affairs or the registrar.
- Master’s and doctoral records may belong to the Graduate School.
- Older or non-digitized records may require the University Archives.
- Continuing-education records may have a separate custodian.
- The International Students Office may issue a transcript, coordinate the request or only identify the responsible department.
Peking University’s International Students Office, for example, publishes a procedure for specified international-graduate categories and admission periods. It illustrates the possible use of passport and historical study information and, for the groups described, application by letter, email or an authorized person. It is not a national procedure.
If the first office does not respond, confirm that you are contacting the current record-holding department rather than repeatedly emailing the office that originally supported you as a student. Include the university name used during study, study dates, degree level, department, historical name and available identity information so the receiving office can identify or route the request more efficiently.
For broader assistance with alumni documents, see document services for former international students.
What Documents Might the University Ask For?
Prepare a concise record-identification package. Depending on the university and record, useful information or evidence may include:
- current passport and the passport used during study, if available;
- old passport number, Chinese visa or residence permit;
- name used while studying, former name or Chinese name;
- date of birth and nationality;
- admission and graduation years, campus, faculty and major;
- department, degree level, student number or postgraduate supervisor;
- student card, admission letter or previous transcript;
- graduation or degree certificate;
- identification photograph or signed application;
- authorization and representative identification, where permitted; and
- the recipient’s document instructions.
This is a preparation checklist, not a nationwide list of mandatory materials. Do not send irreplaceable originals until the responsible office confirms what it needs.
What If My Old Passport Expired or Was Lost?
The passport used during study may form part of the university’s historical identity record. A new passport does not automatically replace the name or passport information already associated with the former student.
If the old passport is unavailable, gather other evidence that may connect your present identity to the study record:
- old passport scan or number and current passport;
- Chinese visa or residence permit;
- student card, admission letter or previous transcript;
- graduation or degree certificate;
- CHSI information;
- passport-renewal or lawful name-change evidence.
The university decides whether the evidence is sufficient. Losing the old passport can complicate matching, but it does not automatically prove retrieval is impossible.
University identity matching is also different from CHSI account matching and WES identity requirements. For a CHSI-specific problem, use the CHSI old-passport and name-mismatch troubleshooting guide.
What If I Forgot My Student Number?
A forgotten student number may block a self-service portal, slow an archive search or require assistance from the former department. It does not automatically prove that the university cannot locate the record.
Information That May Help the University Find Your Record
- full name used while studying and any former or Chinese name;
- date of birth and nationality;
- passport number used during study;
- admission and graduation years;
- faculty, department, major and degree level;
- class, cohort or postgraduate supervisor;
- certificate number, admission letter or student card;
- old transcript or certificate copies.
Peking University Academic Affairs publishes different transcript routes based on cohort and available system access. This illustrates why one graduate may use an online service while another needs manual assistance. Peking University’s dates and procedures do not apply nationally, and a manual search cannot be guaranteed in every case.
What If I Cannot Access the University Portal or Chinese Phone Number?
Former students may face an expired university email, forgotten password, inactive Chinese number or alumni system that does not recognize a foreign passport.
- Locate the current public website of the responsible office.
- Check whether the portal covers your cohort or a manual archive route exists.
- Ask what alternative identity-verification method is accepted.
- Use applicant-authorized assistance only where permitted.
Do not bypass account security or ask another person to impersonate you. University portal access and CHSI account access are separate issues.
Can I Apply from Outside China?
Some universities publish online, email, postal, electronic-delivery or representative procedures for defined alumni groups. These examples show that overseas handling can be possible, but they do not create a nationwide remote transcript service.
Tsinghua University’s published graduate transcript procedure, for example, describes online ordering, passport identification, Chinese and English transcript options, authorized handling and EMS or DHL delivery, including international courier, within that procedure. Other universities may offer different or fewer options.
Confirm whether your cohort is covered, how identity verification works, whether a representative may apply or only collect, whether courier or electronic delivery is available and whether supporting originals must be sent. Do not pay a representative or courier until the university confirms the permitted route.
Can Someone in China Apply or Collect the Transcript?
Some universities allow an authorized person to act under institution-specific rules. There is no nationwide representative right.
A university may request its own authorization form, passport copies, representative identification, applicant confirmation or further identity verification.
Application, record access and collection may require different authority. A representative cannot alter records, access private accounts without permission or bypass university checks.
What If the Record Is Old or Not Digitized?
Older records may exist only in paper archives, departmental files or an earlier system. The university may provide a transcript, archive-certified copy, academic-record extract or Chinese-only historical record.
Archive work may take longer than self-service issuance and may require more identifiers.
China Agricultural University’s archive service is one example of a university publishing an online route for alumni academic records, with options for transcript-related documents and delivery. It demonstrates an institution-specific archive service, not a guarantee that every university offers the same process or holds every historical course record.
What If the University Changed Its Name or Merged?
- Confirm the university name shown on your historical documents.
- Identify the current or successor institution.
- Review the institution’s official history.
- Locate its archives or records office.
- Ask where predecessor student records were transferred.
- If the custodian remains unclear, contact the supervising education authority.
A successor institution may hold historical records without being able to issue a transcript in its current format. There is no single national process for dissolved institutions.
Chinese Versus English Transcripts
Not every Chinese university issues an English transcript. Even where an English or bilingual document is available, the recipient may still request the original Chinese record.
Ask whether the recipient accepts an English or bilingual transcript, or the Chinese record with an approved or professional translation.
For help separating university-issued English records from professional, certified or notarized versions, review the Chinese university transcript translation requirements.
A self-prepared translation is not automatically an official university transcript. Translation changes the language, not the issuing source or academic content.
Sealed, Electronic and Direct-Delivery Transcripts
- Sealed: The university places the transcript in an institutionally closed or marked envelope.
- Electronic: The transcript is digitally issued or verifiable through an authorized system.
- Direct delivery: The university, CSSD or another accepted source sends the document directly to the recipient.
Not every recipient requires sealing, and applicant upload may be permitted for one document but not another. The recipient controls its source and delivery requirements.
Transcript Retrieval Versus CHSI/CSSD Verification
The university or its archives supplies the underlying transcript or academic record. CSSD performs a separate verification process where the service is applicable. The official English report name is the Verification Report of China Higher Education Student’s Academic Transcript.
The CSSD transcript-verification application guidance explains that an application may involve the academic transcript, identification and graduation or study evidence. CSSD may request additional material or institutional confirmation.
CSSD does not issue the university transcript or create grades absent from the source record. Eligibility and requirements depend on the record and current service.
For detailed report distinctions, see CHSI and CSSD transcript verification. For practical assistance, see China academic-record verification support.
Using a Chinese University Transcript for WES
University transcript or archive record → CSSD verification where required → WES evaluation
The applicant’s current WES Required Documents instructions determine the required documents, sources and delivery methods. Not every evaluation requires the same combination.
Where CSSD delivery applies, follow the official CSSD–WES instructions, including the required reference information and submission route. CSSD also publishes guidance concerning digital delivery of applicable reports.
A sealed transcript does not automatically satisfy WES. An ordinary university email is not automatically an accepted source, and CSSD verification does not guarantee WES acceptance or equivalency.
For case-specific help, see China academic document support for WES. If the blockage specifically concerns university action requested for WES, review what to do if a Chinese university will not send or verify a transcript for WES.
Can a Chinese Transcript Be Notarized or Apostilled?
Potentially, after the correct university or archive record has been obtained. A transcript intended for an Apostille will ordinarily need to enter the appropriate Chinese notarization route first. The notary decides what underlying record and evidence it will review.
For an Apostille Convention destination, an eligible public or notarial document may receive an Apostille through the competent Chinese authority. A non-Convention destination may require consular legalization. Check the China Ministry of Foreign Affairs Apostille guidance and the recipient’s current requirements.
An Apostille does not produce a missing transcript, verify grades, establish academic equivalency, replace CSSD or WES, or guarantee overseas acceptance. See China academic transcript Apostille requirements for the specialist process.
Step-by-Step: Requesting an Old Transcript from Overseas
- Identify the historical university and study record. Record the university name used during study, campus, faculty, major, study dates and degree level.
- Determine the responsible office. Establish whether International Students, Academic Affairs, the Graduate School or University Archives controls the record.
- Confirm the recipient’s required format. Ask whether it needs Chinese, English, bilingual, sealed, electronic, verified or directly delivered records.
- Collect identity and academic evidence. Organize current and historical passport information, study details and surviving documents.
- Confirm remote, portal and representative rules. Determine who may apply or collect and how identity verification works.
- Submit the university or archive request. Follow the responsible office’s current document, payment and delivery instructions.
- Review the issued record. Check the name, program, courses, grades, dates, seals and verification features.
- Arrange translation, sealing or courier where required. Follow the recipient’s instructions.
- Apply for CSSD verification where required. Use the applicable official process.
- Deliver documents through an accepted route. Follow the receiving organization’s source and submission rules.
How Global Attest Can Help
We help overseas graduates navigate the university-side academic-record retrieval process in China.
Assistance may include identifying the likely office, checking published procedures, preparing Chinese-language enquiries and application materials, organizing historical evidence, applicant-authorized coordination, archive or collection support where permitted, translation, courier coordination, applicant-led CHSI/CSSD preparation, WES document-path review and Apostille coordination.
Global Attest is not the university, CHSI/CSSD or WES. It cannot issue transcripts, create missing grades, modify academic records, impersonate a graduate, bypass identity or authorization requirements, compel a university to respond, or guarantee retrieval, verification, timing or recipient acceptance.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Can I get a Chinese university transcript after graduation?
Often, yes. Contact the office responsible for alumni records and confirm what it can issue for your program and graduation period. Older records may require an archive search.
2. Can I request a Chinese university transcript while living overseas?
Some universities provide remote, postal, electronic or representative-based options for specified alumni groups. There is no nationwide remote procedure, so confirm the route with the responsible office.
3. Which university office should I contact?
International graduates may start with the International Students Office. The record may instead be controlled by Academic Affairs, the registrar, Graduate School, University Archives or a continuing-education office.
4. What if I forgot my student number?
Provide other identifiers such as your historical name, date of birth, old passport number, study dates, department, major and copies of former academic documents. A manual search may be possible but is not guaranteed.
5. What if my old passport expired or was lost?
Provide the old passport number or scan if available, along with your current passport and other study evidence. The university decides whether the evidence sufficiently connects you to the historical record.
6. What if I cannot access my university portal or Chinese phone number?
Contact the responsible office through its current public website and ask whether a manual alumni procedure or alternative identity-verification route exists. Do not bypass account security.
7. Can someone in China apply or collect the transcript for me?
Some universities permit authorized representatives under their own rules. Application, protected-record access and collection may require different authority, and the graduate may still need to verify their identity.
8. Can the university issue an English transcript?
Some universities issue English or bilingual transcripts; others provide only Chinese records. Ask the recipient whether it accepts a translated Chinese transcript if an English university transcript is unavailable.
9. Does the transcript need to be sealed?
Only if the recipient requires a sealed version and the university offers that service. A sealed envelope is not automatically required or sufficient in every case.
10. Is a university transcript the same as a CSSD transcript verification report?
No. The university supplies the academic record. CSSD separately verifies that record through the applicable official process and issues its own report.
11. Can my university send the transcript directly to WES?
Possibly, if that is an accepted route in your current WES instructions. Some cases instead use an applicable CSSD route. Confirm the required source before arranging delivery.
12. Can an old Chinese transcript be notarized or Apostilled?
Potentially, subject to the document, notary office, destination and intended use. An Apostille does not verify grades or academic equivalency and does not guarantee recipient acceptance.
Need an Old Transcript from a Chinese University?
Global Attest helps overseas graduates navigate the university-side academic-record retrieval process in China.
For an initial review, tell us:
- university name used during study and successor name, if known;
- degree level, major, study period and graduation year;
- nationality and whether the student number is known;
- whether old passport information is available;
- which academic documents remain;
- intended use, receiving organization and destination;
- deadline and any sealed or direct-delivery requirement.
A complete passport scan is not required during the first public enquiry. If the case appears workable, necessary evidence can be requested through an appropriate private channel.
Privacy: Do not publicly post unredacted passports, student IDs, transcripts, graduation or degree certificates, CHSI/CSSD report numbers, WES reference numbers, university account credentials or authorization documents.
University procedures, archive services and overseas document requirements can change. Transcript availability and format are determined by the university or record custodian, CHSI/CSSD verification follows the applicable official process, and the final recipient determines whether a document meets its requirements. Confirm current instructions before submitting documents.