DSST increasing cost of transcript 4/5/10

[soupbone]

You do realize that whatever the transcript fee, you can put ALL of your DSST scores onto one transcript going to one institution, correct? There seems to be some confusion that each individual exam score must appear on a separate transcript and this is not the case!

I don't believe anywhere in this thread that I suggested individual scores must be sent. The word "transcript" itself means "In education, a transcript is an inventory of the courses taken and grades earned of a student throughout a course." I certainly wasn't misleading with this information. Also, my point still stands in regards to sending a transcript to an institution. Each school requires original documentation of courses/classes taken. That requires $30 for each school you are interested in applying to. Now you could argue that someone should decide before sending these requests in so that they only end up with a single $30 fee. I would agree even though I'm guilty of this myself.

Also, it is not a simple matter of postage and envelope/transcript letterhead. Heavy printing (ink, machine maintenance), maintenance of mainframe, plus the manpower to log in transcript requests, print requests, mail requests.

Fair enough but then why do you have such large differences in what some institutions charge? Most state schools I've attended charge absolutely zero and allow up to 2 free per day to be sent. TESC charges a whopping $5 a transcript. DSST/DANTES then charges $20 but then feels the need to start charging $30? Something doesn't add up unless DSST/DANTES is seriously so strapped for cash that this is some large source of revenue. Also I know that state schools have large budgets that may allow them to send these for free but $30 just isn't justifiable.

If you designate a transcript to be sent to an institution at the time of taking your exam, check with the institution within a month's time. If they have not received your transcript, Prometric will resend at no additional cost, though they will want you to double-check the code/address you indicated. If you did not indicate to send a transcript at the time of taking the exam, you will need to pay the transcript fee.

You seem to know an awful lot about their policies. Do you work for them?


BTW I love DSST/DANTES, CLEP and all the other affordable options out there to gain credit. I recommend them to friends, family, etc. all the time. I've taken several of them for my degree completion and saved money in the process. Remember though that when you start charging $30 for a single transcript request you edge closer and closer to that line.

[BGSU_Alum_86]

Soupbone, you make great points. I used to work for this division, so, yes, I do know quite a bit about the details.

The only reason I brought up the point of having all test scores on one transcript is there has seemed to be some confusion over this when requests are made (phone questions, requests in the mail).

When comparing the cost of transcripts, it would be more fair to compare DSST/DANTES to CLEP. These 2 are in the business of offering college-level exams and they are in the business to make a profit. As you pointed out, the transcript must come from the originating source. Off-hand, I would guess that college transcripts are so much cheaper because as a student, one would have paid a good chunk of change to attend that college. That is just one of the perks of attending that college. Again, this is my opinion.

If the cost seems too high, test takers always have the option to just take the college class, possibly paying much more in tuition/fees (much less the longer timeframe). But I think what CollegeBoard and DANTES offer will more than offset those higher costs to a college graduate hopeful.