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Frequently Asked Questions

Download and view electronic documents (Windows)
Click the following Help Center link to help guide you through the process of downloading and viewing your electronic document. https://parchmentsupport.force.com/s/article/Download-and-view-electronic-documents-Windows?language=en_US

Electronic documents must be opened with Adobe Reader (install for free here) or Adobe Acrobat.

  1. Click the link in the email you received. This will open a browser window.
  2. Follow the onscreen instructions and you will then receive a second email that contains the document passcode. Keep the browser window open because you will need it when you are ready to enter the passcode.
  3. Open the second email. Copy the passcode and paste it into the space provided in the browser window you kept open.
  4. Click the Download button. The file will be downloaded to your computer.

This may be related to the browser you're using. The two browsers we recommend using are Chrome and Firefox. Download the guide that explains how to download and view electronic documents on your PC.

Your document is in your Downloads folder. Select your browser below for instructions on locating your downloads folder.

We have a guide that gives you tips on successfully downloading and viewing your electronic document. To view the guide, click the link in the first FAQ above. Download/view electronic documents (Mac)

Your document is in your Downloads folder. Select your browser below for instructions on locating your downloads folder.

Click here to download the latest version of Adobe Reader for free. Click Install Now and follow the onscreen instructions. Once Adobe Reader installs, go to your Applications folder and open Adobe Reader. The first time Adobe Reader launches, it will prompt you to set Adobe Reader as your default PDF application viewer. You should select Yes.
Electronic documents must be opened with Adobe Reader (install for free here) or Adobe Acrobat. You cannot open these documents on a Mac using Preview. Download the guide that explains how to open electronic documents on your Mac.
Order, track, and deliver
When you request a document, a temporary hold (pre-authorization) is placed on your credit or debit card. It is not an actual charge, although it does temporarily make the hold amount unavailable until the settlement or transaction clears. The pre-authorization charge may stay on your account for up to 7-14 days depending on your financial institution.In addition, once your order is complete, you will see the actual charge on your credit or debit card.
Log in to your account and click Order Status to track your order. If your status says Delivered, this means it has been delivered.

If your school offers paper documents (some schools only offer electronic documents), and you selected to have your document delivered by FedEx, you would have received an email with a tracking number. Go to the FedEx tracking web page and enter your tracking number to track your document.

  • We use FedEx Standard Overnight, which means that deliveries take place on business days only (not on Saturdays or Sundays).
  • FedEx does not deliver to PO Boxes.
  • If your school uploads your transcript after 2pm MST, it will take an extra business day to be delivered.
You will need to contact an administrator so they can allow you to download the document again. Click Contact Us for contact information.
Yes. Both the electronic and paper documents are official copies. Electronic documents are certified PDFs that contain a digital signature and other security features.

Log in to your account and click Order Status to track your order.

  • Processing means that the order is still with your school. If your order has been in this status for more than a couple of days, you should contact your school.
  • Available means your order has been processed and the recipient has received an email with a link in it to access your document. If they didn't get this email, they should check their Spam folder.
  • Delivered (electronic documents) means that either the recipient downloaded the document using the link they received in the email, or, if the document was delivered to a school that is part of the Parchment network, the document is in the school's Parchment account.
  • Delivered (paper documents) means that your document has been mailed. Please note that standard delivery can take 7-10 days. If you requested FedEx (overnight) delivery, please see the FedEx FAQ at the end of this section for information on tracking these orders.
  • Canceled means that your order has been canceled. Refer to the email you received for more details.
  • Error means that we encountered an error while processing your order. Refer to the email you received for more details.
Register/log in

Make sure you are logging in on the correct website.

  • Some schools may have you log in on their main website first, and then you click a link to access the pages where you order documents.
  • Other schools may direct you straight to the pages where you order documents and have you log in there.

Therefore, go to your school's website and you should be able to see if you need to log in first, or if you are directed straight to the pages where you place your order and then log in.

If you forgot your password, click the 'Forgot password' link. If you are not receiving the email when you click this link, check your Spam folder.

Charges

The cost for documents varies by school. When you request a document, a pre-authorization charge is placed on your credit card account, but you are not charged until your document has been delivered*. The pre-authorization charge may stay on your account for up to 10 days (in some cases, longer).

* If you selected to have any documents in your order processed after the next semester's grades are posted (hold for grades) or once your degree is officially awarded (hold for degree), you will be charged in full immediately even though your document will not be processed until a later time. You will not see a pre-authorization charge in this case.

If your account is on hold
Yes, you can place your order. However, your order will not be processed until the hold on your account is resolved.
Logging in/Accessing eLion

 Current Students:

  1. Log into LionPATH 
  2. Click the Main Menu button in the top-left corner.
  3. Click Academics, then Academic Records, then Request Official Transcript.

Former Students:

  • Create an account on our Former Student portal. If you already have an account, you can log in with your email address and the password you created.

Third Parties:

I need help accessing LionPATH.

Only current students can access LionPATH for transcript ordering. Visit LionPATH support for help

Go to the eLion password management web page to get help logging in. If you need more help, contact the ITS Accounts Office at 814.865.4772 or accounts@psu.edu.

For World Campus affiliates, please visit the World Campus Help Center for help logging in.

Order, track, and deliver
Some orders need manual intervention before they can send. If your order is On Hold, it will be reviewed by a staff member at the Registrar’s office. In most cases, the Registrar’s office will resolve the hold and send your transcript within three to five business days. If the Registrar’s office needs any additional information from you, they will contact you through the email address you used to register for your account.
Payment issue

If your payment is not going through, please read the information below to see if this resolves the issue.

Has your session expired?
If it has, you will have to log in again. However, the items should still be in your cart, so you should not have to start the order from the beginning.

Are you using a credit card that we accept?
We accept Visa, MasterCard, and Discover.

Are you using a supported browser?
See the 'Browsers' FAQ below.

Register/log in
Have you requested transcripts before? The account you’re trying to access is not the account you used as a student. This account is only for ordering transcripts. If you think you already have an account, use the “Forgot password” link and enter your email address. If you do not receive an email, try to create a new account. If you are unable to create a new account, contact us by phone or email. An administrator
Supported browsers
These are the browsers that we support:

  • Google Chrome - current version plus the previous version
  • Mozilla Firefox - current version
  • Apple Safari 7
  • Microsoft Internet Explorer 10 & 9 (this excludes browsers running in compatibility mode)

To check which browser you're using, use one of these websites:

To update your browser, click the links below for information on how to do this:

Third parties (including parents)

If you are a third party organization, institution, or parent (if your child is over 18 years old, you are considered a 'third party), you can request transcripts on the third party ordering page.

A couple things to remember when filling in the online ordering form:

  • It is important that in the 'Name while attending' section that you enter the individual's name that they used when they attended the school.
  • You will be asked to upload the student's consent form, which must be in one of these formats: pdf, doc, docs, gif, jpeg, or png.
Unofficial/Advising transcripts (current students only)
  1. Log into LionPATH 
  2. Click the Main Menu button in the top-left corner.
  3. Click Academics, then Academic Records, then View Unofficial Transcript.

Make sure you disable the popup blockers in your browser settings.

Only current students can use LionPATH to view unofficial transcripts. Former students and alumni cannot view unofficial transcripts.

Video Tutorial
Parchment Ordering Service v2.9
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