1.25 Student Records

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA), 20 U.S. C. § 1232g, as amended, is a federal law giving certain rights to families or Students regarding education records at schools of every level receiving funding from the U.S. Department of Education.

At the postsecondary school level, the rights afforded by FERPA belong, in general, to the Student rather than the family.

These rights, as summarized in the Department of Education regulations, 34 C.F.R § 99.7, are as follows:

  1. The right to inspect and review the Student's education records.
  2. The right to request the amendment of the Student's education records that the Student believes to be inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise in violation of the Student's privacy rights.
  3. The right to consent to disclose personally identifiable information contained in the Student's education records, except to the extent that FERPA and the regulations authorize disclosure without consent.
  4. The right to file with the U.S. Department of Education a complaint concerning alleged failures by the institution to comply with the requirements of FERPA and the regulations.