University of British Columbia |
Schedule No.:006-02 |
This is a recommendation to (check one):X -- Establish retention/disposal schedule | Series Title:Undergraduate Student Dockets |
Office of Primary Responsibility (OPR):Registrar's Office |
Purpose and Description of Records:This series is, in part, the hard-copy equivalent of the Academic Records (SIS) database. It contains the academic records of all undergraduate students currently attending the University, as well as those who last attended no more than five years ago. In addition to the information contained on SIS, each docket in this series may contain applications for admission and readmission; academic transcripts from other institutions; letters of reference; test scores; other supporting admissions information; visa records for foreign students; academic advising notes and comments; correspondence regarding tuition fees, registration, and other matters; details of discipline decisions; and change of name notification. This additional documentation supplements that which is available on SIS, and like that in Academic Records, is used by University staff to monitor students' academic progress while they attend the University.Dockets may also contain medical certificates, which have different retention requirements and are described under a separate RRSDA. Dockets containing disciplinary notices are stored separately. Once their penalty has been served, students may apply to the President's Office to have disciplinary notices expunged from their dockets and permanent SIS records. The standard waiting period for this is two years after graduation. |
Personal Information Bank?X -- Yes |
Vital Record?X -- Yes | Retained by:X -- Academic Year |
Retention Period (Years):Office -- 5 yrs.Records Centre / Storage -- 0 yrs. Total -- 5 yrs. |
Final Disposition:X -- Destruction |
Retention Instructions:The Registrar's Office retains the file of every undergraduate student in its entirety for five years after that student's last registration. These are then destroyed, except for: dockets containing disciplinary notices, which may be retained longer than the standard retention period, according to the terms of the penalty imposed; dockets of students involved in on-going appeals with the University, which shall be retained for the duration of the appeal process; and dockets of students who have been recognized for academic or other achievements, and those otherwise identified of being worthy of retention, which may be kept permanently.Academic offices (i.e. deans' offices, academic departments) shall retain their copies of the records kept in this series for one year after students' last registration. At the end of this retention period, these records are to be destroyed, except those of special academic or disciplinary interest. These may be sent to the Registrar's Office, which may then incorporate these files into its own records, and retain them for the maximum five year period. |
Appraisal Rationale:The retention policies outlined on this form are in accord with the policy statement entitled "Registrar's Office Student Record Retention Policy", adopted January 1992.Records kept in other offices must be retained for at least one year after a students' last registration, in accordance with the requirements of Section 31 of the British Columbia Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy (FOIPOP) Act: "If a public body uses an individual's personal information to make a decision that directly affects the individual, the public body must retain that information for at least one year after using it so that the individual has a reasonable opportunity to obtain access to it".Although student files kept by academic offices largely duplicate that which is retained by the Registrar's Office, they may contain additional information. Therefore, in order to guarantee full compliance with the FOIPOP Act, academic offices should retain those files for a full year after those students' last registration. For these reasons they should be considered vital records. Because of the bulk of these records, and the fact that any information of long-term value that they contain is stored on SIS, it would not be cost-effective to retain them beyond the retention periods described above. |
Date of Initial Publication:12 August 1997 |
Revisions: |