Can a school withhold your transcripts if...?

You need to consult with your state board of nursing or an administrative law attorney. The answer is maybe. Handbooks often have a disclaimer that it's to be considered a guideline and not a binding contract.

In my state, the BoN has specific rules regarding the use of commercial exit exams as a condition of graduation

You probably agreed to any changes, at some point, in some way, when you started the program. Why not just focus on doing well on your exit exam so it's not an issue for you, at all?

I have no advice but I just wanted to say that's ridiculous...

My program required a 97% probability of passing NCLEX on the first try (established with an exit exam through ATI) in order for educational information to be passed on to our BON. Handbooks often come with a "may be changed at will" clause. Yes, it's legal.

Yes - schools can (and do) withhold transcripts for any number of reasons - unpaid fees, overdue library books, tuition balance due, etc. But I think that the issue that OP should pursue is the fact that the school is changing the rules after the fact. This would be like changing curriculum requirements for graduation for currently enrolled students..... usually a definite no-no.

OP should check the school's own policies and review any documents that were included as part of enrollment to make sure that this (school can change stuff without notice) was NOT mentioned anywhere. If it was mentioned, OP has no recourse but if not, it may be possible to take actions to appeal.

Declining NCLEX results are a very serious issue for any school. Continued poor results can result in loss of approval/accreditation... basically, the "death" of a nursing program. So, it is not surprising when schools take very strong corrective actions when this occurs.

I've heard of schools requiring an exit exam to be eligible to graduate but op said she already has graduated. I don't see how a school can say you can't have copies of your transcripts after you have graduated from the school.

The program directors (at least in my state, you need to check your own BON) reserve the right---and it's stated clearly---to keep you from TAKING THE NCLEX if they feel that remediation is necessary. They CANNOT, however, keep you from graduating. If the minimum GPA is accomplished for the completion of the coursework, then they have no option but to pass you for NURSING.

That said. The HESI was given to our class twice. In January and in May. They offered remediation after the first round to those who performed poorly. The HESI was included (as incentive to do well) as 10% of our grade.

Predictably, my classmates did not avail themselves of any type of remediation whatsoever. "Hey, I have a second chance to do well." and "Hey, it's ONLY 10% of my grade. Who cares?"

Well, this is a PREDICTIVE EXAM. The faculty and directors use this as a bellweather for your ability to pass the NCLEX. Did you honestly believe that **all** the directors/faculty are interested in is teaching you everything you need to know? This is about much, much more than that.

They will allow perfectly good students who may have had a bad test day or turned in a half assed paper---to fail. If you are a marginal student, if you did poorly (twice, in our case) on a predictive exam---you have shown yourself to be poorly equipped to pass the national boards.

Their accreditation and funds rely on pass rates. NCLEX as well as graduation pass rates. Who wants to go to a school that has an NCLEX pass rate for first time takers of 50%? And the state board will yank their accreditation in a heartbeat if that happens.

You have to understand. This isn't about your ability to be "a good nurse". This is about your ability to take and pass the NCLEX. You need to check with your state's BON to find out if they have legal standing, but in my state....my director told us CLEARLY that if we didn't do well on HESI, even if we passed, he would ABSOLUTELY without a moment's hesitation...withhold his signature for taking NCLEX unless the student showed remediation effort and proved competency.

Our class had a good number of cheaters, who managed somehow to get to graduation....and yeah....they had 79.5s and 80s consistently. I certainly would never, EVER allow one of my family or loved ones be taken care of by any of the known cheaters from my class. I applaud any program director who will use their best judgement and hold some student back who hasn't taken any of this seriously.

But see, that's the thing, up until this point nothing was ever mentioned about a specific score being needed on our exit up until the middle of the last semester.

That's what a few people I talked to thought as well. If I needed to get transcripts I could apply to get them, but I don't know if the state will take them unless they are sent from the school.

@Celine, I think that there is a miscommunication here.

First answer this....withhold transcripts from WHOM? The college, in order to graduate? Or from Pearson and your state BON?

Depending on the answer to that question, if it's "to keep you from GRADUATING from your nursing class"---then NO. They cannot do that, particularly if it was not written into the curriculum at the start of the term. WAS IT? Was HESI (or ATI, or whatever you took) a part of your grade? Even if it was, it's just a percentage of that...and I agree with your instructors if they stated in the syllabus that your predictive exam was a percentage of your grade..and you fail miserably both times....that you must remediate.

They CAN withhold your transcripts from going to the BON and to Pearson (you won't get your ATT to test) if they believe that you will not pass....at least, in my state they can.

This is about being a safe, competent entry level nurse as well as their funding. The NCLEX is designed to test you on your "minimum qualifications" in order to be a safe nurse. Who in their right mind would allow someone who can't even pass the minimum qualifications for nursing go ahead without remediation?

You have to find out if this is about GRADUATING or it's about NCLEX. Two different things.

The predictive exams are here for a reason. To allow you and your instructors to judge your progress and capability to understand complex and abstract concepts. If there is this titanic struggle to get the scores thrown out, then this is telling me that the scores are extremely poor...

Why would you NOT want to remediate if you did poorly? But again, this may be a something I don't get...that they are saying that they will hold your transcript and prevent you from GRADUATING. I don't think it is, but I could be wrong.

I'm referring to transcripts being sent to Pearson/BON, not graduating. The problem is that they decided to make these changes (being that a certain score is needed in order to send transcripts to Pearson/BON) in the middle of the last senior semester.

Celine, it sounds unfair and definitely could be challenged, IF this is the case, that they "never" told you guys prior to the middle of senior year.

What I can say, is that my classmates literally ignored our program director when he mentioned this in the first day of last term. He described the exam, he had asked (and other instructors did as well) that over Christmas break, we all study for HESI as it was IMPORTANT in more ways than just "10% and a redo" of our grade.

Wanna know how many people were saying that "they never heard him say that"? Most of my class.

Wanna know how many people listened at the end of 3rd term when they asked us to study for HESI during break? Almost none.

Several classmates and I did take it seriously, and did HESI study every day over break. We came in, blew the exam out of the water---and watched in disbelief as A-B students bombed miserably. I got a 970 first time, and my two study mates got early 900's. Everyone else in the class.....400-600.

That is when he reminded everyone that he not only asked us third term to study and take it seriously...but that he did say he could and WOULD hold us if we didn't prove competency.

Nobody listened. I studied for NCLEX as well as HESI, along with my classwork, all term. IT IS HARD. I get it. You're not telling anybody here anything that they don't know.

I got a 1217 on HESI exit and my two study mates did high 900's. The rest of the class? About 50% marked over 800, but less than 900. The remainder....argued that "they were never told" that ATT could be withheld if competency on the predictor wasn't achieved.

It may not be in the student handbook, but are you absolutely positive that this was NEVER mentioned...that the director reserves the right to hold you until remediation?

And I do think that's what this is.....it's not...."I'm never going to be able to take the NCLEX!!"

It's...."You need to remediate, with the director or at least go through a HESI or ATI or KAPLAN review course and show competency by repeating the HESI".

In this case, and I know you're not going to like hearing this....he/she DOES have that right (again, check your state by laws at the BON).

The other thing is....IMHO, I agree with them. HESI may be harder in some ways than the NCLEX and easier in others...but it's still the same thing...a predictor of your ability to 1. be a minimally safe nurse and 2. pass the NCLEX successfully the FIRST TIME (which is all that is important to the school officials, btw. second tries don't effect their pass rate, only first time takers effect it)

I would start with your BON. And make an appointment with your program director. If there is ambiguity, then you may have something to challenge. If they told you and you were simply not listening or you thought that this was no big deal, they can't do that...yeah, they can.

Good luck.