Transcripts for Deceased Students

Policy for Obtaining Transcripts for Deceased Students

FERPA rights end upon a student's death, and the decision to release the transcript of a deceased student becomes a matter of institutional policy. Because Southwestern Christian University considers security of records a serious matter, the following policy has been put into place to ensure the appropriate release of private information.

POLICY
Transcripts of a deceased student may be released upon the request of the following: spouse, parent, executor of the estate, surviving child, or pursuant to a court order or subpoena. All financial obligations must be resolved with the business office before official transcripts are released unless the release of transcripts is court ordered or subpoenaed. A request to waive financial obligations must be made in writing to the Business Office and approved before transcripts of the deceased will be released.

The requester must submit a request in writing to the Office of the Registrar which must include the following information:

  1. Deceased student's name while enrolled (and former name, if applicable)
  2. Deceased student's social security number (if applicable), student ID number (if known), or if the student was international copies of other official forms of identification, i.e. passport, visa
  3. Deceased student's date of birth
  4. Approximate dates of enrollment
  5. Copy of the official death certificate or obituary notice. *
  6. Requester’s Name
  7. Requester’s mailing address
  8. Requester’s preferred email address
  9. Requester’s preferred phone number
  10. Documentation of the relationship of the requester to the deceased **
  11. Reason for the request
  12. Requester’s signature

 

* If an original death certificate is provided, it will be photocopied for the college's records and returned to the requester with the transcript.

** If the requester is a surviving child, the request should be accompanied by the survivor's birth certificate. Most United States birth certificates list the child's parents' names and are compared to the death certificate. The original birth certificate will be photocopied for the college's record and returned to the requester with the transcript. If the survivor is a spouse, the marriage certificate is appropriate documentation.