NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- Governor Kathy Hochul on Wednesday signed a bill that will end the practice of colleges withholding transcripts due to student debt in New York State.
Transcripts are sometimes needed to finish degrees, apply for jobs or access post-graduate programs.
The SUNY and CUNY boards voted to end the practice in January, but this law will apply to private schools in New York State as well.
"Transcripts are critical for students to continue pursuing their educational and career goals. To hold transcripts hostage until outstanding debts are paid is an unfair, predatory practice that prevents our students from reaching their full potential,” said Hochul in a statement. “Today, we put an end to this abhorrent policy for all higher education institutions to ensure a level playing field for New York's students."
The law also ends the practice of charging a higher rate for transcript access for those in debt.
A 2020 research report from the Ithaka S+R research group estimated 6.6 million students and former students nationwide have “stranded credits.” In other words, those people couldn’t access their transcripts due to outstanding debt.
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