In a recent episode of The Key, Inside the higher edIn its news and analysis podcast, Ithaca S + R’s Martin Kurzweil describes the college and university’s policies that “harm” academic transcripts from students who owe money to the institution. Students often need copies that prove they have previously obtained a credit or certificate, can continue their education or get a job that can pay off enough to pay off their debts, Kurzweil said, so the policies are not only problematic for students but also intelligent. But. College and university for themselves.
Officials in more states and more colleges seem to agree.
On Thursday, the University of Illinois System announced that its institutions have “ended the practice of restricting access to transcripts for students with past outstanding balances.” The move comes in the wake of a law signed by Government JB Pritzker in May banning the use of practice in the 2022-23 academic year, although the Illinois system said lawmakers were working on the change when the law was passed.
“Students come to the University of Illinois in search of the keys to opportunity and the promise of higher education to the keys to a better life. Often blocking access to those keys because of small debts goes against our goal,” Tim Killin, president of Systems Illinois, said in a press release. “This change in policy is our commitment to justice and to maintaining access to life-changing education available at our universities.”
The three campuses of the system in Urbana-Champaign, Chicago and Springfield previously held replicas if a student had not repaid a বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়ের 25 or more university loan, the university system said. Officials say the change has provided instant access to about 10,000 people – about 2,300 current students and more than 8,000 alumni.
Steps to reduce administrative holdings
Also on Thursday, Ithaka S + R released its latest report on the problem of what it calls “stranded credit” because students have completed academic courses but are unable to prove it to employers or educational institutions because they do not have access to a copy.
The new report provides documented steps that states and colleges have taken to unlock those credits and provides guidance to those who wish to resolve the issue.
The report includes a map showing that eight states have banned the use of transcript hold, as well as states that have policies that either specifically allow entities to impose hold or (in the case of Tennessee and Florida) actually require them in some cases. .
The report also explores other states that may penalize students for institutional loans, such as allowing or requiring public colleges to fund borrowers for current or former students who owe them money (such as Louisiana, New York, Ohio and Virginia).
And it encourages individual colleges and universities to adapt their policies to meet the needs of today’s students, improve communication between departments and units on their campus (so a financial aid consultant knows that the student has a past balance with Barsar, for example), and neighbors to smooth the replication process for students. Working with the organization.
