FERPA at a Glance: A Guide for Students
Overview
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (also known as FERPA or the Buckley Amendment) is federal legislation enacted in 1974 that protects the privacy of student records. It grants students the right to access their own educational records as well as limiting, for privacy reasons, the release of those same records to anyone other than the student and/or the student's designee. FERPA applies to all current and former students of the university.
RIGHTS under FERPA
Under FERPA, students have the right to:
- inspect and review their education records
- control the disclosure of information from their education records
- seek to amend their education records under certain circumstances
When do FERPA Rights Begin?
FERPA rights begin when you register and attend your first class.
WHAT are education records?
Education records are defined as records that contain information directly related to a student and are maintained by an educational institution or by a party acting for the institution. Examples are enrollment and grade records, applications for university scholarships, financial aid records, student account records, and information contained within the student information system.
Education records do not include sole possession documents (such as personal notes created and maintained by individual faculty or staff), law enforcement records, employment records where employment is not tied to student status, medical records, and records containing information about an individual that are created after he or she is no longer a student at that institution (i.e., alumni records).
Who has access to your education records?
Education records may be accessed by those to whom you have given express written permission or appropriate school officials such as university administrators, faculty members, and staff members who have a "legitimate educational interest" in you as a student. In general, a school official has a "legitimate educational interest" if they need to review an education record in order to fulfill their professional responsibility to the university.
FERPA protects the privacy of your education records. School officials may not disclose personally identifiable information about your or permit inspection of your records without written permission from you, unless such action is covered by certain exceptions permitted by FERPA.
DO your parents have access to your education records?
At the elementary and secondary school level, FERPA gives parents the right to access education records. When a student reaches 18 years of age or is attending an institution of post-secondary education, FERPA rights transfer from parent to student. Therefore, at the post-secondary (college) level, parents have no legal rights to inspect their child's education records.
Information regarding education records is best obtained by direct communication between the parent and the student. If desired, students may grant view-only access to their billing accounts and financial aid information through MyNewSchool. Students can also grant proxy access to their family members to view the following academic information:
- Student Information
- Student Schedule
- Week at a Glance
- Holds
- Unofficial Transcript
Students can set up access by going to my.newschool.edu, selecting "Sharing Academic Information" under the Student Resources page and then following the instructions to create or delete a proxy.
Does your spouse have access to your educational record?
A student's spouse has no rights under FERPA to access the student's education records. If desired, students may grant view-only access to their spouse by granting proxy access.
Students can set up access by going to my.newschool.edu, selecting "Sharing Academic Information" under the Student Resources page and then following the instructions to create or delete a proxy.
What is considered directory information?
The New School has designated the following as directory information and the Registrar's Office may release it unless the student has submitted a Request to Withhold Disclosure of Directory Information to the Registrar's Office.
- Student name
- Major field of study
- Dates of attendance
- Full-time or part-time enrollment status
- Year level
- Degrees and awards received, including naming to the Dean's List
- Most recent previous educational institution attended
- Address, phone number, photograph, email address
- Date and place of birth
Can you request that your directory information not be released?
According to FERPA, a student can request, while still enrolled, that the institution not release directory information about them. Institutions must comply with this request. At The New School, students who wish to restrict the release of directory information must submit a Request to Withhold Disclosure of Directory Information to the Registrar's Office.
Students who wish to restrict directory information should realize that this action does restrict your ability to appear in college publications, including the Commencement program. Additionally, employers, loan agencies, external scholarship committees, and others will be denied any directory information and will be told, "We have no information about that person."
What happens during ciris situations and emergencies?
If non-directory information is needed to resolve a crisis or emergency situation, an educational institution may release that information if the institution determines that the information is "necessary to protect the health or safety of the student or other individuals."
To whom can you direct questions?
Any questions about FERPA can be directed to the Registrar's Office at regandrecords@newschool.edu