Higher Learning Commission

Early in 2021, staff members from HLC, the U.S. Department of Education and the regional compacts — the Midwestern Higher Education Compact (MHEC), the New England Board of Higher Education (NEBHE), and the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) — met to discuss students’ access to their records as a matter of student success. Three concerns were identified: student access to transcripts when there are financial or administrative holds placed on student accounts at institutions; access to student records when an institution closes; and the future of student records access. 

HLC and the regional compacts have continued to discuss and study the topic of transcript holds and closed school records. The issues surrounding transcript holds and closed school records have received ever greater attention in light of supporting student success since the pandemic. Because of the many ways the pandemic caused a re-thinking of business as usual, changes to transcript holds became a policy and process initiative at the federal, state and institutional levels. 

Our work with the regional compacts resulted in a new publication: Student Records Access for Success. It provides an overview of student records issues, from an accreditor and regional compacts perspective. It includes recent legislative and policy actions at the federal and state levels as well as practitioner solutions and tools for institutions created by regional compacts, institutions and other organizations. Resources are provided for those working at the institutional level as well as at the state or federal policy level to help students succeed.   

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