Effective immediately, SUNY will no longer withhold transcripts, meaning students are no longer forced to put their education or careers on hold because of debts owed to SUNY campuses.
In response to Governor Hochul’s plan to eliminate the practice entirely in New York State, as outlined in her 2022 State of the State, the SUNY Board of Trustees suspended the practice of withholding transcripts for students with outstanding campus debts.
SUNY Interim Chancellor Deborah F. Stanley said, “Students come to SUNY for an excellent and affordable college education, often making personal sacrifices along the way in order to reach the career of their dreams. To come so far only to be held back by unpaid fees and fines is simply unfair to our students. My thanks for Governor Hochul for shining light on this oversight that has been commonplace throughout higher education, and for bringing further equity to our economically disadvantaged students, who have worked hard to earn their degree.”
Long overdue, but this is an incredible move by @GovKathyHochul and @SUNY. I know far too many people whose lives were made far harder by not accessing their transcripts – many of those people left the state because of that. Glad to see this change made. https://t.co/oxizGSAmbJ
— Joe Bonilla (@joe_bonilla) January 26, 2022
How the transcript policy affects students
SUNY is proud of its achievement of seeing more than 50% of its students graduate debt-free and 3 out of 4 students receiving financial aid; however, thousands of students still owe some debt to their campuses, and in some cases, do not have a degree to show for it or cannot pursue another degree because of the holds.
The former practice overwhelmingly affected low-income and adult students. Students request transcripts to transfer to a new college, go back to college to finish a degree, and to pursue a graduate degree. Hiring managers request college transcripts as well for new hires.
Campus debts can be as small as outstanding library fees or parking fees. An adult student who is thinking about going back to college may have had to step out earlier in life for personal or professional reasons. Students forced to drop out of a program after the withdrawal period are billed for classes they did not take. Sixty percent of students who drop out of an undergraduate program are unlikely to make a loan payment at least two years after college.
The SUNY universities will no longer hold transcripts from students who owe money. This is major. When a college holds a transcript, students can’t transfer, it can impact the ability to get jobs, etc. So yay, @SUNY! The governor is trying to require this of all unis in NY State.
— Roaring Mice (@GarrAarghHrumph) January 26, 2022
The practice of withholding transcripts of indebted students reduces or eliminates the student’s ability to return to college, finish a degree, transfer to another college, or obtain employment – all ways for a student to improve social mobility and an opportunity to repay student debts.
According to Meghan Dinan, Enrollment Operations Manager for SUNY Online, her team of admissions coaches hears stories from students who previously stopped out of college for many reasons. Now they are in a better place to return to college, but they experienced difficulties in the application process under the former policy. A student who does decide to apply can be denied entry into a program because the admissions office cannot verify prerequisites and degree level.
This new policy removes those barriers so students can pursue their goals.
How can a student request their SUNY transcript?
Students who need to request a transcript from a SUNY college can do so by contacting the campus registrar’s office or submitting a request through the campus’s online portal.
What’s next for SUNY and indebted students?
As part of the Board of Trustee’s resolution, the SUNY Chancellor or a designee are authorized to review the debt collection practices across the system and are empowered to make the appropriate changes, rules, and policies in response.
