The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is a U.S. federal law enacted in 1974 that protects the privacy of student education records. The law applies to all educational institutions that receive federal funding from the U.S. Department of Education. FERPA is intended to protect students' privacy and provide parents and eligible students with more control over their educational records.

Student Rights

  • The right to inspect the record. This must be made in writing to the Office of the Registrar.
  • The right to correct/amend information on the record. Documentation may be needed.
  • The right to give written consent for records to be released, such as an official transcript.
  • The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by the university to comply with the requirements of FERPA.
  • The right to prevent the release of any directory information and educational information.

Forms

Parental Rights

Under FERPA, once a student reaches the age of 18 or enters college, the rights previously held by the parents transfer exclusively to the student. The payment of a student's tuition by the parent does not, by itself, give the parent the right of access to a student's record.

Ordinarily, parents of GovState students obtain information about their children's records directly from their children. The university is not required to release information to the parents of a student.

The Office of the Registrar may disclose information to parents with the student's written consent. This would entail completing a form authorizing the Office of the Registrar to disclose copies of scholastic and other records to his or her parent.

Online Resources