Students have not been able to receive their official transcripts due to the university-wide switch from Bisonweb to Bisonhub. Students said this has created challenges when applying for scholarships, internships, graduate schools and renewing existing scholarships.
In an announcement on the National Student Clearinghouse website, where requests for official Howard transcripts are processed, the university said it anticipates beginning to fulfill orders and issue official transcripts by the end of March, though it could not provide an exact date.
A staff member in the registrar’s office, who wished to remain anonymous to avoid potential repercussions, expressed frustration with the situation. She said she understands the importance of students having their official transcripts and she would rather not have to tell a line of students that they cannot receive them.
“We’re trying to convert old data into a new system and that does take some time, because it’s not individual data that we’re doing, we’re doing big batches of data,” she said.
Currently, the Office of the Registrar is able to provide provisional transcripts to current students upon request. Although they are not official, these provisional transcripts come with a letter verifying their authenticity. According to the staff member, the office is able to provide this alternative because they are able to access about eight years of data.
Rasiah Worthy, a junior journalism major from Detroit, said not having her official transcript has been problematic, and she also found the provisional transcript process to be flawed.
“Howard told us to request a provisional transcript, but then I never heard back,” she said.
Worthy submitted her request for a provisional transcript in December and followed up with the registrar’s office after receiving no response. While waiting for her transcript, she has had to communicate with those reviewing her applications to ensure she doesn’t miss out on internship, scholarship and post-graduate opportunities.
In place of her official transcript, Worthy has submitted her academic record or unofficial transcript.
“It’s just been so chaotic,” Worthy said. “Especially with it being application season for internships and fellowship opportunities, we really need [official transcripts]. And Howard is just playing. We pay all this money and I can’t see my grades.”
This challenge has extended to recent graduates and their ability to take the next steps in their postgraduate endeavors.
Alaya Gilliam, a 2024 political science Howard graduate, posted a Tiktok video in February warning high school students and prospective transfer students not to attend the university because of the school’s lack of professionalism.
“[Howard] lost a bunch of documents including our tax documents or a lot of people in our class’ tax documents, and our transcripts,” she said.
She explained that not having a record of their transcript prevents alumni like her from applying to graduate schools and certain jobs.
Kourtney Drew, a 2024 legal communications Howard graduate, received her provisional transcript only after traveling to Washington, D.C. from North Carolina.
Before she decided to come to campus, Drew spent three weeks visiting the Clearinghouse website, requesting provisional transcripts online and emailing the registrar’s office.
With an application deadline approaching and based on her experience as an undergraduate student at Howard, she found it easier to get resolutions when visiting offices in-person.
“I wasn’t the only person who had to travel, or take off of work,” Drew said.
In line at the registrar’s office, Drew spoke with another alumnus who explained that they had to defer their law school start date because of the official transcript delay.
“A lot of things about the communication about the hours and how to get in contact with [the office of the registrar] could be better,” Drew said.
She said that the office should consider that not all alumni stay in D.C. after graduation and that it would be helpful if the office updated contact information on the website.
The Office of the Registrar has stated that it will communicate with students daily regarding transcript updates.
Copy edited by Camiryn Stepteau
