Frequently Asked Questions

FERPA protects the Education Records of students who are currently enrolled or formerly enrolled regardless of their age or status with regard to parental dependency. A student who is enrolled is covered under FERPA on the first day of classes of the student's first term of enrollment. The Education Records of students who have applied to but have not attended an institution are not subject to FERPA guidelines, nor are deceased students.

With certain exceptions (noted below), an education record is any record (1) which contains information that is personally identifiable to a student, and (2) is maintained by the university. Examples of Education Records are transcripts, course grades, a student’s schedule, a degree audit report, number of credits enrolled in, GPA, etc.

Information that is not considered part of an education record include:

• Sole possession records or private notes held by school officials that are not accessible or released to other personnel.
• Law enforcement or campus security records that are solely for law enforcement purposes and maintained solely by the law enforcement unit.
• Records relating to medical treatment so long as they are shared for treatment purposes only.
• Records of an institution that contain only information about an individual obtained after that person is no longer a student at that institution, i.e., alumni records.

• Students have the right to inspect and review their Education Records within 45 days of the day the student’s Institution receives a request for access.
• The right to request an amendment to the student’s Education Records that the student believes are inaccurate or misleading and to place within the Education Record a statement about the contents of the record.
• The right to limit disclosure of information contained in the student’s Education Records, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent, and the right to consent to disclosures that are not otherwise authorized by law or by this policy.
• The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by the Institution to comply with the requirements of FERPA. The name and address of the office that administers FERPA is:
  • Family Policy Compliance Office, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Ave. SW, Washington, DC 20202-4605.

• School officials with legitimate educational interest;
• Other schools to which a student is transferring;
• Appropriate parties in connection with financial aid to a student, including Veterans’ benefits;
• Organizations conducting certain studies for or on behalf of the school;
• To comply with a judicial order or lawfully issued subpoena;
• Appropriate officials in cases of health and safety emergencies;
• Releasing the results of a disciplinary hearing to an alleged victim of a crime of violence.
• Any other exception provided under FERPA applies

• Directory Information includes:
  • Student’s name
  • Address
  • Telephone listing
  • Electronic mail address
  • Photograph
  • Date & place of birth
  • Major field of study
  • Grade level
  • Enrollment status (i.e. undergraduate or graduate, full-time or part-time)
  • Dates of attendance
  • Participation in officially recognized activities & sports
  • Weight & height of members of athletic teams
  • Degrees, honors, & awards received
  • The most recent educational agency or institution attended
  • Potential graduation date

A student completes the Request to Withhold/Release Directory Information form in the Registrar’s Office.

• This form can also be found online under the Registrar's Office website here.
• The form must be submitted to the Registrar's Office to be processed by the second week of classes.

• Visit the FERPA section of the catalog here.
• Call the Registrar’s Office with questions at (719) 549-2261.
• Or visit the official FERPA website at:http://www.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/fpco/ferpa/index.html