Found Elusive Anecdote of What Can Happen if You Don't Disclose All Previous Colleges

[sanantone]

Colleges usually have a policy that you will no longer be considered for admission, expelled, or have your degree revoked if you omit previous colleges from your application. A common question is, "How can a school find out?" The common answers are through financial aid and the National Student Clearinghouse. On another forum, a student decided to request a FERPA block with the National Student Clearinghouse; however, I believe it's still possible for colleges to share information with each other without permission for educational purposes.

Anyway, I've been looking for examples of people getting caught and finally found them.

You are mistaken, my friend. I attended two schools in spring 2006, but I forgot all about the second school (I only took one class there, and the rest of my classes were taken at the first school). I did not list the school on my application. USC sent me a request for transcripts from the second school in April. I called the admissions office to inform them that I simply forgot about the second school I attended. The lady on the other end of the phone said, "That's okay. That's what the National Student Clearinghouse is for." She then told me to send a detailed letter explaining why I didn't list the second school on my application, because omitting information is grounds for automatic rejection. I explained what happened in a letter, and I ordered a rush copy of my transcripts. It worked out for me, but I am living proof that USC cross-checks applicants through the clearinghouse. There is no way they would have known I attended the second institution otherwise.

Transfer to another college and not provide previous school's transcript? - Page 8 - College Confidential


This one is not clear. I don't know if the person got caught not listing the school or that he/she did list the school on the application, and the transcript either didn't make it to the school or was lost. I also don't know if it varies by accreditor, but I know of graduate schools that don't require transcripts from junior colleges. It doesn't seem to be an issue with their accreditors.

I was almost thrown out of a graduate program that I was halfway through when the university realized that one (yes 1) transcript was missing from my file. In fact, even after it was delivered to them, and recorded as arriving, they managed to lose it again and I had to have it sent again. We are talking about a 30 year old transcript for 8 undergraduate credits taken in summer school! When I asked why they cared, the registrar (not a filing clerk) himself told me that missing transcripts can mean lost accreditation. No college or university wants to lose accreditation, they'd rather lose a student (or potential student).

Not Sending Transcripts from Certain Institutions. - College Confidential

[sanantone]

I found more examples.

I tried this once. I got accepted to the university and had forgotten to include a transcript from a summer community college course that I'd taken as a freshman in high school. I genuinely forgot to include it.

Anyhow I got a call saying that my acceptance was revoked, and when I visited the administrative office to try and explain, they accused me outright of deliberately covering it up in order to improve my chances of getting into their university (the grade had been a C, which lowered my overall GPA by just a smidge).

I was allowed to appeal their decision, but my appeal was rejected. And that's the story of how I was kicked out of university before I ever got to attend a single class (but not, I'm happy to say, before I'd already gotten my school ID, so I did wind up being able to draw upon some benefits).

I work with transfer students. What mskyle says is true, and I have actually been involved in a situation where a student got kicked out of my university because she didn't disclose one of the other institutions she had attended. Her case is more worst-case though, because she had been dismissed from that institution.

Can I etchasketch my education history? - college admissions communitycollege | Ask MetaFilter

I don't know if this university has only caught omissions because of transfer credits found on a submitted transcript.

At the university where I work, the registrar's office often catches undeclared transcripts and will reject an admissions application until all transcripts are submitted. You might be able to get away with classes that did not transfer, but if you transferred any credit to another school, it usually shows up on the transcript.

Did you ever exclude any schools you attended from your application? Consequences?

Here is something official.

Below said 95 percent of all college attendance records are documented in the National Student Clearinghouse, a centralized database in the U.S. If a student applies at Southeast who did not just graduate from high school, Southeast has access to the National Student Clearinghouse system, called Student Tracker, which allows Southeast to view other colleges and universities that a student attended.

"On a college side we want to know everywhere they have attended," Below said. "I don't think all universities go to that extent and check the National Student Clearinghouse the same way, but we do because we know it's common for students to not disclose all the universities that they have attended. However, on an international landscape, obviously there is not a centralized database that tells us if a student has attended somewhere else."

The Arrow: Local News: University officials say they correctly followed admission process in Nafis case (11/05/12)

[Saharapost]

This is an eye opener for someone like me. Thanks. Does the National Student Clearinghouse partners with NA schools too? I was wondering whether someone who does not disclose his or her DETC credits (eg Penn Foster) may encounter same problem. How about a situation where one drops out of RA college? Does the Clearing House holds record of such person?

[sanantone]

I don't know if NA colleges are included, but for any college that is included, you will be recorded as having been a student if you ever enrolled.

[sanantone]

Here is a list of all participating colleges.
EnrollmentVerify Schools | National Student Clearinghouse