Beyond grades: Brandeis introduces a Second Transcript that shows what students can do

Brandeis Stories

Beyond grades: Brandeis introduces a Second Transcript that shows what students can do

By Sheila Georger
April 9, 2026

For generations, a college transcript has told a familiar story: courses taken, grades earned, credits completed. What it hasn't shown is what students can actually do.

At Brandeis University, that's changing.

The university is introducing a Second Transcript, one that captures the skills students build across their education through coursework, research, internships, leadership and real-world experience, and translates them into clear, verified competencies that employers and graduate schools can understand at a glance.

As Lewis Brooks '80, director of the Brandeis Center for Careers and Applied Liberal Arts explains, "An academic transcript shows what you've learned. The Second Transcript shows what you can do and what you've accomplished."

Instead of trying to describe their experience in a résumé line or cover letter, students will graduate with a verified record of what they know and how they can apply it, evidence of not just achievement, but real readiness.

For employers, that clarity matters.

"We see talented graduates every year, but it's often difficult to understand the full scope of what they can do from their resume or a traditional transcript alone," said Shanto Ghosh, Principal, Global Transfer Pricing, Deloitte Tax LLP. "Being able to see verified skills and experiences will be a game changer in how we evaluate candidates."

A New Kind of Transcript

The mobile version of the competency-based transcript

In addition to the official registrar-issued record, students will have access to a portable, visual version of their competency-based transcript. This format makes it easy to share verified skills and experiences with employers in a way that aligns with how hiring decisions are made today.

To support this work, Brandeis recently received funding from the Carnegie Foundation. The grant is helping the university develop and test new ways to capture, assess and communicate what students know and can do.

Part of a Larger Shift

"We've always prepared students to think critically and act with purpose," said President Arthur Levine. "Now we're making that preparation more visible and more powerful."

The Second Transcript is part of the Brandeis Plan to Reinvent the Liberal Arts, a model that connects rigorous academics with real-world application and career readiness.

It reflects a broader shift in higher education and the workforce, where employers are placing greater emphasis on skills and experience, and where students and families are looking for clearer evidence of what a degree leads to.

What This Means

For students and families, the impact is clear.

A Brandeis education will not only prepare students for what comes next, it will give them a clear and credible way to show it. Graduates will leave with more than a record of what they studied. They will have evidence of what they know, what they've done, and what they're ready to do next.