<p>I am an adult who has a college degree and recently decided to change careers. Immediately after undergrad, I enrolled in law school where I was dismissed due to academic performance (a sick baby and law school does not mix) and then I left grad school due to financial problems. I owe that school over $5,000 and they refuse to release my transcript until the amount is paid.</p>
<p>As of right now, I can’t afford to pay the $5,000 to get my transcript and I have other financial obligations (a special needs child).</p>
<p>Hence, I have decided to apply to a community college to pursue a nursing degree. I can be finished in under 2 years and still pay less than $5,000 because I have all of the credits from my completed undergrad degree. It is my plan to pay the grad school any owed when I get my 1st nursing job.</p>
<p>Here’s my problem… when I completed the application to the community college, I honestly didn’t think they needed to know about grad schools attended. After speaking with a friend who doesn’t have a degree and can’t get in due to transcript issues, I figured out that I need to inform the community college of my post-grad attempts. I thought I could go back into the online application an amend the application, but the system says that it can’t be changed. Also, even if I can talk to someone in admissions and explain the oversight, I can’t afford to pay the $5,000 required by the grad school to have my transcript sent over.</p>
<p>I am really tortured by this. Do I take a chance and not say anything? Or disclose everything and lose my chance to be admitted? I have spoke with admission counselors and they guaranteed me a place in the upcoming class due to my completed bachelors degree and ACT scores over 25. However, if they can’t get every transcript, I can’t get into the program.</p>
<p>I thought about doing a FERPA block just in case. On one hand, it may can save my admittance. On the other, is it unethical and the records may still be able to be found.</p>
<p>Can anyone tell me of an instance where a FERPA block worked? I need details of how this works. </p>
<p>Please don’t attack me of the ethics of this. I also know that this is all shades of gray.</p>
<p>I don’t know what you mean by a “FERPA block”. The laws of FERPA apply unless you sign a waiver or notify the college in writing that you want them to release information. Now there is a wide variety in those forms and policies colleges have on how to request a waiver, but you seem like you want to make sure FERPA is enforced… </p>
<p>I know you don’t want to hear this, but what you are doing is unethical. Not gray. Fess up to the school you are applying to and see if they will make an exception for you. Start a payment plan of some kind with the college you owe money to, and maybe they will release the transcript based on that.</p>
<p>Thanks for the prompt reply. A FERPA block is when you contact former schools and NSCH and ask that they don’t release any of your educational records without your written consent.</p>
<p>I called the grad school on Friday and they informed me that I would have to pay 50% immediately if I want the transcript released. That’s $2,500 that I don’t have right now.</p>
<p>My question is… would a FERPA block work? I’m not applying for financial aid. I have until the end of the month to decide if I will call the admissions office and try to resubmit my application. </p>
<p>I know its unethical. Unfortunately, life is not fair and sometimes things happen. At least I’m trying to start a career where I can afford to pay all my student debts.</p>
<p>“LIfe is unfair and sometimes things happen”… What I teach my kids is that 99% of the time it is easy to be ethical. It is that 1% time that really tests your character. This is a 1% time for you…</p>
<p>Under FERPA a college shouldn’t release your records anyway without your written consent. No extra “block” should be needed if the college if following FERPA law.</p>
<p>So it behooves you to settle your debt and have your transcripts sent rather than taking the chance of having your acceptance denied or a degree revoked.</p>
<p>If I could immediately afford to settle my debt, this would not be an issue. At this time, I have already unknowingly falsified the application. I will call the admissions office tomorrow to get their input on the situation. Also, a FERPA block should (in theory) stop the info from being reported to the NSCH.</p>
<p>In order to pursue a degree at the CC, you will need to provide official copies of your transcripts from every place that you have ever studied. That means that you need to work out an arrangement with your old grad school to pay down your debt. You might have to wait to enroll at the CC for another semester or so while you get that taken care of.</p>
<p>If the CC were to find out abut the prior grad school without your telling them, they could find you guilty of fraud. That would get you dismissed from the college and further complicate your life. </p>
<p>The grad school is not the 'bad guy" here. You have an outstanding debt that you have made no effort to repay. If you’d even been sending $20 a month to the school all this time you would have been showing intent to pay. You should also be warned that a lot of professional employers (and nursing is often one of these) perform credit checks when considering someone for employment.</p>
<p>Your best bet is to get any job you can and start repaying that debt before starting another school and accruing even more educational expenses. Which leads to the question, how are you paying for nursing school? Federal aid is out of the question with your debt to the other school.</p>
<p>I greatly admire your attempts to start a career. But you need to do that in the way that will help, and not get you into even more trouble.</p>
<p>Thank you guys for all of the replies. I contacted the admissions office today at the community college and it is too late to submit a new application since the application period ended March 1st. At this point, I am taking my chances. The admissions counselor told me that it really shouldn’t matter since I already have a degree and the grad schools grades are not used to determine admittance to the program. If it does pose a problem, I will just reapply later after I’ve paid off my debt.</p>
<p>On another note, I never said that the grad school is the “bad guy.” I have an outstanding debt due to a scholarship mix-up. When the dust cleared, it had been 4 months and I was reported to collections who demanded the whole amount. I have many other financial obligations including paying private school tuition and medical costs for a special needs child. I do the best that I can. I can pay the $5,000 over a year or two but not immediately.</p>
<p>I appreciate all of the ethical routes that were recommended. However, I really just wanted to know if a FERPA block worked. Of all the replies, only one person bothered to answer my question without some sort of assumption that I’m a shady person who purposely attempts for fraud people and not pay my bills. </p>