Okay I started school in 2002 as a CHEM major, so what was suppose to be my last year 05/06 I changed my major to Nursing!
Well, I've been attending an expensive private school in Nashville, TN and paying for it through federal gov't loans. What ever the loans didn't cover I had to pay out of pocket (which was a lot).
So to make a long story short, I have one more year to graduate with my BSN but I can't continue school because I owe my University like $8000.
And they won't release my records (i.e. my transcript) until I pay them back.
I can't continue my education without a transcript and they're not letting it go!
What should I do??!
Should I apply for school (at state of course) and just have them try to retrieve my records for me??
I believe you'll have to pay them back to get it released. I had to sit out for a semester over $10 that I didn't know I owed, and I'm guessing $8000 is a slightly bigger deal. I started nursing school in New Orleans 2 weeks before Katrina, and we moved after the storm and I had to withdraw. They said we could all withdraw without penalty, but never mentioned a "10 "stick fee" insurance for clinicals - which we never got a chance to start. It was impossible to get ahold of anyone with all their offices being in temporary locations, and I was unable to get my transcript released in time to start here in January (of 06, I am in NS now).
I'm sorry I don't have better news for you. I agree with others though, you may be able to get on some kind of a payment plan that would allow your transcript to be released after a certain number of on time payments. Talk to anyone you can at your old school in financial aid or billing who may be able to help. Or do you have any relatives who could at least cosign a bank loan for you to pay it off? Regardless, once you've dug a hole of this size, you'll probably have to continue to work and pay that loan back while you're in school. Good luck, and hope you can work something out soon!
Hey Merisit, I'm from Nashville also and I was wondering what nursing school you were planning on going to, if you don't mind sharing. I'm trying to figure out which ones around here are the best. I'm sorry I can't help you with your problem though
Hey Merisit, I'm from Nashville also and I was wondering what nursing school you were planning on going to, if you don't mind sharing. I'm trying to figure out which ones around here are the best. I'm sorry I can't help you with your problem though
Hi, I know what you're going through in a certain sense. I am attending a school which costs $22,000 a year for just tuition (not including uniforms, lab fees, books and all that good stuff). Because of my financial status, I do not qualify for ANY subsidies, only a small federal loan. What I don't understand is how the heck the college let you run up a tab so high! Our college does not even allow you to begin classes without doing one of two things: Paying in full OR signing a three-payment Pay In Full option due 3 weeks before classes even begin. So I would say you are lucky that they even permitted you to finish classes with that bill, but I suppose all colleges are different. My educated guess is that you cannot get transcripts until the bill is completely paid in full. Otherwise, it is not likely that they will give them to you. In order for the college you wish to attend to request your files, you would need to sign authorization for release of the records. But it is likely they would send a note to your new college that they cannot release transcripts due to debt. That would not look too pretty I would say. Hope all works out for you. Perhaps you can just stay at the college you are at? Maybe they'd be willing to give you grants or assistance ?
Specializes in Adult and Pediatric Vascular Access, Paramedic.
hi,
I am alittle confused. Why won't your current school allow you to continue? If you are at teh school which you owe the money too, they do not need your transcripts. have you tried to work out a payment plan with them, if you do, they may allow you to slowly pay back the debt while continuing school, if not can you borrow the money from parents or other family?
Also if you switch schools you will still be in the same predicamate, as teh college is not going to release those transcripts to anyone, even another school, if you still owe them money.
Specializes in Infusion, Med/Surg/Tele, Outpatient.
You have a few options. One is to actually apply for a private student loan through lenders like Sallie Mae, Wells Fargo, Bank of America, MyRichUncle, etc., etc. You might need just a co-signer. The interest rate is not too bad, 10% or so. Another option is to try to finish your 1st degree and then just work for a year or so, then do nursing school. Where there is a will, there's a way. It just depends on how much you want something vs. what you're willing to do. There's always the Armed Forces. I heard (on the news) of some girls in Austin, TX, who put on bikinis and went to an intersection with signs that read "Help. Need tuition money" and made a killing. Are you an active member of a church? Have you spoken to your family? Friends? Have you tried a good samaritan foundation? But yes, the school can hold your transcript until you are in good standing. Good luck!
An advantage to the advice of maryk99 is then you'll have a chemistry degree and could look at an Accelerated BSN or direct-entry MSN program.
Schools are real sticklers about the money versus transcripts thing. They know that it's the only real leverage that they have and every school that I've been to uses that leverage.
MB37
1,714 Posts
I believe you'll have to pay them back to get it released. I had to sit out for a semester over $10 that I didn't know I owed, and I'm guessing $8000 is a slightly bigger deal. I started nursing school in New Orleans 2 weeks before Katrina, and we moved after the storm and I had to withdraw. They said we could all withdraw without penalty, but never mentioned a "10 "stick fee" insurance for clinicals - which we never got a chance to start. It was impossible to get ahold of anyone with all their offices being in temporary locations, and I was unable to get my transcript released in time to start here in January (of 06, I am in NS now).
I'm sorry I don't have better news for you. I agree with others though, you may be able to get on some kind of a payment plan that would allow your transcript to be released after a certain number of on time payments. Talk to anyone you can at your old school in financial aid or billing who may be able to help. Or do you have any relatives who could at least cosign a bank loan for you to pay it off? Regardless, once you've dug a hole of this size, you'll probably have to continue to work and pay that loan back while you're in school. Good luck, and hope you can work something out soon!