Oregon Statutes 350.210 – Prohibition against withholding transcript for student debt
(1) A post-secondary institution of education that is based in this state may not:
Terms Used In Oregon Statutes 350.210
- Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.
- Transcript: A written, word-for-word record of what was said, either in a proceeding such as a trial or during some other conversation, as in a transcript of a hearing or oral deposition.
(a) Refuse to provide a transcript for a current or former student because the student owes a debt to the institution;
(b) Charge a higher fee for obtaining a transcript to a current or former student because the student owes a debt to the institution; or
(c) Use the issuance of a transcript as a tool for debt collection.
(2) As used in this section:
(a)(A) ‘Debt’ means any money, obligation, claim or sum, due or owed, or alleged to be due or owed, from a student that appears on the student’s account at the post-secondary institution of education.
(B) ‘Debt’ does not mean the fee, if any, that is charged to all students for the actual cost of providing a transcript.
(b) ‘Transcript’ means the statement of a student’s academic record, including an official transcript, a certified statement of a student’s academic record or an uncertified statement of a student’s academic record, that is provided by a post-secondary institution of education. [2023 c.284 § 1]
350.210 first applies to the 2024-2025 academic year. See section 2, chapter 284, Oregon Laws 2023.
Sections 3 and 4, chapter 284, Oregon Laws 2023, provide:
No later than September 15, 2024, each post-secondary institution of education that is based in this state shall file a report with the Higher Education Coordinating Commission. The report shall include the following information for the 2023-2024 academic year:
(1) The number of current and former students at the institution who owe a debt to the institution; and
(2) The institution’s policy and procedures on phasing out transcript holds. [2023 c.284 § 3]
Section 3 of this 2023 Act is repealed on July 2, 2025. [2023 c.284 § 4]