Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act
Your Records. Your Rights.
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, commonly known as FERPA, is a federal law that protects the privacy of your student education records.
Enacted in 1974, FERPA applies to all schools that receive federal funding from the U.S. Department of Education, including GovState. Under FERPA, students and eligible parents have the right to access, review, and request corrections to education records, as well as control over how those records are shared.
At GovState, protecting your privacy isn't just a legal requirement, our commitment.
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
- FERPA Release of Information - Students may complete this form to give individuals access to their student record.
- FERPA Prevent Release of Directory Information - Students may use this form to prevent disclosure of directory information and their student record.
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
- The FERPA Family Compliance Office
- GovState has endorsed this act fully and campus implementation of the provisions of FERPA is described in the Student Records Policy (#12).