Students under 18 may need parental consent for college enrollment, dual enrollment, college-and-career-readiness programs, or other activities. Some programs require a notarized parent signature while others require consent without notarization.
Published and reviewed by iRemoteNotary
Last reviewed August 15, 2026
Not always. Colleges and education programs can require parental consent for a student under 18 without requiring the parent signature to be notarized. Other programs specifically require a notarized parental-consent or minor-release form.
For example, Lone Star College requires parental consent for students age 17 and younger, while its published general minor-student consent form uses student and parent signature lines without a notarial certificate. Cape Fear Community College and Central Carolina Community College, by contrast, require notarized parental consent for specified 16- and 17-year-old college-and-career-readiness or high-school-equivalency enrollment. The institution and program's current form controls.
Students increasingly begin college-level or postsecondary programs before turning 18. A minor may participate in dual enrollment, early college, special admission, adult high school, GED preparation, workforce education, or another college program.
Because the student is still a minor, the college may require a parent or guardian to sign consent, waiver, release, FERPA, emergency, participation, or other authorization documents.
Those forms do not all use the same execution rules. A parental-consent requirement does not automatically mean the parent's signature must be notarized.
A college environment is ordinarily structured for adult students. When a younger student enrolls, the institution may need additional documentation addressing matters such as:
The exact form depends on the institution and program.
No.
The requirement for parental consent and the requirement for notarized parental consent are separate questions.
An institution may:
require a parent signature only
require a notarized parent signature
require the parent to sign in person before college staff
require a separate notarized FERPA authorization
require a notarized minor-release petition for a particular program
use different procedures for dual-enrollment and non-dual-enrollment students
Read the exact form.
Do not notarize a document simply because the student is under 18.
Current official college and program instructions provide useful examples of how differently these requirements can be applied.
| Institution / program | Current requirement | What it demonstrates |
|---|---|---|
| Lone Star College | Its current Special Admission page says all students age 17 and younger must provide parental consent. Its published Parental Consent and Waiver Form for Minor Students contains student and parent/guardian signature lines and no notarial certificate. | Parental consent does not automatically mean notarization. |
| Cape Fear Community College — High School Equivalency / Adult High School | Current instructions for 16- and 17-year-old students require a notarized parental-consent form. Cape Fear states students without the completed notarized form are not eligible for the applicable orientation. | Some college-based programs expressly require notarized consent. |
| Central Carolina Community College — College & Career Readiness | Its current minor-release instructions require 16- and 17-year-old students to obtain a signed, notarized petition from a parent, legal guardian, or other person or agency having legal custody and control. The parent/guardian signature is completed before a notary. | Program-specific minor enrollment can include a formal notarization requirement. |
| Houston Community College — Special Admissions for Minor Students | Its current minor-student process requires a parental-consent form for specially admitted students ages 14–17 and separately requires a notarized FERPA form for an online FERPA release. | One student may have multiple education forms with different notarization requirements. |
| Columbia University / Sciences Po Dual BA — Minor Students | Current program guidance for minors going to France describes circumstances involving a notarized parental authorization form and other notarized supporting documents. | International minor-student programs may add country- or program-specific notarized authorizations. |
These examples should remain tied to the named institutions and programs. Do not generalize them into one national minor-student rule.
Parents and students often use the phrase “consent form” broadly, but several different documents may be involved.
Parental enrollment consent: permission for the minor to enroll or participate.
FERPA authorization: student authorization allowing specified educational-record information to be disclosed to another person.
Medical consent: authorization relating to medical treatment or emergency decisions.
Travel consent: permission for a minor to travel.
Program waiver or release: a college-specific participation or liability document.
A notarization requirement on one does not automatically apply to the others.
A college enrollment consent form is not the same as a child travel consent letter. Travel consent generally addresses permission for a minor to travel, often when traveling without one or both parents. College parental consent addresses enrollment or participation in an education program. A family may need one, the other, both, or neither depending on the situation.
The institution's form identifies the required signers. Common possibilities include:
If the form requires a notarized parent or guardian signature, the person whose signature is notarized must personally complete the required notarial procedure. Do not substitute another family member merely because the parent is unavailable unless the institution permits it.
Potentially, if:
the form actually requires notarization
the institution accepts remote online notarization
the commissioned online notary can perform the requested act
the parent or guardian can satisfy identity verification
the resulting electronic or printed document meets the college's submission requirements
Do not assume that a form requiring a “notary” automatically accepts an electronic RON document.
Ask the college or program before signing when the requirements are unclear.
Not necessarily for every program.
A form may require:
only the parent's notarized signature
both student and parent signatures
signatures completed at different times
signatures witnessed by a college employee
the parent to appear during orientation
both parent and student to participate in a process
For example, Cape Fear Community College's current Adult High School instructions separately require a parent or guardian to attend part of orientation while also requiring a notarized parental-consent form for students 16 or 17.
The form and program procedure—not convenience—determine who must be present.
International families should raise this before the enrollment deadline.
A college may accept:
a U.S. remote online notarization
a foreign local notarization
consular notarization
another prescribed form of authentication
or it may require a different procedure.
If the institution accepts a supported U.S. RON workflow, an overseas parent may potentially use supported government-issued identification, credential analysis, and biometric identity verification.
Do not require an overseas parent to have a U.S. Social Security number, U.S. credit history, or U.S.-based KBA as the iRemoteNotary international identity path.
Learn when a supported foreign passport may be used for online notarization.
If the form requires the parent's signature to be notarized, review the notarial certificate and instructions first.
Keep the signature unsigned when:
the form says sign before the notary
the parent is swearing or affirming to a statement
the form contains a jurat
the institution specifically directs the parent not to sign early
A notary should not attempt to repair an incorrectly executed institutional form without knowing whether the college will accept the correction.
Send the unsigned form and the college or program instructions so the requested notarization can be reviewed before scheduling.
Start a Student Consent Notary RequestNo. Colleges and programs have different requirements. Some require parental consent without notarization, while other minor-student, college-and-career-readiness, GED, or special-admission programs require a notarized parent or guardian signature.
Yes. Parental consent and notarization are separate requirements. An institution can require the parent to sign a consent form without requiring that signature to be notarized.
Potentially, when the form requires notarization, the institution accepts remote online notarization, and the commissioned online notary can perform the requested act. Confirm the college's document-format requirements first.
Not necessarily. The answer depends on which signatures require notarization and what the institution requires. Some programs also require separate parent attendance or college-staff verification.
No. A parental-consent form may authorize a minor to enroll or participate, while a FERPA authorization concerns access to the student's educational records. A college may use both forms and may have different signature or notarization rules for each.
Potentially, if the college accepts the proposed remote notarization and the parent can successfully complete the supported international identity-verification process. The institution should confirm the acceptable execution method before the parent signs.
Do not pre-sign when the form instructs the parent to sign before a notary, requires an oath, or otherwise requires signing as part of the notarial procedure. Review the current form first.
The following primary sources support the legal and procedural information in this guide. Requirements can change, so confirm current rules with the receiving organization before relying on a notarized document.
Lone Star College
Accessed August 15, 2026
Parental Consent and Waiver Form for Minor Students
Lone Star College Office of General Counsel
Accessed August 15, 2026
Cape Fear Community College
Accessed August 15, 2026
Minor Release Form — Parent/Guardian
Central Carolina Community College
Accessed August 15, 2026
Special Admissions for Minor Students
Houston Community College
Accessed August 15, 2026
Minor Students — Dual BA Program
Columbia University / Sciences Po Dual BA Program
Accessed August 15, 2026
Submit the unsigned college or program form and its instructions so iRemoteNotary can review the requested notarization before scheduling.