Policy for Obtaining Transcripts and/or Diploma(s) 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 UIC 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: immediate family (i.e. spouse, parent, sibling or surviving child), executor of the estate, 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. And deceased student record must indicate the student is deceased*.

If a request is submitted by someone other than persons listed above, it will be reviewed and evaluated by the Registrar based on the individual merits of the request and the University reserves the right to deny the request in whole or to release only part of the academic records that are requested.

The Office of the University Registrar does not release academic records of deceased students to the news media or for research purposes.

Request:

The requester may submit a written request or complete the Deceased Student Record Request form to the Office of the Registrar which must include the following information:

Deceased student’s name while enrolled (and former name, if applicable)

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

 

  • Deceased student’s date of birth
  • Approximate dates of enrollment
  • Copy of the official death certificate or obituary notice. **
  • Requester’s Name
  • Requester’s mailing address
  • Requester’s preferred email address
  • Requester’s preferred phone number
  • Documentation of the relationship of the requester to the deceased ***
  • Reason for the request
  • Requester’s signature

 

* Notification of a deceased student death must be reported to the Dean of Student (DOS) by calling 312-996-4857, who in turn will notify the appropriate University officials to have the students records noted.
** If an original death certificate is provided, it will be photocopied for the college’s records and returned to the requester.
*** 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. If the survivor is a spouse, the marriage certificate is appropriate documentation.