FERPA for Students

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) of 1974 is a federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. Education records are those records, files, documents, and other materials which 1) contain information directly related to a student and 2) are maintained by an educational institution. Examples include emails between faculty and a student, copies of disciplinary records, scholarship application records, emails from non-academic unit individuals to or about a student, etc. FERPA applies to all schools that receive funds under an applicable program of the U.S. Department of Education.

Generally speaking, FERPA allows the University to disclose education records or personally identifiable information from education records in the following circumstances:

• with the written consent of the student
• if the disclosure is UW directory information and the student has not placed a hold on directory information release in MyUW or otherwise (check the Student Directory List for details), or
• if the disclosure meets the FERPA 34 CFR § 99.31 criteria to release student education records without the student’s permission.

References to parents in the FERPA law typically refer to students who have not yet enrolled in a higher education institution or turned 18. FERPA rights belong to the students at the UW.

Student Directory Information Release

Directory information (WAC 478-140-024(5)) at the University of Washington is defined as:

• Student's name
• Street address
• Email address
• Telephone number
• Date of birth
• Dates of attendance
• Degrees and awards received
• Major and minor field(s) of studies
• Class
• Participation in officially recognized activities and sports
• Most recent previous educational agency or institution attended by the student
• Weight and height, if student is a member of an intercollegiate athletic team

FERPA allows the University to release a student’s directory information to anyone unless the student informs the Office of the Registrar that they do not want directory information released.

Be aware that restricting the release of directory information has other consequences. For instance, a FERPA restriction makes it difficult or impossible for potential employers to verify your enrollment, or to verify the fact that you have earned a degree from the University. The University cannot notify your hometown paper about awards and honors you receive (e.g., Dean's list). For this reason alone, many students choose to remove their FERPA restriction.

Guaranteed Student Rights Under FERPA

Under the provisions of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), students have the right to:

1. inspect and review their education records within 45 days of the date the University receives an access request (WAC 478-140). Students should submit a written request to the University official that maintains the record that identifies the record they wish to inspect.
2. request the amendment of student education records that the student believes are inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise in violation of the student’s privacy rights under FERPA (WAC 478-140-021). This process cannot be used to challenge grades.
3. provide written consent before the University discloses personally identifiable information from the student’s education records, except to the extent FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent (WAC 478-140-024).
4. file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by the University to comply with the requirements of FERPA (WAC 478-140-070). Written complaints should be directed to Family Policy Compliance Office, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Ave SW, Washington DC 20202-5901

Report a Violation

The UW Privacy Office provides a tool to report a FERPA violation or accidental release of student data. Please review the information and instructions on how to Report an Incident before submitting an incident report.

FERPA Resources

For more information on FERPA, please review the following resources:

• Department of Education – Protecting Student Privacy; FERPA 34 CFR § 99 FEDERAL PRIVACY LAW
• Department of Education – FERPA
• US Government Information – FERPA 20 USC 1232(g)
• Code of Federal Regulations – 34 CFR Part 99
• Washington Administrative Code (WAC) – Chapter 478-140

Currently enrolled students can use the Release of Records Request form below to identify specific UW education record(s) to be released, the recipient(s) of the records, and the purpose of the release. Non-enrolled students can email ferpa@uw.edu to inquire about records release. Student Fiscal Services (SFS) provides students with an authorization system to allow others to access their Tuition Statement.

The Release of Records Request form is intended as a one-time records request for students to access their own records and release those records to a non-UW school official or UW student. It is not a blanket request to release all student records.

Request Types

• Student FERPA Records Request: Currently enrolled students may request copies of their own education records to be provisioned to themselves. The Office of the Registrar will provide the requested records as a personal FERPA record request by the 45-day deadline from the date the request is received, as established in the FERPA law.
• External FERPA Records Release Request: Release of specific education record(s) to an individual apart from the student.

Examples

• One-time FERPA request of records pertaining to the student, by the student, such as requesting all emails from a specific staff person regarding the student between August 2019 and July 2020.
• One-time release for discussion or records held by the Office of the University Registrar offices related to the individual student making the request, such as Residency status and release of transcripts.

Limitations

• This process is limited to a one-time release of the identified education record(s) to the identified recipient.
• Students must submit a new request for each additional release they want to authorize.
• The University of Washington does NOT have a release or system to allow parents or other third parties direct, universal, or continuing access to student records, including grades and educational progress.
• The request process is not designed to provide permission for University staff to speak to another individual on behalf of the student. Such permission must be provided in writing directly to the staff member.
• Test scores (e.g., SAT, ACT, TOEFL) or transcripts originating from another school or institution sent for application to the UW student record cannot be provided as official copies to the student or any other third party. Current or former students seeking those records would need to contact the original school or institution.