Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) for Students
Campus Policy: Student Affairs
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, as amended, is a federal law that protects the privacy of, and limits access to, student education records. Students primary rights protected under FERPA are:
- Inspect and review their education records
- Seek to amend inaccurate or misleading education records
- Have some control over the disclosure of information from their education records
- File a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education
For more information on student rights under this FERPA (PDF)
What is an education record?
An education record is a record directly related to a student and is maintained by the institution or by a party acting on behalf of the institution. Education records can include coursework, exams, grades, online chats that are saved, etc. In many cases, written consent by the student is required to disclose the contents of an education record. Records may take the form of files, documents, and materials in any type of medium.
Who can access education records?
Under FERPA, written consent must be obtained before information may be disclosed to a third party, except to the extent FERPA authorizes disclosure without prior consent.
Instances may include:
- Lawfully issued subpoena or court order
- Authorized university official who “need to know” to fulfill their professional duties
- In a health and safety emergency
- To federal and state educational authorities conducting an audit, evaluation, or enforcement of education programs
A student may submit the FERPA – Consent to Release Educational Record Form to the Office of the Registrar.
Directory Information
FERPA allows each institution to identify certain information as directory information, which may be disclosed without the student’s permission. Directory information is defined as “information that would not generally be considered harmful or an invasion of privacy if disclosed.” UH has designated the following information as directory information (also defined as Public data under UH’s Data Classification Categories):
- Name of student
- Major field of study
- Class (i.e., freshman, sophomore, etc.)
- Past and present participation in officially recognized activities / sports
- Weight and height of members of athletic teams
- Dates of attendance
- Previous institution(s) attended
- Full or part-time status
- Degree(s) conferred (including dates)
- Honors and awards (including dean’s list)
Lists of directory information will not be made publicly available to third parties.
The University may provide the UH Foundation with lists of students with the following information: name, school/college/division/department, degree, major and minor fields of study, UH email address, home address, and telephone number for the purpose of University and alumni relations.
Students who would like UH to not release their directory information may do so by submitting the FERPA – Withhold Directory Information Form no later than 14 days from the first day of instruction for a regular semester or term, or the fourth day of a summer session.
Note: Submission of this FERPA non-disclosure of directory information request does not automatically remove students from the UH Online Directory of email addresses, which is accessible only to those with valid UH email accounts through MyUH.
To remove yourself from the UH Online Directory:
- Log in to MyUH
- Select the My Profile tab
- Look for UH Online Directory, Options for Students, select Opt-out
New students will be added to the directory upon establishing a UH username. New students will not be listed for at least four calendar days to provide an opportunity to opt-out. Students are automatically removed from the online directory when they are no longer categorized as active students.
The decision to withhold directory information should be carefully considered. For example, it may affect the University’s ability to respond on behalf of a student, such as for requests for verification of enrollment or degree by prospective employers or it may result in the exclusion of a student’s name from a graduation commencement program. In general, UH will not release lists or compilations of directory information to third parties solely upon third party requests to the University. An exception is to the UH Foundation under the protective terms and conditions of a memorandum of agreement. Refer to AP7.022, section III-F-3 for more information.
Additional Resources on FERPA
UH System Administrative Policy 7.022
UH System Overview of FERPA
AACRAO – FERPA
U.S. DOE – Protecting Student Privacy
U.S. DOE – Student Guide to FERPA.pdf