Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)

What is FERPA?

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), also known as the Buckley Amendment, is designed to protect the privacy of students' education records and personally identifiable information. This federal law spells out the rights of students and the responsibilities of educational institutions.

What are education records?

An education record is any record that is directly related to a student and maintained by the university. A student has the right of access to these records. Education records include any records in whatever medium (handwritten, email, print, magnetic tape, film, diskette, etc.) that is in the possession of any school official. This includes transcripts or other records obtained from a school in which a student was previously enrolled.

What rights do students have under FERPA?

• The right to inspect and review their education records within 45 days of their request.
• The right to request an amendment to their education records.
• The right to consent to disclosures of personally identifiable information contained in their education records.
• The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures to comply with FERPA.

What is directory information?

Hodges may disclose the following information on a student without violating FERPA if the student has not restricted their information

• Name
• University email address
• Address
• Telephone Numbers
• Date of Birth
• Major
• Dates of Attendance
• Degrees/Awards Received
• Previous Institution Attended
• Enrollment Status
• Student Photo/Video

What is personally identifiable information?

Personally identifiable information includes, but is not limited to:

• Social Security Number
• Residency Status
• Nationality
• Gender
• Race/Ethnicity
• Other information alone or in combination that would make the student’s identity easily traceable