New Law Prohibits NY Colleges from Withholding Transcripts
Colleges in New York State cannot hold students’ transcripts hostage as they wait to be paid.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul has signed the legislation that prohibits colleges from withholding transcripts because of unpaid debts or charging former students who owe debts a higher fee to release those papers.
The Democrat says the legislation makes sure students can get their college information when necessary so they can continue their education or find a job.
Some universities and colleges had used students’ grade and course completion information to leverage collection of outstanding debts even though, Hochul says, one is not related to the other.
In crafting the legislation, lawmakers said the irony was: withholding transcripts hobbled students’ ability to find work so they could earn wages and the resources to pay back those outstanding debts.