Institutional accreditation is an important factor for U.S. institutions in determining if credit or degrees from another institution will be accepted. However, accreditation as we understand it does not often exist outside the United States. This 60-Second Survey, in partnership with the Association of International Credential Evaluators (AICE)…

This report explores how to make educational systems more inclusive and responsive to transgender, non-binary, and Two Spirit (TNB2S) applicants and students. This is achieved through two broad means, namely using systems to: (1) collect and store relevant personal information (including name and pronouns) to inform and support respectful…

The American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRO) examined eight areas of research interest to our members in 2018. They had enough longitudinal data to make comparisons of 2018 data to years past. For example, they repeated the registrar's career profile report and learned there will be a large number of…

U.S. colleges and universities are sites where cultural norms such as genderism and transphobia are reified through institutional policies and practices. Any place on the college campus that segregates students by sex and gender can serve to limit access and success of trans* students. In order to gain insight into how key institutional agents…

Having spent many years in registration and records, the authors of this article write that they often are struck by the number of higher education professionals with advanced degrees who choose not to contribute to the literature. Registrars and admissions officers know student data better than any others on campus. Often considered the hub of…

Phillip Henry is a semi-retired former U.K. Registrar and Secretary with almost 40 years' experience in higher education. He has been active in staff development in the United Kingdom (Association of University Administrators, Academic Registrars Council, and Association of Heads of University Administration), in the United States (AACRAO and a…

A visiting student is a student who moves from their home institution where he or she is registered usually in a degree program, to take a specified number of courses or credits at another institution. Students may or may not hold a letter of permission. Most of these students later return to the home institution and request transfer credit for…

This qualitative study used interviews to explore perceptions of the management and leadership role of the higher education registrar and the skills needed to fulfill that role. The findings reveal a variety of factors that were considered to impact the registrars role as a campus leader. There findings can help registrars find ways to maximize…

The January 2016 American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO) "60 Second Survey" focused on institutional Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) training practices and measuring the level of interest in an AACRAO-developed online FERPA training module. The survey received 878 usable responses.…

The higher education landscape has changed significantly over the past decade as advances in technology and the proliferation of data have rapidly reshaped the work of the registrar. Despite these innovations, many registrars steadfastly resist changing the academic transcript, arguing that it must reflect the highly structured curriculum that…

The article explores the role of the Registrar (Chief Operating Officer) in a university, and the ways in which we value the contributions of professional, managerial and administrative (PMA) staff. It assesses the conditions in which PMA staff work and describes the professional development opportunities they enjoy. The article goes on to analyse…

Interest on the part of the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO) Board of Directors in the development of a set of descriptions of the core competencies for AACRAO professions goes back several years, with more active discussion beginning in 2011 under the leadership of AACRAO President Nora McLaughlin. At…

The origins of the registrar's office are complex. According to common tradition, the registrar was, or evolved from, the office of the beadle (sometimes referred to as "bedel") in the medieval university. This tradition is incorrect; the story is more complex. The beadle sometimes performed functions similar to those performed by the…

Low student retention and persistence continues to be a major problem within American higher education (Elkins, Braxton, & James, 2000; Kalsbeek & Hossler, 2010; Kezar, 2004; Tinto, 2006-2007). Less is known about the institutional organizational behavior influence on student persistence (Berger, 2001-2002); and while enrollment management…

For most of his career, the author served as a registrar at Brigham Young University. He has come to understand something about leadership and what it requires to really make a difference in the lives of students as they pursue their education and life dreams. In this article, he shares lessons that he hopes will be beneficial to all his…