"California led the nation in 2020, outlawing a debt collection practice that sometimes kept low-income college students from getting jobs or advanced degrees. But five years later, 24 of the state's 115 community colleges still said on their websites that students with unpaid balances could lose access to their transcripts, according to a recent UC Merced survey. The communications failure has been misleading, student advocates said, although overall, students have benefited from the law."
"It "raises questions about what actual institutional practices are at colleges and the extent to which colleges know the law and are fully compliant with the law," said Charlie Eaton, a UC Merced sociology professor who led the research team that conducted the survey in October. California community colleges say they are following the law, which prohibits them from refusing to release the grades of a student who owes money to the school - anywhere from a $25 library fine to unpaid tuition."
California outlawed withholding transcripts for unpaid debts in 2020, but 24 of 115 community colleges still posted warnings that unpaid balances could block transcripts, per a UC Merced survey. Advocates called the website messages misleading, though the law has benefited students. Researchers question colleges' awareness and compliance. Colleges assert compliance and the chancellor's office says any remaining warnings are errors and has instructed campuses to update pages, citing small web teams and occasional delays. Some colleges said the language was outdated and agreed to remove it after inquiry. Transcripts are essential for proving credits to other schools or employers.
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