MN school records bonds.
From $100. Enter your amount.

Minnesota requires a private career school to back its student academic records with a continuous surety bond under Minn. Stat. 136A.822, subd. 12 — separate from the school’s tuition performance bond. This is the partnership version. The statute caps the amount at $20,000; pricing is 1% of the bond amount, with a $100 minimum, and the application collects no credit information.

Required under Minn. Stat. 136A.822, subd. 12 — filed with the Office of Higher Education
Funds retrieval and preservation of student records if your school closes
1% of the bond amount, $100 minimum — enter the amount the office set (up to $20,000); your exact price appears at the application
1% of amount$100 minimumNo SSNin the applicationNo credit reviewnot even a soft pull
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How it works

Apply to filed in one sitting.

No underwriting queue for the standard records bond — enter your amount, pay, and file with the Office of Higher Education. Here is the whole thing:

TODAY · ONLINE

Apply online

Your school details, the records-bond amount the office set, and the effective date — that is the entire application.

INSTANTLY

Issued on the spot

The application collects no credit information, and most schools are approved instantly — the executed bond is generated as soon as you pay. If a check runs on a larger amount, it is a soft pull that never affects your score.

SAME DAY

File with the Office of Higher Education

Submit the executed bond with your private career school registration or renewal. Wet-ink originals mailed whenever the office insists on them.

About this bond

What it is and who needs it.

What the records bond actually covers

Minnesota licenses private career schools through the Office of Higher Education under Minn. Stat. ch. 136A. Beyond the tuition performance bond every school files, Minn. Stat. 136A.822, subd. 12 requires a separate continuous surety bond (or irrevocable letter of credit) standing behind the school’s student academic records.

Schools must keep permanent student records for 50 years from a student’s last date of attendance. If a school closes, this bond lets the office retrieve, recover, maintain, digitize, and destroy academic records — so students can still get transcripts after the doors close. The statute caps the bond at $20,000, and a school with an approved binding records agreement may file less.

This is the partnership version of the records bond — the partnership is the principal. It is not insurance for the school: if the office draws on the bond, the surety can recover from the principal. Enter the amount the office set; pricing starts from $100, and the application collects no credit information.

Minn. Stat. 136A.822, subd. 12 (Office of Higher Education)Minn. Stat. 136A.822, subd. 12 requires a private career school with no approved binding records agreement to file with the Office of Higher Education a continuous surety bond or irrevocable letter of credit in an amount not to exceed $20,000, usable on closure to retrieve, recover, maintain, digitize, and destroy academic records. Permanent student records must be kept 50 years. Confirm the amount the office set for your school.

You need this bond if you are

A private career school organized as a partnership registering with the Office of Higher Education
Renewing your school registration and the office requires the records security
Without an approved binding records agreement that would otherwise satisfy subd. 12
Updating your filing after the office set or changed your records-bond amount

One application, issued on the spot.

Submit the application with your required records-bond amount — the executed bond is generated instantly, ready to file with the Office of Higher Education.

Start the application →
FAQ

Common questions.

How is this different from the private school bond?They are two separate filings. The private school (performance) bond under subd. 6 protects students’ tuition if the school breaches its contracts; this records bond under subd. 12 specifically funds preserving and recovering student academic records if the school closes. Many schools file both.
How much is the records bond?Pricing is 1% of the bond amount, with a $100 minimum — set by your bond amount, not a credit tier. The amount itself is set by the Office of Higher Education and capped at $20,000 by statute; enter the figure the office gave you, and your exact price appears at the application.
Is there a credit check?The application collects no credit information. Most applications approve instantly; if a check does run, it is a soft pull that never affects your credit score.
What does the bond pay for?If the school closes, the Office of Higher Education can use the bond to retrieve, recover, maintain, digitize, and destroy academic records — so former students can still obtain transcripts. If the office draws on it, the surety can recover from the principal.
Can I file a letter of credit instead?Yes. Subd. 12 accepts a continuous surety bond or an irrevocable letter of credit, and a school with an approved binding records agreement may file less than $20,000. A surety bond is usually the cheapest — you pay a premium from $100 rather than tying up cash or bank collateral.
Related bonds

Other Minnesota bonds.

Records bond, issued today.

Pricing from $100. Enter the amount the office set and file the same day.

Your premiumfrom $100
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