CIM Deleted Records Older than 25 years

[dleewo]

My wife has an interesting dilemma and I'm looking for advice.

Approximately 30 years ago, she obtained a diploma from The Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM).  This was equivalent to a Bachelors.

She is now trying to apply to apply to do a Masters in Legal Studies in the US and has to get WES to do what they do to let the schools she is applying to know it's equivalent to a Bachelors.  The program requires a Bachelors degree to be accepted.

The problem is that CIM has DELETED all records older than 25 years.  They even sent her a letter stating as such.  Apparently this was done due to various privacy laws in the UK.

She is reaching out to WES to see what can be done and she is talking to FSU (Florida State University) trying to explain what is going on and to see how she can move forward with her application.

All my wife has is an old letter from CIM that has the courses she took and the grades she got.  

Hah anyone been in this situation where your school records were purged and were you still able to get into grad school?

[Heartstrings]

My wife has an interesting dilemma and I'm looking for advice.

Approximately 30 years ago, she obtained a diploma from The Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM).  This was equivalent to a Bachelors.

She is now trying to apply to apply to do a Masters in Legal Studies in the US and has to get WES to do what they do to let the schools she is applying to know it's equivalent to a Bachelors.  The program requires a Bachelors degree to be accepted.

The problem is that CIM has DELETED all records older than 25 years.  They even sent her a letter stating as such.  Apparently this was done due to various privacy laws in the UK.

She is reaching out to WES to see what can be done and she is talking to FSU (Florida State University) trying to explain what is going on and to see how she can move forward with her application.

All my wife has is an old letter from CIM that has the courses she took and the grades she got.  

Hah anyone been in this situation where your school records were purged and were you still able to get into grad school?

This is such a unqiue situation. I live in the US and most records for just about anything is usually kept. I had a boss who needed his transcripts and was able to get a copy and he graduated college in the 1970s. A lot of times the universities will send the transcripts to a company called Parchment which keeps a record of the schools we went too. It may seem like it but 30 yrs ago was not that long ago. I really hope you find a resolution to all of this.

[Avidreader]

In Mexico, when universities close due to money constraints, the student records are still preserved in the central Secretary of Education HQ office in Mexico City. So even when a school had vanished for a decade or more, students can still obtain a copy of their records.

Does the UK have a similar central office in London that stores all student records? Destroying everything would cause heaps of problems, especially if someone enters political office and someone claims they are lying about having college degrees they attained in their youth.

[ss20ts]

I wonder if the issue is that this is not a college? Getting records that old isn't always easy. My high school transcripts are on paper in storage somewhere so whenever I have needed them, it has taken weeks to get them and they're not nice about it. I keep waiting for them to tell me to pound sand.

[dleewo]

I wonder if the issue is that this is not a college? Getting records that old isn't always easy. My high school transcripts are on paper in storage somewhere so whenever I have needed them, it has taken weeks to get them and they're not nice about it. I keep waiting for them to tell me to pound sand.

You're right.  "Today" CIM partners with actual schools so apparently the schools can hold the records.  But at the time my wife did her diploma, they didn't have those arrangements.  So they are just a private organization and can't/couldn't hold on to the records for data privacy purposes.

[bjcheung77]

Derek, please have your wife fill in the addendum and template here, it'll provide a bigger overall picture of the situation. With the info you currently have, and the newer details within the link, we'll probably have a few options for you to consider, even one that may be controversial: https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/Thread-...Area-works

[dleewo]

@bjcheung77 - I assume you meant that I post the info in this thread. If you meant that I should start a new thread, let me know and I'll do so

I'm filling out this information on behalf of my wife...


Your Location: TX

Your Age: 57

What kind of degree do you want?: Masters in Legal Studies with a focus on Compliance and Regulation (currently looking at FSU and Texas A&M)

Current Regional Accredited Credits: None

Current ACE, CLEP, or NCCRS Credits: None

Any certifications or military experience?: CIM Diploma from 30 years ago. MBA from Heriot Watt (UK). She is also an IRS Enrolled Agent and has done the CFP (Certified Financial Planner) course work

Budget: $50K

Commitments: Working full-time

Dedicated time to study: 10-20 hours

Timeline: 2 years

Tuition assistance/reimbursement: None


She has been talking to the folks at FSU to see if she can be admitted and they are supposed to get back to her. WES is also looking into her case to see if there is anything they can do.

[davewill]

...
She has been talking to the folks at FSU to see if she can be admitted and they are supposed to get back to her.  WES is also looking into her case to see if there is anything they can do.

Does she have any documentation of her degree? Anything she can provide might make a difference.

[allvia]

I'm aware that the MBA from Heriot Watt (UK) doesn't require a bachelor, but the schools here in the US won't accept the MBA transcript as 'enough' for admission? It is far from being some unknown program they wouldn't be familiar with.

[freeloader]

If you haven’t already, I would contact the British Consulate in Houston. Your wife can’t be the first person with a British qualification who has had their records purged and needed confirmation of their qualifications.

I would also reach out to a few of the foreign educational reviewers/credential evaluators to see if they have dealt with this and what sort of documentation they might require.

Curious also what sort of documentation she has from CIM. Does she have a certificate, diploma, or similar showing her qualification?  Transcripts, academic records, or similar showing the courses she took, exams she sat, on the job experience completed, and similar?  Do you have (of can CIM provide) the study plan that was in place when your wife earned her credential?

Even if you can’t get anything specifically about your wife from CIM because of the records purge, I wonder if you could build a package of information, including the records purging letter, study plan, and perhaps a statement from the consulate, that an evaluator might consider.  

If you haven’t already, I would contact the universities which your wife is considering and explain the situation. They may have greater latitude on admissions decisions than what the website/catalog states. Of course, they may not, but never hurts to ask.

My final thought: how committed is she to a master’s degree in legal studies from and American university?  If ask because there are UK master of laws (LLM) courses that would likely admit her and would likely teach similar content. Neither would qualify her as a lawyer, of course. What is she wanting to do with the legal studies degree?