Missing cc transcript, about to graduate from four year, should I be worried?

Applying to College
1

Sorry for the long post:

Went to 4-year, dropped out after a year, went to 2-year and dropped after 2 years, moved to a different state and attended another 2-year before decided to stop attending. Finally got it together at a different 2-year cc and found myself transferring/accepted to my top state public school.

So I have transcript from:
-State A, 4-year university (with x classes over 1 year)
-State A 2-year c.college (with x classes over 2 years)
-State X 2-year c.college (with 4 classes, 2 quarters) [this is my missing transcript]
-State X 2-year c.college (with ~90 credits, TD)

more backstory:
After I was accepted to my current university, got into a major, and after speaking with a counselor, I realized that my State A 2-year college transcript had not been included, (I honestly thought I had included this in my transfer application, but seemingly missed it as I was filling out multiple applications for multiple institutions), I submitted the transcript and after (stupidly with an air of impatience) going to the registrars office and questioning when they would transfer the credits regarding this (because they would cover some major requirements I needed to complete for my degree), was told because I had not submitted the transcript during my application that they were going view this as a case of academic dishonesty. I immediately apologized and explained that I thought I had submitted it, and I must have genuinely forgot, they responded with “we’ll be in contact…” I didn’t sleep for a month, until I saw on my unofficial transcript that the credits had been transferred, as well there was NO mark or indication on my academic transcripts denoting any kind of ‘Institutional Action,’ against me. I never received/heard a single word, email, phone call about what transpired from the registrars office. This was over 2 years ago. I figure they just ‘let it go’ or forgot about it?

Here’s the kicker and where I should have thought farther into the future… the 1st State X 2-year that I had attended when I first moved here was also not submitted or received by my current school. (I made C’s in all 4 classes, none of which pertain to my majors, and as well, I paid out-of-state/non-resident tuition for these 4 classes before I stopped going, so there NO FAFSA paper trail with this school. I do currently receive financial aid from my current university.) In hindsight I should have been more forward and also alerted them to this other ‘discrepancy’ during the whole inquiry of this, but omitted it out of fear of getting into even more deep trouble, (“Haha oops I also forgot to submit this OTHER transcript on my application, silly me amiright guys?”

My worry is that this one missing transcript may come back to haunt me in some way, and wondering what I should do about it. Do I again dare to disturb the sleeping giant that is my university’s academic judicial/affairs system and proactively/preemptively approach the office’s again (I doubt after 2+ years they remember me or my ‘case’, which apparently there never was one) and play dumb, pleading for mercy and forgiveness and acting genuinely like it was some clerical bureaucratic error, like claiming that I did try and submit it during my first ‘brush’ and it was their or the 2-year schools mistake?

vs.

just leave it unsaid and hope this ‘skeleton in the closet’ is never discovered?

I’m also curious if schools do random/regular educational history audits on current students and students applying to graduate?

I’ve had quite the life story going from a <2.00 cgpa to an honors >3.50 cgpa, which hasn’t been easy, I hate the thought of losing all my hard work and future opportunities because of 4 classes. I’m also now applying to professional school (one of which is part of my current university)

(Aside tongue lashings and judgments of my moral character) I’d really appreciate any advice on this subject, especially from people who have been in similar situations. Please and thanks for your time.

-life long ding-dong

2

Just to clarify, when you applied to your current university, you listed ALL the prior schools on your application? It’s just a matter of whether or not they received the transcripts from those schools?

3

Yes, colleges and universities do audit their files. And yes, very bad things can happen to students whose files are missing. I was almost booted from a grad program for a missing transcript for 6 credits earned in a summer session more than 30 years earlier. I had the transcript sent. They received it, then lost it. I had it sent again. They didn’t lose it, and my paperwork was cleared. I spent a lot of time on the phone with them for a couple of months!

So, stop by the recorders office. Tell them that you’ve heard bad things about people with multiple old transcripts who got in big trouble because one was missing, and that you want to verify that all of your records are completely in order. Feel free to use me as an example of a person whose paperwork did indeed get lost. If they determine that one (or more) of yours “never arrived” or “maybe it just got lost”, then cheerfully arrange to have it sent so that your file can be complete. Make a date to re-check that it has indeed arrived, and do that.

Wishing you all the best as you sort out your paperwork issues!

4

I thought I had listed them, but I had not…

5

So they may audit my file just randomly? Would a FERPA block prevent them from detecting this?
happymomof1, thank you, is there a more elegant way to approach them and act naive to the whole thing? Also did you list all your schools when you applied? I checked my initial application and found I had not.

You think I could just play it off as, “I requested BOTH the transcripts the first time I was here, you only received one?”

6

No, you cannot use FERPA to not share prior institutions attended. Because there are such strict rules for compliance regarding Federal Financial Aid, schools submit enrollment data to the National Student Clearinghouse. If the Clearinghouse indicates a student attended prior schools the current institution does not know about, it will trigger an investigation. The audit won’t be random, but will be in response to data received by the Clearinghouse.

7

I did not receive financial aid from the 1st cc-state-X school, paid out of pocket, does this variable change anything?.

I’m thinking it would be best to just come forward with it?

8

One question - does the second state X cc know you were at the missing transcript school? I ask that because of how my school handled transfer credits. What my school did was have transfers listed as whatever their course name was at that school under a transfer heading. For example, my transcript says I transferred in “Politics for Non-Majors” when really I took AP gov. with a 5. If I had transferred, “Politics for Non-Majors” would show up at the new school even though strictly speaking I never took it. If those classes were documented somewhere, it wouldn’t look like you were hiding them. Also what is your graduating school’s policy regarding GPA and transfer courses? Those two things are what would make or break an academic dishonesty case. If your missing courses show up somewhere and your grades in those wouldn’t affect your GPA, it’s not nearly as big of a deal as if those classes would lower your GPA now. If those classes would lower your current GPA, that doesn’t look good. That looks like you were hiding those courses. It looks better for you if you bring it up rather than if they find it on their own. Oops, mea culpa.

I wouldn’t ignore it because it’s always best to deal with problems as they come up. You don’t want this popping up again when you’re in grad school, do you? My approach would be to go to them pretending you don’t KNOW there’s a problem, but under a, “I’m graduating soon and just want to make sure all my ducks are in a row for grad school.”

9

Yes, second state X cc was aware, in fact I requested a transcript evaluation from them to see where all my credit work had put me. Met with an advisor, who did a preliminary evaluation, and had me request a formal one to transfer the credits over, which I did; unfortunately (and honest to god, i’m not making this up) I just saw no indication of my transfer credits placed on my transfer school on the unofficial transcript that I can view, (maybe they’d appear on the official?), I do actually have a photo of the evaluation signed off and done by the advisor.

I worked it out and calculated that the classes and grade points only banged both my transfer GPA and current GPA down by .06 , so not a whole lot. One class doesn’t count because it’s not ‘college level’.

10

Go to the Recorders Office tomorrow. Tell them that you just want to verify everything. If/When they determine that things are missing, do your part to get everything fixed.

I had not sent the missing transcript because the credits were recorded as transferred on another transcript, and at the time I thought it might be enough. I don’t recall being asked to list the places I’d attended, just to send transcripts. Come to think of it now, I should have known better, as I had managed to dig up all of my transcripts for a previous grad program. Such a pain because live signatures were required, not just phone calls or internet requests. I may have had to fax stuff too. The last time I needed transcripts, I ordered five of everything and stuck the sealed spares in a file for later.

Colleges and universities do audit randomly, they also occasionally audit completely. That is when my situation was identified. It was in preparation for an upcoming visit of the accreditation team. The team pulls files randomly for audit. Incomplete files can mean that the university’s accreditation is threatened. This is a really, really, big deal for them. But, truth be told, it is much more about the colleges and universities playing nice with each other than it is about any one student. So go fix it.

11

asking to verify wouldn’t seem a little ‘peculiar’? Is there another way to approach this? Like “omg! I just noticed that that my 3 classes on a transcript were missing, i’m sorry, please forgive me.”

This sucks. Don’t do be like me kids.

12

As well, should I just order the transcript and not say anything to registrars office? Maybe they’d be too flooded dealing with the current application cycle to really notice? Or should I bring it to their attention while expressing my concern?

13

Don’t say anything more than necessary. Just ask them to verify that you have met all the requirements for graduation. Small schools tend to audit all the seniors when they apply to graduate, but they have far fewer to audit than a state school. At the same time, a state school has more staff to do the auditing.

14

Graduation is bit aways, I wont be done until next Winter or Spring quarter, why would I ask them to verify now, when I already do not have all the requirements completed?

15

Ask them to verify now because you have transferred so much and you want to be ahead of the game. You have a bunch of possible credits from several places and you want to make sure that everything is on the up and up.

Not to mention of course that if there turn out to be things that have to be sorted out, you have time to get them sorted.

Sending good thoughts your way!

16

immensely appreciate this, thank you.