I attended a technical college for cosmetology in 2013. About halfway through the program, some personal issues arose (jail) that kept me from returning, and I was dropped from the program. At the time i was dropped, I was in good academic standing, and, did not as well as have not defaulted on any loans. There was however i found out, a gap between my financial aid and my loans upwards of $8,000 that i owe to the school its self. After the personal issues were taken care of, and a lot of thinking, I realized that cosmetology wasn’t what I truly wanted to do. I wanted to pursue a career in graphic design at a community college. I am currently working on getting back on my feet, and I’m in a position now to where I can confidently go back to school. After a bit of research, I found that because I owe the technical college, my official transcripts will not be released to the college that I want to attend and I was told, the transcripts are necessary for financial aid, transferring credits, and to my disappointment, enrollment. I called the technical school and they said the debt has to be paid in full before they will release my transcripts. No payment plans or anything of that nature. Because I’m wanting to attend a completely different college, with an entirely different field of study, without the help of financial aid, will I still have to have the transcript before I even think of enrolling in the community college?
Speak with the admissions officers at the community college. They aren’t sharks like the cosmetology school. However, perhaps you should spk w/others in the graphics design field? It’s very crowded already. And a degree isn’t an absolute necessity if you are trainable. Best of luck to you.
Thanks for the feedback. I do not know anyone in the career field as of now, so not sure where to start when it comes to picking someones brain. I was not aware the field was that saturated, which is a bit of a disappointment honestly. I was googling graphic design jobs in my area for salary ideas and what the market was like, and all the entry level jobs I looked at required a degree. I very well could go for the training since I pick up on things rather quickly, but I would feel much more confident, having the schooling behind me.
I could easily be incorrect, however, I’ve always believed that accredited post-secondary schools required transcripts ONLY from accredited high schools, JCs/CCs, colleges/universities, etc., NOT from vocational or technical training schools. Now, I may be incorrect, but if I am not, would you be required to provide this cosmetology transcript?
I’m not too sure. I called the college and left a message with an admissions rep to see. The tech school I attended is nationally accredited but highly frowned upon when it comes to employment.
Yes, you are obligated to provide transcripts from every place you have ever studied. National vs. regional accreditation doesn’t matter. Whether the college/university/tech training institute was in the US or outside the US doesn’t matter.
So you do need to pay down that debt. Meet with the people there, find out what your options are, start working on getting rid of the debt.
You need to make an appointment with the financial aid office at the community college. You are not the first student with this kind of issue, and they can help you.
@happymom1 (re post #5): Trades and vocational schools, I doubt it. Attending “Joe’s Storm Door Installation Academy”, has no bearing on any actually-academic education (even a CC/JC). I’m no expert, but can you substantiate your assertion?
If it is a place that is approved for federal aid, then it is a place you are going to have to report. Whether or not the place you are applying to gives you credit for those courses is a separate issue. The federal money is all recorded in one ginormous database. Borrow a federal student loan, or use some Pell money for “Joe’s Storm Door Installation Academy” and that loan or Pell money won’t be available to you in the future because there are federal limits.
Any place that has regional or national accreditation, or is able to award state aid can be assumed to be reportable as well. If Joe’s place doesn’t award local, state, or federal aid, and isn’t accredited by a local, regional, or national Storm Door Academy accreditation organization, the student should ask the college/university where they are applying if those records are needed or not.
But reportable or not, this student needs to get the debt paid off before the cosmetology school sends the debt to a collection agency.
@happymomof1: Okay, thank you, frankly I know very little about trade/vocational schools and I never ssuspected Federal student loans applied to them.