Will Having My Florida Criminal Record Expunged Help with my College or Graduate School Applications?

Getting accepted into your preferred college or graduate school is harder than ever. Gone are the days that a high grade point average or stellar SAT score suffice to secure acceptance. A blemish on your criminal record can make this process all the more difficult. In this article, we discuss the benefits of pursuing an expungement of your criminal record prior to the college or graduate school admissions process.

An Isolated Mistake Can Have Long Term Consequences

At the Law Offices of Timothy Sullivan, we know that an isolated arrest in your criminal background does not define you. Oftentimes, our office is contacted by a student or the parent of a student seeking college or graduate school admission who was previously arrested in Florida. They are understandably concerned that a prior arrest will hurt the chances of college or graduate school acceptance.

Cleaning Up Your Florida Criminal Record

Pursuing a Sealing or Expungement of your Florida Criminal Record may be an effective tool to improve your chances of being accepted into college or graduate school. With both Florida court record sealing or expungement, your prior arrest will not show up on official government background checks. More importantly, having your record sealed or expunged gives you the legal right in most circumstances to truthfully deny that your arrest ever occurred. Thus, successful sealing or expungement of your records will position you to check “No” on your college or graduate school applications when asked about prior arrest.

Don’t Wait on Pursuing a Sealing or Expungement of your Florida Record

Securing a sealing or expungement of your criminal arrest record does not happen overnight. In most cases, the process of clearing your record can take four (4) to eight (8) months. For this reason, it is imperative that you begin the sealing or expungement process well in advance of your college or graduate school applications being due.

Contact Our Office for a Free Sealing or Expungement Consultation

If you are interested in pursuing a sealing or expungement, or think this legal remedy may help your college or graduate school applications. Call our office at 727-855-3847 for a free consultation.