Transcripts and Grading system

Transcripts are an integral part of the US application package, but they are very difficult for Russian students to obtain. Russian universities do not issue transcripts that include the information US admissions offices may want to know.The practice of sending students' transcripts by mail directly to US schools does not exist in Russia.

There are many different transcripts issued by Russian educational organizations. These documents are the only most commonly sent to US universities and colleges:

• ATTESTAT Russian high school students receive upon completion of secondary school and passing the EGE (Unified State Examination)
• DIPLOMA (Bakalavr Diploma - Diplom of Bakalavra, Specialist Diploma, Diplom Specialista, Magister Diploma) – Students receive upon completion of an institution of higher education
• ATTACHMENT TO DIPLOMA This is a list of courses that the student has taken, the total number of academic hours for each course, and the grades received. Attachments do not, however, note which courses were taken in which semester, so they do not reflect the student's progress. Not all attachments have information on academic hours and only some courses may be listed.
• EXCERPT FROM EXAMINATION GRADE BOOK (Vypiska iz Zachetnaya Knizhka) – This is a copy of a grade book that lists all courses taken each semester, including the number of academic hours and grades received.

More information with images of each document can be found here.

General Equivalences between Russian and US Grades

Only whole number grades are assigned, and while it is considered to be a five-point scale, "1" is almost never used. Both "1" and "2" are equal to failing and never appear on the students' transcripts. You will only see marks: "5”, "4", or "3" on official documents. If a student receives unsatisfactory marks "1" or "2", he/she must retake the exam. Two additional attempts are allowed. GPA is calculated on the five-point scale.