# Am I entitled to my college records? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 22, 2012, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-entitled-to-my-college-records/619585 "2012-04-22T13:15:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![What\_the](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f4b2a3/32.png) [@What\_the](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_the)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2012, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-entitled-to-my-college-records/619585/1 "2012-04-22T13:15:03Z")
Am I entitled to copies of all my college (MSU '81) records? What might they have… grades, classes I attended, classes I dropped, financial aid applications, anything else? Have requirements about keeping records changed since then? ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2012, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-entitled-to-my-college-records/619585/2 "2012-04-22T13:25:07Z")
I don’t know if colleges do it, but some public school districts purge disciplinary and other non-academic records after a certain number of years. I attempted to get a copy of my Permanent Record and the only thing I can get is a straight transcript with grades. They purged all the Office Referral Slips and all the other disciplinary stuff. Oh well, it would have made a fun reminisce. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Tao\_s\_Revenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/73ab20/32.png) [@The\_Tao\_s\_Revenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Tao_s_Revenge)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2012, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-entitled-to-my-college-records/619585/3 "2012-04-22T13:38:26Z")
> [@What\_the](#): > > Am I entitled to copies of all my college (MSU '81) records? > > What might they have… grades, classes I attended, classes I dropped, financial aid applications, anything else? > > Have requirements about keeping records changed since then? Well you are entitled to a transcript obviously, which would include classes, grades, drops (but not deletions, the difference at least in some schools being time of drop), etc. I’m not sure what further entitlement you may have in the States. However in Canada: > **[Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_Information_Protection_and_Electronic_Documents_Act)** > > The Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA; French: Loi sur la protection des > renseignements personnels et > les documents électroniques) is a Canadian law relating to data privacy. It governs how private sector organizations collect, use and disclose personal information in the course of commercial business. In addition, the Act contains various provisions to facilitate the use of electronic documents. PIPEDA became law on 13 April 2000 to promote consumer trust in There’s a legal requirement to disclose personal information, with certain exceptions. As for what they have. Working in a college database, I’ve seen: [ul] [li]Grades[/li][li]Demographics[/li][li]Personal Information such as: [/li][LIST] [li]ID [/li][li]Contact information [/li][li]Demographics such as: [/li][LIST] [li]Race [/li][li]Ethnicity [/li][li]Gender [/li][li]First language [/li][li]Nationality[/li][/ul] [/LIST] [li]Student Aid awards[/li][li]Scholarships[/li][li]Disbursements[/li][li]Application History[/li][/LIST] ---
**Author:** ![The\_Tao\_s\_Revenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/73ab20/32.png) [@The\_Tao\_s\_Revenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Tao_s_Revenge)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2012, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-entitled-to-my-college-records/619585/4 "2012-04-22T13:49:27Z")
Also have you tried getting a hold of MSU, and seeing what they will give you? ---
**Author:** ![Enginerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bcef8e/32.png) [@Enginerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enginerd)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2012, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-entitled-to-my-college-records/619585/5 "2012-04-22T13:52:54Z")
Check for yourself: [MSU RO: Michigan State University Transcript Request](http://www.reg.msu.edu/Transcripts/Transcript.asp) After 30 years, I’d guess there’s nothing available but your transcripts, but there’s an easy way to find out. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2012, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-entitled-to-my-college-records/619585/6 "2012-04-22T13:53:40Z")
When I was running a college (small, private business and vocational school) we were told by the Illinois Board of Higher Education that we needed to keep student records, specifically application and transcripts, for 50 years after the date they completed their coursework. If we closed (which apparently the school is closing this year, but I don’t work there anymore), the documents needed to be kept in a secured location off site for those 50 years. I have no idea, however, how you’d actually get them at that point. There was no requirement that I can recall that someone be responsible for maintaining contact with the former students or board of education, though. So if your school is closed, there may be a locked cabinet in a U-Store-It somewhere with your transcripts, but how will you know who to ask to give them to you? They did not say we had to keep payment records/scholarship applications/awards/etc, and so we discarded them after the student graduated. ---
**Author:** ![Enginerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bcef8e/32.png) [@Enginerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enginerd)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2012, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-entitled-to-my-college-records/619585/7 "2012-04-22T13:56:19Z")
As far as privacy goes, in the US those are _your_ records. You can read about the laws governing release of information [here](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liability_and_Student_Records). ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2012, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-entitled-to-my-college-records/619585/8 "2012-04-22T17:53:11Z")
> [@The\_Tao\_s\_Revenge](#): > > Well you are entitled to a transcript obviously, which would include classes, grades, drops (but not deletions, the difference at least in some schools being time of drop),… In my experience in the US, a “drop” completely removes the class from your official academic record, meaning that even if the registrar kept data records regarding drops, dropped classes did not appear on your official transcript and thus effectively were meaningless except for the matter of tuition refunds (100% if dropped before classes started or soon thereafter, not necessarily 100% if dropped later). It was fairly common to enroll in a class during enrollment period and then “drop” it a few hours or a few days later in favor of another section (e.g. different class time, different instructor, or different location), and this was treated as normal in the days leading up to the start of classes and a short time afterward. Withdrawals were another thing and _did_ appear on your permanent transcript, though I do not believe they affected your GPA. This means that if you enrolled in Advanced Hyper Calculus While Underwater 542 and then chickened out on the first day and “dropped” it, nobody reviewing your transcript would ever know unless you told them. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Tao\_s\_Revenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/73ab20/32.png) [@The\_Tao\_s\_Revenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Tao_s_Revenge)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2012, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-entitled-to-my-college-records/619585/9 "2012-04-23T02:24:30Z")
> [@robert\_columbia](#): > > In my experience in the US, a “drop” completely removes the class from your official academic record, meaning that even if the registrar kept data records regarding drops, dropped classes did not appear on your official transcript and thus effectively were meaningless except for the matter of tuition refunds (100% if dropped before classes started or soon thereafter, not necessarily 100% if dropped later). It was fairly common to enroll in a class during enrollment period and then “drop” it a few hours or a few days later in favor of another section (e.g. different class time, different instructor, or different location), and this was treated as normal in the days leading up to the start of classes and a short time afterward. Withdrawals were another thing and _did_ appear on your permanent transcript, though I do not believe they affected your GPA. > > This means that if you enrolled in Advanced Hyper Calculus While Underwater 542 and then chickened out on the first day and “dropped” it, nobody reviewing your transcript would ever know unless you told them. You are correct. Withdrawal beaning a more accurate term. At the place I work, there’s no official drop status. There’s a Withdraw status and a Deletion status. Both records are maintained in the system, but only Withdrawals show on transcripts. It’s common student tactic to register for more than section of a course they really need, and then drop out of the extra sections right before the term starts. The idea being if a course is canceled because of low enrollment, the student has a backup seat in a different section. Needless to say this can cause some nasty fluctuations in class enrollment numbers. Game theory in action. Also Advanced Hyper Calculus While Underwater 542 has a bad rap. The online section isn’t that bad. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2012, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-entitled-to-my-college-records/619585/10 "2012-04-23T02:30:59Z")
> [@robert\_columbia](#): > > I don’t know if colleges do it, but some public school districts purge disciplinary and other non-academic records after a certain number of years. I attempted to get a copy of my Permanent Record and the only thing I can get is a straight transcript with grades. They purged all the Office Referral Slips and all the other disciplinary stuff. Oh well, it would have made a fun reminisce. Fun for you to reminisce over, but a major storage problem for the school. Records like that take a lot of space to store, and fairly expensive storage space: clean, dry, not too extreme temperature or humidity changes. And to have access to the records, it needs to be kept organized, and with sufficient space for people to move around and locate the records. And the storage space needed increases every year! So schools have a real incentive to purge these records as soon as possible. ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2012, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-entitled-to-my-college-records/619585/11 "2012-04-23T02:43:30Z")
What about classes I _thought_ I dropped until the morning final projects were due? ([obligatory](http://xkcd.com/557/)) ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2012, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-entitled-to-my-college-records/619585/12 "2012-04-23T02:53:24Z")
And, for those who haven’t experienced it, a “drop” was the more advantageous situation and could only happen up to a certain point, after which the only option was to “withdraw”. In my experience, drops were at the whim of the student. Withdrawals required you to apply to the professor, department, or school and provide justification as to why you should be allowed to withdraw and was not guaranteed. At the school where I got my BS, iirc, acceptable reasons for withdrawal included being called for military service and major illnesses or injuries that necessitated major or long-term care. Unacceptable reasons included stress or not doing well in a class. ---
**Author:** ![What\_the](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f4b2a3/32.png) [@What\_the](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_the)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2012, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-entitled-to-my-college-records/619585/13 "2012-04-23T12:37:23Z")
> [@Enginerd](#): > > Check for yourself: [http://www.reg.msu.edu/Transcripts/Transcript.asp](http://www.reg.msu.edu/Transcripts/Transcript.asp) > > After 30 years, I’d guess there’s nothing available but your transcripts, but there’s an easy way to find out. Just ordered one…thanks !!! I didn’t see any indication that something other than a transcript might be available. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2012, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-entitled-to-my-college-records/619585/14 "2012-04-23T15:01:28Z")
> [@Rhythmdvl](#): > > What about classes I _thought_ I dropped until the morning final projects were due? > > ([obligatory](http://xkcd.com/557/)) It’s amazing how common some dreams are. I still have that one from time to time. ---
**Author:** ![MikeS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MikeS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeS)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2012, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-entitled-to-my-college-records/619585/15 "2012-04-23T16:54:19Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > It’s amazing how common some dreams are. ([obligatory](http://xkcd.com/719/)) ---
**Author:** ![What\_the](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f4b2a3/32.png) [@What\_the](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_the)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2012, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-entitled-to-my-college-records/619585/16 "2012-05-01T15:54:55Z")
> [@What\_the](#): > > Just ordered one…thanks !!! > > I didn’t see any indication that something other than a transcript might be available. Got it. Info included course description and grades. There was a notation of a class I had dropped and repeated.