The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)
is a federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. The law applies to all schools that receive funds under an applicable program of the U.S. Department of Education. FERPA affords students certain rights with respect to their education records. Specifically, it affords students the right to:
- Inspect and review their education records
- Request the amendment of inaccurate or misleading records
- Consent to disclosure of personally identifiable information contained in their education record
- File a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures of the institution to comply with this law
The University of Georgia strives to fully comply with this law by protecting the privacy of student records and judiciously evaluating requests for release of information from these records. FERPA authorizes the release of Directory, or Public, Information without the student’s prior written consent under certain conditions set forth in the act.
Who must comply with FERPA?
Any educational institution or educational agency that receives funds under any program administered by the U.S. Secretary of Education.
Who is covered?
- Any individual who is taking or has taken a course at UGA regardless of age.
- In addition to degree-seeking students, this includes:
- Joint enrollment students
- Move On When Ready students
- Transient students
- Students auditing a course
- Distance education students