University withholding transcript

[sanantone]

Filing bankruptcy over $6,000 in debt is extreme. That'll ruin your credit for years. Certain types of employers do credit checks. I've had credit checks done on me for law enforcement, tax enforcement, and even a substance abuse counselor internship. It was probably because the place distributed methadone, and they didn't want someone in a desperate financial situation or with a history of poor judgment.

When students owe money to a school, it's often because the school was required to send financial aid back. This usually happens when you fail or drop classes after the drop date. So, the government already got the money you weren't entitled to, but the school had to come out of pocket for it and wants that money back.

WGU is one of the strictest schools I've come across. If they somehow find out that you omitted the school, then they will require that transcript. WGU went through my TESU transcript line by line and demanded everything. You can request to exclude a transcript, but I'm not sure what their policy is on approving exclusion requests. I only asked to exclude transcripts from CLEP, DSST, and a school where I wasn't a degree-seeking student.

There are schools that will let you enroll without all of your transcripts, but they will require them before you graduate. This might be considered bad debt advice, but you can use your financial aid refunds to pay down the $6,000. That's a better option than filing for bankruptcy. If you're receiving a grant at a cheap school, such as a community college, you wouldn't incur any debt when they send you a check for excess aid.

I wouldn't risk lying by omission on your applications. Some people get away with it, but others have been kicked out or had their degrees revoked. Imagine doing all of that work just to have your degree taken away. If you ever received financial aid at a school and you try to get financial aid at another school, the new school can find out where you previously attended. Reporting to the National Student Clearinghouse is voluntary, but almost every regionally accredited school does.