Student Privacy Rights

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is designed to protect students from having their records released to persons or institutions without the student’s written consent. FERPA also provides students with the right to review their education records to insure that no inaccurate or otherwise inappropriate information has been included in their file. If the student discovers that there is inaccurate information in their record, they can challenge the content of such record.

Under FERPA, post­-secondary educational institutions are not required to provide parents access to the educational records of their children regardless of the student’s age since all rights have been transferred to the student by statute.

FERPA rights extend to both current and former students and are implemented as follows:

Review of records: students may request to review their records by filing a written request with the Admissions and Records Office. Within five working days the education records will be made available for inspection.

Directory information: directory information, as defined by the college, may be released without prior notice to the student unless the student provides a written notice to the Admissions and Records Office that they do not want such information to be released without their consent.

Directory information includes:

• student name;

• student participation in officially recognized activities and sports, including weight, height, and high school of graduation of athletic team members; and

• degrees and awards received by students, including honors, scholarship awards, athletic awards, and Dean’s List recognition.

For more information about FERPA regulations visit the FERPA policy page.