Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)

FERPA | Directory Information | Educational Records| Access & Security of Records | Invoking FERPA | FERPA FAQ’s

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is a federal statute aimed at ensuring student privacy by defining what constitutes a student “educational record” and identifies who can access student records.  Any school receiving federal funding is obligated to abide by FERPA for all of its students.

As the stewards of the data, the Registrar’s Office is committed to ensuring the privacy of student educational records and adhering to FERPA guidelines.  In this role, we educate the University community in its obligations in regards to confidentiality and inform students of their rights in regards to their own educational records.

A student’s education records are defined under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) of 1974 as including, subject to the limitations described in the Act, “records, files, documents, and other materials which (1) contain information directly related to a student; and (2) are maintained by an institution or by a party acting for such institution.” At the University, a student’s education records are often maintained in a number of offices: the Office of the Dean of Students in the student’s academic unit, the student’s department (if the student is a graduate divisional student), and other offices across campus. A student’s official academic record is maintained indefinitely in the Office of the University Registrar.

Policies governing the maintenance, review, and ultimate disposition of students’ education are governed by the University record retention policy.