FL Statute For Transcripts?

Question

My college won't release my financial aid funds unless I give them an official copy of my GED transcripts. When I got my GED(in NJ) sent me a paper with my scores on it saying that I had passed, they later sent me the actual GED printed on state of NJ paper, it's watermarked, you can't copy it(it comes up void everywhere),it's stamped and signed by the board of education. I called the Dept. of Education in NJ and they can't send me a transcript for 6-8 weeks. Which means I won't get it until after the semester starts. The dean won't clear my file until he receives them. Isn't everything I gave him enough? The dean can't produce a statute number that says that, he just says that's the way it is. Does anyone know what that statute is?

Answer 1

This isn't a Florida law (did someone tell you that it is?) it's an institutional policy.

An educational institution is free to establish its own procedures for documenting the admissions qualifications of its students.

This is interesting, though, because the US Department of Education does not require any specific form of GED documentation - in fact, the rules say that students can "self-certify" that he/she received a GED.

The exception - and I'm guessing that this is what the school is relying on - is that "if your school requires a GED for admission, then you must rely on a copy of the GED and not on the student's self-certification alone."

(There is an additional exception for the Academic Competitiveness Grant - schools are required to review an actual copy of the GED before disbursing ACG funds.)

If you are still looking for some sort of rule that is external to the school (like a statute), the next best guess would be a rule promulgated by the Board of Governors - that's the governing body of the Florida University System. I'm not intimately familiar with their rules, but I doubt you'll find it there, either.

What I would recommend is that you take this matter up with the Vice President of Academic Affairs, or with the President's office. I'm not quite understanding why their policy has to be so rigid, considering that their interpretation seems to well exceed the requirements of the Department of Education.

The only other thought I have is that your school can not disburse aid funds while you are considered "conditionally" accepted. If your "final" acceptance hinges on whether you can produce the GED, and they are only allowing you to take classes provisionally, while they wait to receive your documentation, then, yes, it makes sense that they can not disburse your aid until you have been fully accepted. (just a thought)

I hope that helped - but there's no state statute on GED documentation regulations for student financial aid.

Good luck!