Academic Transcripts: How varsities fleece applicants, rake in billions
Sometime in June 2023, a message was sent to a top editor in a top Nigerian daily newspaper by the daughter of a late renowned columnist. It read, “I believe you will know someone in LASU, I need my transcript urgently or I will lose a job. I paid since 7th May and have heard nothing.”
The sender of the message, Olusola, (surname withheld), graduated from the Lagos State University, LASU, in 1988 with a B.ED Islamic Studies, degree and later relocated to the United Kingdom, UK.
She had to make an urgent plea to the said editor, where her father was a columnist, as she needed to send her academic transcript to the portal of a recruitment agency in the UK, where she hoped to set her career on another path.
She ended up paying twice and the Editor and his team had to pile some pressure on the university over the matter.
Olusola was lucky because LASU has digitised such processes, if not, her year of graduation, 1988, would have meant having to manually search for her document and it might have been lost.
While many young Nigerians are moving in droves to live, work or study abroad, the dreams of some doing so are being truncated because of their inability to get their academic transcripts forwarded to their new schools or employers by their former Nigerian schools.
Checks by Vanguard showed that many of the nation’s tertiary institutions are many years behind in discharging this simple, but important function.
A transcript is a certified record (inventory) of a student throughout study having full enrollment history including all courses (or subjects) attempted, grades earned and degrees and awards conferred.
The creation of the Electronic Transcripts and Documents Exchange in Nigeria (ETX-NG) in 2013 by ETX Solutions Nigeria Limited in partnership with universities for smooth transfer of transcripts to institutions and organisations that require them, has not helped the situation.
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Transcripts are required for scholarships, fellowships, promotions in workplaces, appointments, and admissions purposes among others.
Costs
The cost varies from one school to the other and it also depends on the location it is being sent to.
The average is between N25,000 and N70,000. For instance, the University of Lagos charges N25, 000, the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, Osun State charges N37, 000 and the University of Ilorin, Kwara State charges N40, 000.
Once payment is made, the Exam and Records Department in the school is expected to begin work on the demand by fishing out the details, type and send to the required address. Some schools, like LASU and UNILAG have modalities for tracking the movement of the document on its way to the address it is sent.
However, findings by Vanguard show that if one relies on the staff involved doing the needful without being pushed, it may take a long time.
‘Unpalatable experiences’
A graduate of UNILAG, Abayomi Roleola, who has had to pay twice and has still not got his transcripts sent, lamented that he could miss what he needs the document for
A 2012 graduate of Science and Technology Education, he forwarded the details of his transaction and interaction with the university to Vanguard newspaper and it goes thus: “Matriculation number 080322066. The year of Admission was 2008. The year of Graduation was 2012. Statement of Result issued on January 22, 2013.
Certificate – certified graduation date December 18, 2012. Class of certificate: Second class lower in BSc Ed Integrated Science. Name listed in the convocation pamphlet. Applied for 100-400 levels transcripts on June 1, 2023, with reference number RC 1255864 and paid the required N25,000. Applied again on January 3, 2024, with reference number RC 1556112 and paid another N25,000, making a total of N50, 000.
“The purpose of applying for the transcript was given as WES with reference number 6023927. It was for career advancement as a number of opportunities have been lost due to the delay in obtaining academic transcripts.”
When Roleola could not get any response from the university, he escalated the issue my mailing the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Folasade Ogunsola on November 30, 2023. He has not got any response.
His findings showed that his results were unavailable in the Exams and Records Office.
Most recent acknowledgement of his application on the university portal was on January 24, this year where it was stated that an officer would be assigned to attend to his request.
Nothing has been heard since then.
A lady, Mosun, who needs the document to support her Direct Entry admission to the university through the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, may wait a little longer.
She graduated from the Federal College of Education, Osiele, Abeokuta, Ogun State and paid N17,000 for the document which is supposed to be sent to a university where she is seeking admission to continue her studies. She is not yet sure of what her fate would be.
JAMB early this year said some colleges and schools were fond of not sending academic documents of Direct Entry applicants to it on time for the applicants to be considered for admission.
‘I paid for every step of the process to get mine’
Grace, a journalist with a medical house in Lagos, recalled what she went through before getting her transcript from one of the state-owned universities in the Southwest.
“I paid for all the years I have left the school. Before I could get it, it was hell. You know our documents were in file form, and they had to search and search for weeks before they could get my file. Each step was paid for.
“Now that they are using computers it will be better for students. Every process is money. I also paid for a courier and envelope to send to the organization that requested it which I didn’t get a response from. So, whether they got it or not, I couldn’t trace it. I had to go back and request for a copy which I also paid for,” she said.
Admission opportunities, others lost
It has been a harrowing experience for Nigerians, especially, postgraduate candidates applying for transcripts of their academic records to enable them to secure admission in universities different from where they obtained their first degree.
While those who chose to further their studies where they got their first degrees maintained that it was a seamless process for them, others who opted for a change to other institutions lamented that they were almost frustrated by some officials who wanted them to play ball before doing what they were paid to do.
Narrating his experience to Vanguard, Mr. Tife Owolabi, a resident of Yenagoa, who is pursuing his PhD programme at the University of Port Harcourt, said: “Let me say it was lucky I had less difficulty in obtaining my transcript unlike many of my colleagues who had serious complaints. I obtained my Bachelor of Science and PGD from UNILAG.I then pursued my Master’s at UNIPORT, where I’m currently doing my PhD.
Surprisingly, I obtained my transcript from UNILAG and transferred it to UNIPORT without hassle, perhaps due to my luck or the help of connections within the system – which, admittedly, came at an extra cost. This is how things often work in Nigeria, where non-academic staff may expect something in return for doing their job.”
Also, Femi Folaranmi, a University of Port Harcourt, UNIPORT, master’s student spoke in the same vein saying, “Getting my transcript from University of Ilorin looked easy on paper, but in reality it was time-consuming. After filling out the necessary form online, payment was another tedious exercise. Aside from that, the phone numbers given by the university to call rang out with no one picking it. Eventually after making private calls to old schoolmates working in the university to help out, you still need to constantly call the courier guys to keep tracking the transcript until it gets to its destination.
“However, I learnt the school has instituted some reforms that make payment easy and accelerate the process of getting the transcript to the required institutions.”
But Tombra Eduke, a master’s graduate of the Bayelsa State-owned Niger Delta University, NDU, said he had no issue with his transcript since he applied to do his master’s degree at the same institution. He said: “People that usually have transcript issues are those that are applying to different institutions for their postgraduate programmes. I didn’t really have that issue of transcript procurement because I did both my BSc and MSc at the same institution.”
In Uyo, Udeme Utip had her first degree from the University of Cross Rivers (UNICROSS) and is currently pursuing a postgraduate degree at the University of Uyo (UNIUYO).
Udeme told Sunday Vanguard, “I hear people undergo difficulties procuring transcripts but I never had any issue with applying for mine to further my studies at UNIUYO.
“I had one last year. All I did was go to UNICROSS where I graduated and applied. I paid N15,000 in all charges and the Exams and Records Unit handled the rest, including courier.
“I don’t know about other schools, but I think obtaining a transcript should not be a problem if your exams and scores records are intact. I already had my degree certificate when I went for the transcript and there was no issue locating my file.”
Prince Emeka Efeizomor who recently procured a transcript for a US-based sister had a rather ugly experience saying, “This was at the University of Port Harcourt, Unique UNIPORT they call it. My sister graduated in English in 1986, and worked with the Nigerian security agency with her degree before leaving for the US. It was not the first transcript she would procure, so it wasn’t supposed to be difficult.
“I went with a copy of the applicant’s certificate obtained from the institution. You won’t believe it, the first official I met at Exams and Records asked me to pay N10,000 for Graduation Gown before he would start anything.
“I told him, Oga, the transcript has nothing to do with the graduation gown. We are talking about an alumnus who graduated nearly 40 years ago. Having her certificate means she has done due clearance and owes the school no fee. But I sacrificed the money just to make progress.
“A couple of days later, he hit me with a rude shock. The UNIPORT official said my sister’s certificate was a fake result, and that I could be arrested. Confident the result was genuine; I went to the Department of English in the Faculty of Humanities she graduated from.
“To cut a long story short, her file was intact. I came back to the Exams and Records where they confirmed she had procured the transcript on two occasions earlier. My sister applied for both hardcopy and electronic copies through WES to the US destination. And a student copy as well.
“We paid nearly N170,000 to get everything done. The WES copy was the most important and it took some delay, but eventually, it was received at the other end. I think there is a need for improvement in their record keeping to ease the process when people apply for a transcript.”
Also, Francis Dufugha, a PhD student of Rivers State University while narrating his experience said: “The issue of time duration in obtaining the transcript is always a challenge faced by many applicants. I had an experience where I applied for my transcript from Delta State University, Abraka where I did my master’s programme but before it got to UNIPORT where I applied for PhD, the selection period had elapsed and this cost me my admission. Also, when I applied for the Rivers State University where I am currently doing my PhD programme, so many people were denied admission for no fault of theirs because of transcript issues. What most students do now is pay the school after they finish typing the transcript they collect it by hand and go post it themselves to be sure it gets to the school in two days before the admission process elapses”
Former Chairman, Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, Bayelsa State Council, Comrade Tariyon Akono, said: “Transcripts on application by ex-students are sent to the institutions of demand as it is usually not given to the ex-students. It takes months and follow-up to get it sent to the institution of demand. The system is manual and finding it takes days. Some people have lost admission opportunities because their previous institutions failed to send transcripts.”
My experience at ABU – Journalist
Muhammad Sabiu, a journalist, narrating what he went through getting his academic transcripts sent to another school for further studies, said, “When I went for my post-graduate studies at Bayero University Kano, I went to my alma mater, Ahmadu Bello University, Faculty of Arts, to receive my transcript.”
“On getting to the faculty office, the man in charge of the issuance was not on seat. And I was going from Zamfara State then to Zaria. However, I met a good Samaritan who was obliged to help. He collected my details and asked me to come the following week.
“The following week when I went there, I met the man in charge who told me that my transcript was ready but the university will send it to BUK. Later, I got to know they sent it which afforded me the opportunity to get admission to study PGD in Developmental Studies, Department of History in 2005.”
For Abdulganiyu Alabi, who recently applied for a transcript in ABU, Zaria, he said the process was seamless as after paying the prescribed fees, his academic transcript was sent to the appropriate department.
However, Ibrahim Mohammed lamented that on two occasions, the issuance of his academic transcript was delayed which almost affected his admission into a PhD programme.
“After paying for the transcript then, at the Senate Building and filling out the forms, I was asked to go and was assured that my transcript would be sent to the NDA. But to my surprise, I was told that the transcript was yet to be sent, weeks after. I am glad to know that things have improved in the university now,” he said.
Varied experiences from Kwara
Experiences of prospective postgraduate students, who applied for the document in various institutions in Kwara State are varied.
For instance, Alhaji Ali Muhammad Rabiu, a journalist and graduate of ABU, Zaria and Alhaji Lanre Alege, also a journalist and graduate of the University of Ilorin, have different experiences about the collection of their transcripts.
For Alege, a staff of TVC News, he said he was given his transcripts after convocation without any stress.
“We were just asked to apply to the postgraduate school for the transcript which we did, and immediately it was ready we were alerted. I think it was a space of two weeks then. There was no delay or what I can describe as a challenge in the collection of the transcript,” he said.
But for Rabiu, it was somehow a different experience. He said it took like three months for the transcript to arrive at the destination institution after payment.
“It is not supposed to be given directly by hand to the prospective students, but it is not supposed to take a longer period to the extent that admission would have closed before it arrives destination institution.
“Some weren’t that lucky, but in my own time, I was lucky the transcript arrived before admission closed,” he said.
He also pointed out that prospective postgraduate students, in a bid to beat the deadline and avoid the transcript from missing in transit through the post office, bribe staff in the Records Office.
OOU graduates lament
Two graduates of the Olabisi Onabanjo University, OOU, in Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State, have been trying to get their transcripts for between one and three years now.
The duo, who related their experiences, are piqued that the slow pace of processing the document could cost them serious damage in their careers. Cecilia, who lives in one of the South-West states, said she applied for the document in March 2021, while Joyce, who stays in the United States, did so in March last year. They paid the mandatory N50,000 processing fee along with their applications.
Cecilia has heard nothing from OOU more than three years after applying for her transcript, Joyce, who applied for hers at UNILAG and OOU in March last year, got the document from UNILAG alone.
”I graduated from OOU then Ogun State University in 1997 with a Second Class Lower in Guidance and Counselling. I did my Master’s degree at the same university and graduated in the year 2000. I applied for a transcript for the first degree in March 2021 and up till now, no transcript has been given.
“I visited the Registrar’s office and was directed to Exams and Records and was referred to my faculty. I discussed this with the dean who incidentally was my lecturer. He appealed to me that I should exercise patience that it would be sorted out soon. Since then, I have been using unofficial means and they kept telling me the university can’t find some of my results and it is not only me.
“About two months ago, someone called me to ask me if I could lay my hands on my 300 and 400-level courses or ask my friends that we finished together; I told the person I couldn’t. The person said he would get back but he never did. Some two weeks after, I called the number, but he didn’t pick up.”
‘What I think is responsible for my brother’s case’
Charles, who has been helping his brother to pursue getting his academic records from UNILAG believes the institution has a peculiar problem, especially with getting the document from the Faculty of Education.
“I believe that the UNILAG case is not just money money-making issue. The Faculty of Education is a case of negligence where students’ results were not archived. It’s a case of missing results which is the main constraint. I think the money issue is a general issue across the board. In my brother’s case, findings revealed that their entire class semester results were not archived. So, I guess UNILAG might need to do a ‘work back’ of the cumulative results to obtain the missing results.
“Recall that UNILAG has stated results and certificates since 2012. So, what now happened to those raw results that were used to populate the graduation list? This requires the VC/ Senate’s directive. Some of the affected graduates with political and litigation connections have resolved theirs through this means quietly. So, what about others?
“It saddens my heart to know that a prestigious university like UNILAG would be quiet about this, rather than conducting holistic investigation and giving directive to resolve this issue,” he stated.
Responses from institutions
Reacting to the development, the Head of Communication Unit, UNILAG, Alhaja Ajoke Alaga Ibrahim said some people don’t make requests for their transcripts early enough.
“Some people won’t apply for the document on time. Imagine somebody seeking admission for a higher degree in September and just applying for transcripts in August. We have had such a situation like that in the past. In January, the person was saying he needed the document but did not apply for it. He only applied in August when the item should be sent in September, how fast can we do that?
“We must not forget the issue of a large number of applicants and the pressure on the staff working in that section. It is first come, first to be served. Some also don’t apply right. Some people, especially those living abroad, would get people to apply on their behalf, and the other person may fill wrong address. If somebody has given wrong information, such could be lost in transit.
“We have a process whereby someone can track his or her transcripts. This is to let the applicant know the movement of the document. We allot reference numbers to all requests and there are phone numbers one can call if there is any issue. Even there are email addresses to send messages to, “ she explained.
Speaking on the issue, the Director of Information, University of Ilorin, Mr Kunle Akogun, said, “The transcript collection process has been digitised, whereby our ex-students in need of it need to apply online.
“In normal circumstances, the transcripts are delivered online, within 24 hours, to the addresses provided after the payment of the necessary charges. In cases where the student’s spreadsheet is not readily available at the Transcript Office, it could take between 48 hours and 72 hours to deliver. This is because the candidate’s old Department has to be contacted for necessary action to fish out the spreadsheet.” he said.
Also, a spokesman for a university in Ondo State, who craved anonymity, noted that the number of persons seeking to get their transcripts far outweighs what the staff in the Exams and Records Department could cope with.
“With the huge number of Nigerians going abroad for further studies because of the attached benefit of going with family members, the pressure to get the document is high. Some applicants can even give wrong details of themselves or the places they want their transcripts sent to. Added to that is the penchant of people to get things done as fast as possible and inducing those in charge. That could make doing it on a first come first served basis to be impossible, “ he stated.
