university with holding transcripts

My question is as follows:

Is it legal for an American University to with hold a students transcripts if that student owes the university money?

I attended the American University of Paris, in France for three years between 1988-1991. There was a dispute about money that they claim i owe them. I refused to pay, and they have subsequently refused to release my transcripts.

I am 1 semester shy of my degree and need those transcripts to finish, so i can attend graduate school in the near future. The university gets its accredation from a University in the USA, and i belive it is under American Law.

Any advice would greatly help, thank you, jon:

I'm not a lawyer, but I am having the same problem... the only answer I got here was to pay. (Which I'm in the process of... I just wanted an idea of what was going to transfer.)

From the research that I've done, it's kind of a mixed bag. From what I can tell, they cannot deny you access to *see* your grades because that's a violation of FERPA. But they can refuse to hand them over to a third party until your debt is clear. (I think in your case, you might pay them to release and if you have the documentation to dispute the amount owed, then go back for it.)

For research purposes, you can check out FERPA (Federal Education Rights and Privacy Act... available through the US Department of Education) and also check out the National Association of Registrars.

I don't know if this will pertain to the specific university you attended because it is out of the country, though.

I hope this can be of some assistance.

Good luck!!