Getting a Transcript Released With a Debt Still Due to a Former College
Question: I owe a university $1664.00 and I want to attend another, but the old university will not release my transcript. What am I to do? What are my options? Thanks for help.
Unfortunately, colleges are unrelenting in this situation. Administrators know that the only way they are likely to see the money that a former student owes them is by withholding the transcript until the debt is paid.You can try to negotiate a release by offering to set up a payment plan (where you pay a specified amount up front and then make additional monthly payments until you reach the total owed). However, it's highly unlikely that the college will release your transcript before you've paid off the entire debt.
If you have compelling (i.e., sympathy-evoking) reasons why you can't pay your debt right away (e.g, you or a parent lost a job; you or a parent had high medical bills), you can try providing documentation of this, with the aim of convincing officials at your old university to agree to a payment plan. If this is the case, there's a long-shot chance that they will release your transcript once you've shown good faith by sticking to the plan for several months. But I'm not optimistic that you'll have any luck before your debt is paid in full.
Sorry that I can't provide better news.