Release of Academic Transcripts

1. Releasing Academic Transcripts

East Carolina University’s Office of the University Registrar is the official custodian of student transcripts and records of student enrollment and academic standing. This policy governs the process in which educational records will be released, and to whom.

• 1.1. Requests for Academic Transcripts:
  • 1.1.1. In compliance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, the Office of the University Registrar requires the written consent of the student prior to releasing the academic transcript.
    • 1.1.1.1. Written consent may come in person, or by fax or mail.
    • 1.1.1.2. Email from the student’s ECU email account may be accepted in lieu of a signature.
    • 1.1.1.3. Email from a non-ECU email account may be accepted if the student includes a
      scanned copy of their signature. A computer generated signature will not be
      accepted.
• 1.2. Transcripts will not be released to any student with a hold on their academic record, that prohibits the release of an academic transcript.
  • 1.2.1. The only exception to this is if the department which issued the hold grants permission for the hold to be temporarily lifted for the transcript to be released.
• 1.3. Release of transcripts to a third party:
  • 1.3.1. If a third party would like to request a copy of a student’s transcript, and they do not have the student’s written consent, one of the following must be provided:
    • 1.3.1.1. The student must have a valid Buckley form completed via OneStop. The transcript may only be provided to the requesting party, and not sent to another recipient.
    • 1.3.1.2. The third party may fax in a copy of their most recent tax return. The tax form must list the student as a dependent. The transcript may only be provided to the requesting party, and not sent to another recipient.
    • 1.3.1.3. The third party must hold a valid Power of Attorney. In this instance, the transcript may be provided to the requesting party, or sent to another recipient. The Power of Attorney allows the individual to request a transcript to be sent to whomever they request.
• 1.4. Deceased Student records
  • 1.4.1. The education records of deceased students may be released or disclosed, at the time of death, upon receipt of a written request, to a spouse, a parent, the executor of estate, the eldest surviving child, the eldest surviving sibling, and surviving descendent, or pursuant to a court order or lawfully issued subpoena. Only the University Registrar may release the academic record of deceased students.
  • 1.4.2. The person requesting the records must provide as much of the following information as possible within the written request to the Registrar:
    • 1.4.2.1. Student’s Name
    • 1.4.2.2. Student’s social security or student identification number
    • 1.4.2.3. Student’s date of birth
    • 1.4.2.4. The dates that the deceased student attended East Carolina University
    • 1.4.2.5. Death certificate (a photocopy is acceptable)
  • 1.4.3. The petitioner must also provide the following personal information within the written request:
    • 1.4.3.1. Name
    • 1.4.3.2. Address
    • 1.4.3.3. Telephone number
    • 1.4.3.4. Evidence that she/he is qualified to receive the records, based upon the criteria listed in 1.4.2, or in absence of evidence, a notarized statement certifying the same
    • 1.4.3.5. Signature
    • 1.4.3.6. Date of request
• 1.5. Third Parties Picking Up Student Transcripts
  • 1.5.1. If someone would like to pick up a copy of a student’s transcript, one of the following must occur:
    • 1.5.1.1. The student must fax or mail in a written statement identifying the person to whom they are granting permission to pick up the transcript. The statement must have the student’s written signature. A computer generated signature will not be accepted.
    • 1.5.1.2. The person picking up the transcript may bring in a signed statement (formal or informal) from the student identifying who has permission to pick up the transcript. For example, a simple statement such as, I, John Smith, give Jane Doe permission to pick up my transcript for me, would be sufficient.
    • 1.5.1.3. The statement should contain the student’s identification number, or full name and date of birth or the person bringing the request to the office may give this information to us. The person picking up the transcript must show a photo ID and pay for the transcript.

2. Release of Another Institution’s Transcript

• 2.1. In compliance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, East Carolina University will not release another institution’s transcript to a third party, including the student.
  • 2.1.1. The Office of the University Registrar may make available to academic departments on campus copies of another institution’s transcript for advising purposes only.
  • 2.1.2. If the issuing institution will only issue one copy to a student, the University Registrar may make an exception.

3. Transcript Fees

• 3.1. The Office of the University Registrar only releases official copies of transcripts. The only exception is transcripts that are faxed and departmental copies of transcripts for advising purposes.
• 3.2. There is a charge for academic transcripts, approved by the Board of Governors. This charge applies to all currently enrolled and former students (including faculty and staff members at East Carolina University).
• 3.3. There is an additional $5.00 charge for faxing a transcript to a recipient in the United States.
• 3.4. There is an additional $15 charge for faxing a transcript to an international recipient.
  • 3.4.1. The requestor must provide an email address as contact information.
  • 3.4.2. If the transcript request does not transmit successfully within the first 48 hours, the Office of the University Registrar will contact the requestor via email to verify the number. The student may provide a secondary number at that time. Should that number not be successful, then the Office of the University Registrar will contact the requestor for a mailing address for the transcript.