Quick answer
Yes. A student generally has the right to access his or her own school records and to obtain official certificates, diplomas, transcripts, grades, transfer credentials, and similar documents. Under the Education Act of 1982, students in Philippine schools have a right of access to their own school records and, subject to applicable laws and regulations, a right to the issuance of official school credentials within 30 days from request. Parents likewise have a statutory right to access official records directly relating to children under their parental responsibility. (Lawphil)
Correcting a record is different from simply obtaining a copy. If the school itself made a typographical or encoding error, the correction can ordinarily be pursued through the school and, for basic education records, through the appropriate Department of Education (DepEd) correction procedure. If the supposed “error” actually comes from the student's birth certificate or involves a legal change of name, civil status, date of birth, or another substantive fact, the underlying civil-registry or legal record may have to be corrected first. The Data Privacy Act gives a person rights of access and rectification, but that right does not bypass a court order, government-agency process, or other procedure required by law. (National Privacy Commission)
The correct office depends on the credential. Basic education records are primarily handled by the school and DepEd; college and university records by the institution's registrar and, when certification or authentication is needed, the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) or the institution concerned; and TESDA National Certificates and Certificates of Competency by the TESDA issuing office.
Know exactly which record you need
Many delays happen because the applicant asks for a “school record” without specifying the document.
For elementary and secondary education, common records include the School Form 9 (SF9), or Learner's Progress Report Card, and the School Form 10 (SF10), or Learner's Permanent Academic Record. SF10 is the standardized permanent record formerly commonly called Form 137. DepEd continues to use SF10 as the permanent academic record, including current forms for elementary, junior high school, and senior high school. (DepEd)
Other basic-education credentials may include a diploma, certificate of graduation or completion, certification of enrollment, and certified copies of records.
For college or university, the document may instead be a Transcript of Records (TOR), diploma, certificate of graduation, certificate of units earned, transfer credential, or other registrar-issued certification.
For technical-vocational qualifications, distinguish a school's training records from a TESDA National Certificate (NC) or Certificate of Competency (COC). An NC or COC is a TESDA certification and has its own replacement and correction procedure. (Tesda)
How to obtain school records
A practical approach is:
Identify the exact document and its purpose. Determine whether the receiving institution wants an ordinary copy, certified true copy, original transcript sent directly by the school, transfer credential, CAV, or Apostille. These are not interchangeable.
File a written request with the school registrar, records office, or school head. State your full name as it appeared while enrolled, present name if different, date of birth, school year or years attended, student number or Learner Reference Number if known, program or grade level, document requested, number of copies, and purpose.
Provide proof of identity and authority. Schools may reasonably verify that records are being released to the student or an authorized person. For a minor, the parent or legal guardian may exercise the learner's rights, subject to appropriate proof of relationship or authority. (National Privacy Commission)
Ask for a receiving copy, reference number, or electronic acknowledgment. The Education Act's 30-day rule makes the actual date of request important if a dispute develops. (Lawphil)
For a transfer, determine whether the record must be sent directly from school to school. Do not assume that the permanent record will simply be handed to the student.
If the school is closed or cannot locate the record, escalate to the proper regulator or records custodian. For basic education, this will ordinarily involve the appropriate Schools Division Office or DepEd Regional Office. For higher education, contact the appropriate CHED Regional Office and identify the defunct institution, campus, course, and years attended.
If a record is incorrect, separate the request for a copy from the request for correction. Obtain copies of the disputed school record and the primary documents proving the correct information before filing the correction request.
Form 137 or SF10 when transferring schools
The permanent academic record is not treated like an ordinary personal photocopy when it is being transferred for enrollment purposes.
DepEd's transfer policy provides for school-to-school transmission of the permanent record. The receiving school enrolls the learner and requests the record from the originating school, including through the Learner Information System where applicable. The originating school prepares and sends the permanent record, and the receiving school confirms receipt. (DepEd)
The standardized permanent record is now SF10. DepEd's rules specifically contemplate the receiving school requesting the original SF10 when a learner transfers, with the originating school retaining the required copy for its files. (DepEd)
Accordingly, if a new school says it needs your “original Form 137,” ask whether it will send the formal request to the former school. For current senior high school records, DepEd's 2026 service standards likewise describe issuance of SF10 from the outgoing senior high school to the receiving higher-learning institution upon a request from the receiving school. (Schools Division of Zambales)
College and university transcripts and transfer credentials
For higher education, start with the registrar of the college or university that holds the record.
CHED's Manual of Regulations for Private Higher Education makes the registrar responsible for student academic records and requires the institution to preserve their integrity and confidentiality. (Commission on Higher Education)
For an eligible student transferring from a private higher education institution, the transfer credential is to be issued not later than two weeks after the application for transfer. After receiving that credential, the admitting institution requests the complete school records or transcript from the previous institution, which is required to forward the records directly to the admitting institution within 30 days from receipt of the request. The rules also contemplate direct institution-to-institution transmission rather than simply handing the transfer record to the student, unless the receiving institution authorizes otherwise. (Commission on Higher Education)
This transfer procedure should not be confused with a graduate simply requesting a personal certified copy of a TOR for employment, licensure, immigration, or another purpose.
Can a school refuse to release records because of unpaid fees?
There are important qualifications to the general right to school credentials.
For private basic-education schools, the Revised Manual of Regulations for Private Schools permits the withholding of transfer credentials for specified reasons, including nonpayment of financial obligations or property responsibility and certain disciplinary situations. It also provides that where a school unjustifiably refuses to issue transfer credentials or student records after due inquiry, DepEd may issue the records, without prejudice to appropriate administrative sanctions against the school. (DepEd)
For private higher education, CHED regulations likewise tie release of records and transfer credentials to outstanding financial or property obligations and disciplinary status. (Commission on Higher Education)
These provisions should not be read as permission to invent arbitrary conditions or to withhold every document for any alleged debt. The exact credential requested, the nature of the obligation, the type of institution, and the applicable regulation matter. A student facing a refusal should ask the school to state in writing the precise record being withheld, the amount or obligation asserted, and the legal or regulatory basis for withholding it.
Non-attendance at graduation ceremonies is not a proper reason to deny a graduate's grades, diploma, or other credentials. DepEd has specifically instructed schools that non-attendance and nonpayment of graduation fees should not be used to withhold such credentials when requested. (DepEd)
Correcting a mistake in elementary or high-school records
For DepEd records, first determine whether the problem is truly a school-record typographical error.
DepEd's Citizen's Charter describes its correction service as a remedy for errors in scholastic records that are purely typographical in nature and can be corrected through a resolution directing the correction. DepEd's 2026 Citizen's Charter continues to list correction of entries in school records as an official service. (DepEd)
The published DepEd checklist has required a request letter, the affected diploma and permanent record, school-head certification or endorsement, a PSA-issued Certificate of Live Birth, an affidavit of discrepancy, affidavits of two disinterested persons, proof of identity, and, where applicable, a Special Order of Graduation for a private-school graduate. An authorized representative must also establish authority to act for the applicant. (DepEd)
The safest sequence is therefore to approach the school first. Ask the school to compare the disputed entry against the enrollment documents and permanent record and to issue the appropriate endorsement or certification. The correction application can then be filed with the DepEd office identified by the applicable regional or division Citizen's Charter.
Requirements can differ depending on the nature and age of the record, so applicants should verify the current checklist of the DepEd office that has jurisdiction over the school before obtaining affidavits or paying for documents.
What if the birth certificate is the document that is wrong?
A school cannot simply rewrite a person's civil status or identity because the student prefers a different entry.
Republic Act No. 9048 permits specified clerical or typographical errors in civil-registry entries, and qualifying changes of first name or nickname, to be processed administratively through the city or municipal civil registrar or Philippine consul general rather than through a judicial proceeding. (Lawphil)
Republic Act No. 10172 expanded the administrative procedure to certain obvious clerical errors involving the day and month of birth and sex, subject to the statutory requirements. It does not authorize administrative correction of every discrepancy; the law expressly excludes changes that would alter matters such as nationality, age, or civil status from the definition of a simple clerical or typographical correction. (Lawphil)
Consequently, when the school faithfully copied information from the civil registry, the real solution may be to correct the civil-registry record first and then present the corrected or annotated PSA record to the school. Depending on the entry involved, the proper remedy may be an administrative civil-registry petition, another government procedure, or a court proceeding.
The Data Privacy Act does not eliminate these requirements. The National Privacy Commission expressly states that the right to rectification does not cover situations in which correction requires an order of a competent court, another government agency, or an official procedure under another law. (National Privacy Commission)
Correcting college or university records
For a college or university record, file the correction request with the registrar and identify every affected document and database entry. Attach the strongest primary evidence available, usually including the PSA civil-registry document and any judicial or administrative order if the requested change required one.
The Data Privacy Act gives a data subject the right to dispute inaccurate personal information and seek its correction, subject to lawful limitations. Schools also have an obligation to preserve the accuracy, integrity, and confidentiality of academic records. (National Privacy Commission)
A university may reasonably distinguish between correcting an error that existed when the record was created and documenting a later legal event. For example, a later change in name does not necessarily mean that every historical document was “wrong” when originally issued. The correct treatment therefore depends on the nature of the change, the institution's lawful records policy, and the official documents establishing the applicant's identity.
Lost diploma, transcript, or records from a closed school
If the school still operates, request a replacement, certified copy, certification, or transcript from its registrar rather than attempting to reproduce the document yourself.
If a private basic-education school has closed, contact the Schools Division Office having jurisdiction over the former school. DepEd division offices maintain services for issuing available academic records of learners from closed private schools and for handling situations in which the school refers a request because the academic record is no longer available at school level. (Schools Division of Zambales)
If a college or university has closed, contact the appropriate CHED Regional Office. Records custody can depend on what happened when the institution closed. CHED closure actions require preservation and turnover of student academic records in appropriate cases; for example, CHED has ordered closed institutions to submit preserved academic records to the concerned CHED Regional Office or the National Archives. (CHED)
Give the regulator as much identifying information as possible: the school's complete former name, branch or campus, previous names if any, course or program, dates attended, graduation date if applicable, student number, and copies of any surviving IDs, report cards, receipts, diplomas, certificates, or transcripts.
TESDA National Certificates and Certificates of Competency
A lost or erroneous TESDA NC or COC is handled through TESDA rather than through DepEd or CHED.
TESDA directs holders to the TESDA District or Provincial Office that issued the original NC or COC. For a lost certificate, the published procedure requires a letter request, notarized affidavit of loss, and the prescribed photograph. For an erroneous entry, TESDA requires a letter request, the original NC or COC, photograph, and a certified copy of the passport or birth certificate used to establish the correct information. (Tesda)
TESDA also maintains an online Registry of Certified Workers through which the validity of certificates may be checked. (Tesda)
When you need CAV or Apostille
An ordinary transcript or diploma and an authenticated academic credential serve different purposes.
For basic education records intended for authentication, DepEd Order No. 48, s. 2017 governs the Certification, Authentication and Verification or CAV of basic-education school records. (DepEd)
For higher-education records, CHED now operates its eCAV system. The system accepts applications online and requires, depending on the type of applicant, documents such as a certified true copy of the official TOR and diploma or certificate of graduation signed by the current registrar. (CHED eCAV)
CHED announced full implementation of eCAV in 2025, and in March 2026 announced that a fully digital DFA Apostille is available for CHED eCAVs. (CHED eCAV)
There is a current special rule for maritime higher-education programs: beginning January 1, 2026, applications for CAV and Special Orders involving Bachelor of Science in Marine Transportation and Bachelor of Science in Marine Engineering students are handled by MARINA, according to CHED's current eCAV announcement. (CHED eCAV)
For physical school documents submitted to the DFA, current DFA requirements distinguish among basic education, technical-vocational education, state colleges and universities, and private or local colleges and universities. Basic-education documents generally require school-certified copies plus DepEd CAV; technical-vocational documents require the applicable TESDA CAV; and private or local college credentials require CHED CAV. (Department of Foreign Affairs)
Before paying for CAV or Apostille processing, confirm exactly what the foreign university, employer, embassy, licensing authority, or immigration authority requires. An Apostille authenticates the origin of the public document; it does not make an inaccurate academic record accurate or guarantee that the receiving institution will accept the credential.
Your privacy rights over school records
Academic records contain personal data and, in many instances, sensitive personal information. Schools must therefore balance the student's right of access with their duty to protect confidentiality. The National Privacy Commission has confirmed that academic information such as grades, assessments, performance evaluations, and teacher comments relates to an identifiable learner and is protected under the Data Privacy Act and the Education Act. (National Privacy Commission)
The right of access normally concerns your own information. A school may verify identity and authority, redact information relating to other people, and impose lawful restrictions where disclosure would improperly reveal third-party information or otherwise violate applicable law. (National Privacy Commission)
A correction request should likewise be supported by reliable evidence. The right to rectification is a right to correct inaccurate data, not a mechanism for changing historically accurate information without a legal basis.
Evidence to preserve
Keep the original request or email, proof that the school received it, payment receipts, claim stubs, screenshots of online applications, tracking numbers, correspondence with the registrar, copies of the disputed record, previous versions of the record, PSA certificates, affidavits, school IDs, student numbers, LRN information, enrollment records, and any written explanation for a refusal or delay.
If the issue involves inconsistent names or dates across several institutions, preserve every older document showing how the identity was recorded over time. Those records can become important in proving that differently worded records belong to the same person and in determining where the original error occurred.
Do not surrender the only surviving original document unless an authorized office expressly requires it. When an original must be submitted, obtain a receiving copy or acknowledgment identifying exactly what was turned over.
Common mistakes
Requesting the wrong document is common. A report card, SF10, TOR, transfer credential, diploma, CAV, and Apostille have different functions.
Trying to correct the school before correcting the source document can also cause repeated rejection. If the school's entry matches the PSA certificate, determine first whether the civil-registry record itself requires correction.
Assuming Form 137 must always be personally claimed can delay a transfer. For formal transfer purposes, permanent records are commonly transmitted school to school under DepEd procedures.
Relying only on verbal conversations makes escalation difficult. Put material requests, refusals, and follow-ups in writing.
Using altered, recreated, or unofficial documents can turn an administrative inconvenience into a serious problem. Never edit a scanned diploma, transcript, SF10, NC, or COC to make entries appear correct. Use the official correction or replacement procedure.
What to do if the school ignores or refuses the request
Begin with a written follow-up to the registrar or school head citing the date of the original request and asking for either release of the record or a written explanation of the legal and factual reason for non-release.
For a basic-education school, an unresolved records problem can be elevated to the appropriate DepEd Schools Division Office or Regional Office. For a higher-education institution, the matter can be brought to the appropriate CHED Regional Office, particularly when the dispute concerns compliance with CHED rules governing student records or transfer credentials.
Where the problem is specifically an unlawful denial of access to personal data, an unjustified refusal to correct inaccurate personal information, or improper disclosure of a student's records, the school's Data Protection Officer should also be contacted. The National Privacy Commission recognizes rights to access, rectification, and the filing of a complaint for violations of data-subject rights. (National Privacy Commission)
When legal help may be urgent
Seek prompt advice when a records problem is about to cause loss of a university admission, board examination, employment opportunity, immigration deadline, scholarship, or overseas deployment; when a school has closed and the only known records appear missing; when the requested correction involves identity, filiation, legitimacy, citizenship, civil status, or a substantial date-of-birth issue; when different government records identify the student differently; when a school is demanding payment or imposing a condition that appears unrelated to the credential being requested; or when there is suspected falsification, alteration, unauthorized disclosure, or misuse of academic records.
The appropriate remedy may be administrative, civil-registry, privacy-related, contractual, regulatory, or judicial depending on the facts. Obtaining the school's written position before escalation will usually make the problem easier to evaluate.
FAQ
How long does a school have to issue my diploma or transcript?
The Education Act states that students have the right, subject to limitations prescribed by law and regulations, to the issuance of official certificates, diplomas, transcripts, grades, transfer credentials, and similar documents within 30 days from request. Special transfer procedures and lawful grounds for withholding certain credentials may nevertheless apply. (Lawphil)
Is Form 137 still used?
The permanent academic record historically called Form 137 has been standardized as School Form 10 or SF10. Older records may still be referred to as Form 137, and people and institutions commonly continue using that term. (DepEd)
Can I personally request my Form 137?
You may ask the school about your record, but when the permanent record is required for a formal transfer or admission, DepEd procedures generally contemplate a request and transmission between the receiving and originating schools. (DepEd)
Can my parent obtain my school records?
For a minor learner, a parent or legal guardian may exercise relevant access rights, subject to verification of identity and relationship. For an adult student, another person should generally have the student's appropriate authorization. (National Privacy Commission)
My birth certificate and school record have different names. Which one should I correct?
Determine first where the error originated. If the school merely copied an erroneous civil-registry entry, the civil-registry problem may have to be resolved first. If the PSA record is correct and the school made a typographical error, pursue the school's correction procedure and present the PSA document as evidence.
Can a school simply change my date of birth because I submit an affidavit?
Not necessarily. An affidavit can support a request, but it cannot replace a civil-registry correction or court order when the law requires one. RA 9048 and RA 10172 allow administrative correction only for specified categories of civil-registry errors. (Lawphil)
What if my old school no longer exists?
For a closed basic-education school, contact the DepEd Schools Division Office with jurisdiction over the former school. For a closed higher-education institution, contact the relevant CHED Regional Office and ask where the institution's student records were deposited or transferred. (Schools Division of Zambales)
Do I need CAV for every transcript or diploma?
No. CAV is an additional certification and verification process used when required for a particular official purpose. Ordinary school, employment, or enrollment transactions may require only the registrar-issued document. Ask the receiving institution what form of authentication it requires before applying.
Can I correct a TESDA National Certificate at my former training school?
The correction or replacement of the TESDA-issued NC or COC is handled through the TESDA issuing District or Provincial Office under TESDA's certification procedures. (Tesda)
Official sources
The principal official references for further checking are the Education Act of 1982 (Batas Pambansa Blg. 232), DepEd Order No. 54, s. 2016 on the request and transfer of learners' school records, DepEd Order No. 48, s. 2017 on CAV of basic-education records, CHED eCAV portal, CHED Manual of Regulations for Private Higher Education, TESDA assessment and certification guidance, and the National Privacy Commission's data-subject rights guidance.
General-information disclaimer
This article provides general Philippine legal information and is not a substitute for legal advice on a particular student's records, civil-registry entries, school obligations, or documentary requirements. Procedures can differ according to the type of school, credential, regulator, receiving institution, and nature of the requested correction. Requirements should be confirmed with the school and the government office having jurisdiction before filing.
Sources and procedures checked as of August 23, 2026.