Dylan Merrell, a college graduate from Georgia who played football at Long Island University in New York, is being denied his diploma due to a $6,824 medical hold on his account for failing to waive the university's health insurance. The university claims he did not upload the necessary information, despite Merrell saying he submitted his own insurance details and waived the school's policy. This has left him unable to provide transcripts or diplomas to prospective employers, affecting at least 15 job applications. Reginald Shareef of The EDGE Foundation notes that colleges often bundle school insurance with tuition, requiring students to file a waiver each term to avoid unexpected charges.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-07,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
A college graduate from Georgia, Dylan Merrell, is having his diploma withheld by Long Island University because of a medical debt he incurred while enrolled in the university. The debt, totaling $6,824, was placed on his account due to a requirement that student-athletes have primary health insurance before participating in sports. Despite submitting his Blue Cross Blue Shield policy as required, Merrell claims the university is holding him responsible for the fee. He was told by the university that he wouldn't receive his diploma or transcripts until the debt is paid.
Written for “University Diploma Controversy” on 2026-09-07,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The article's own words the score was based on. Each is quoted
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stored, so you can find it in the original.
Leaning score +0.35 for article 6204 (high confidence, 1 verified quote) · logged 2026-09-07
A college graduate from Georgia is being denied his diploma until he pays back a medical debt he incurred while he was enrolled at the university.
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he → deny → university
Dylan Merrell played football for two years at Long Island University in New York.
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Merrell → play → York
After he graduated, he learned that both his transcripts and his diploma were being held due to a $6,824 medical hold that was placed on his account.
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that → graduate → account
"I found out that I had a medical hold on my record for insurance reasons, which completely blindsided me and caught me off guard," Merrell told CBS Atlanta.
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Merrell → find → Atlanta
"I was told that my diploma was being withheld from me if those fees weren't cleared."
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fees → tell → me
LIU, like many college athletics programs, requires student-athletes to have primary health insurance before they can participate in practices or other physical activities tied to their sports.
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they → require → sports
The university's student-athlete handbook requires players to upload their health insurance details, including front and back copies of their insurance cards, into the school's athletics portal for clearance before they play.
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they → require → clearance
Merrell says he followed the instructions by submitting his information for his Blue Cross Blue Shield policy.
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he → say → policy
He waived the school's health insurance offering.
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He → waive → offering
However, school administrators are claiming that he did not, and that he now owes the school more than $6,000.
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he → claim → 6,000
"The school is telling me that even though I uploaded my own insurance, I didn't waive the school's insurance off," he said.
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he → tell → insurance
"So that insurance was automatically applied anyway, which means I would have to pay that fee."
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I → apply → fee
The situation has left Merrell in a difficult position when it comes to job hunting; prospective employers typically ask for his university credentials, but he cannot provide them due to the medical hold.
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he → leave → hold
I've been in multiple job interviews where they asked for my official transcript, or they asked for my diploma, and I haven't been able to provide it," he said.
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he → ask → it
Merrell said he believes at least 15 job applications have been stalled because he cannot produce his records.
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he → say → records
His mother, Carla Merrell, said it's frustrating seeing her son have to face another hurdle just for the chance to work and make a life for himself.
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son → say → himself
"He finished, he graduated, and so this is your reward?" she told CBS Atlanta.
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she → finish → ?
"With AI being in place and young graduates looking for a job in this economy, competing with people with years of experience, to know that this is yet another hurdle that he has to get over is quite frustrating and disappointing."
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he → look → that
According to Reginald Shareef with The EDGE Foundation — which helps students navigate campus issues — colleges have recently been bundling school insurance with students' tuitions.
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colleges → accord → tuitions
The only way for students to avoid the charges is to file a waiver rejecting the insurance each term.
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students → avoid → insurance
"It's one of the top reasons why people owe balances to universities because of unexpected charges that people don't foresee, or a lack of communication," he told CBS Atlanta.
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he → owe → Atlanta
LIU said that it has sent reminder emails concerning the waiver policy since last August.
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it → say → August
The university also told CBS Atlanta that it will provide transcripts and confirm degrees to graduate schools or employers who inquire about them, regardless of outstanding balances or holds on student accounts.
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who → tell → accounts
The Independent has requested comment from the university.
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Independent → request → university
This article’s headline was amended after publication to correct that the school withheld his physical diploma, not his overall degree.
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school → amend → diploma
He still finished the course work to earn his degree.
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He → finish → degree
