University withholding transcript

[Merlin]

But, if you don't tell the new school that you attended the previous one, how would they know to look for that transcript?  I've gone to lots of schools, and when I applied to WGU, I totally forgot about one of the schools that I attended for a semester and nothing negative happened because of it.  They also let me start without getting a transcript from one of the schools, because it wouldn't have made a difference on the transfer since I already had similar credits for electives from other sources.  I've found that the "require all transcripts" rule isn't always 100%, there are ways around it.

On a personal note, I should find that template that one of the users on this forum made for an unofficial master transcript so I can actually keep track of all of the schools I've attended and I don't forget something the next time I have to send all of my transcripts somewhere.

Pretty much every legitimate U.S. college or university supplies academic records to the National Student Clearinghouse. Schools and employers can check there to see where you've attended in the past. If you have earned credits somewhere and still have unsettled debt, your school will find out during the degree audit, even if you don't report it directly. Not every school does a credit verification during the degree audit but most of the good ones will. I know at least one person who's graduation was held up until they paid back a debt to an old community college.

Either way, it's never a good idea to default on a debt with a university or college since you may want to go back to school in the future. It will catch up with you eventually. It's always best to arrange a payment plan and/or try to negotiate a lower payoff amount to settle the account.