Statutory Authority: O.C.G.A. §§ 20-3-250.5(b)(2); 20-3-250.6(a)(6); 20-3-250.17 

1. Student records must include the following:

  • Attendance record or equivalent measure of progress; 

  •   Ongoing grade records for current students; 

  •   Transcripts for students that are no longer enrolled (graduated or withdrawn) reflecting courses taken with credit and/or grades earned; 

    • The transcript must be held by the institution as a permanent record. 

  •   Financial ledger; 

  •   Previous education and training documents (e.g., high school diploma, GED, college transcripts, etc.); and 

  •   Student Application and/or Enrollment Agreement. 

    • GNPEC Student Disclosure Form required for unaccredited institutions. 

    • Entrance exam results (if required).  

2. The institution, while operating, must provide for the permanent storage, retrieval, confidentiality, and adequate protection of student academic records including the following: 

  • The protection of hard copies of student academic records against pilferage, fire and tampering via digital cloud storage or a second copy off-site.   

3. The institution must have established internal policies, controls, and procedures guiding the record keeping of attendance, grades, finances, enrollment, and program/course completion. 

  • In the case of institutional closure, the closing institution is responsible for teaching out currently enrolled students prior to closure or facilitating teach-out arrangements, which must be approved by the Commission, at another approved institution prior to closure.

4. Should an institution cease operation in Georgia, it must file with GNPEC (or a third party acting on behalf of GNPEC) transcripts for all former students and academic records of students that were active at the time of closure. 

5. In the event it appears to the executive director that any such records of an institution discontinuing its operations are in danger of being destroyed, secreted, mislaid, or otherwise made unavailable to the executive director, the executive director may, with court order, seize and take possession of such records, subject to the confidentiality accorded normal school records.