What is FERPA? Family Educational Rights & Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA) is a federal law that protects the rights and privacy of student educational records. FERPA requires that the university establish a policy and adopt and enforce procedures to protect the confidentiality, accuracy, and privacy of the information it collects on its students. FERPA grants students rights, including the ability to view their educational records and disclose, or prevent some disclosure, of their educational records. The Family Educational Rights & Privacy Act Annual Notice is available online.

What are my rights under FERPA? Under FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act), eligible students have the right to inspect and review their education records, seek amendment of any records believed to be inaccurate, consent to disclosure of education records except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent, and to file a complaint with the FPCO (FERPA Policy Compliance Officer) concerning potential violations. The FPCO at GVSU is the acting Registrar.

When do FERPA rights begin? Your FERPA rights begin when you enroll at the university, regardless of age; that is, when you have registered, paid, and classes have begun. Students under 18 are also covered under FERPA.

What kinds of student information are we protecting?

• Grades
• Registration Information (Enrollment, Class Registration, Credit Hours)
• Academic Standing
• Curriculum Information (Degree, Major/Minor, Concentrations, Certificates, Badges, Graduation Status)
• Audio/Video Recordings of Classes (where students' voices or images are present)
• Student Emails and Conversations About Academic Matters
• Class Discussion Boards
• Student GNumber (ID Number)
• Information directly related to the student and maintained by the institution or party acting on its behalf

What is not considered confidential student information? 

Education records do not include:

• Private notes in your possession that are not accessible or revealed to any other persons and are not stored in the student's record
• Medical records
• Employment records when employment is not contingent on being a student, provided the record is used only in relation to the individual's employment
• Records created and maintained by a law enforcement unit used only for that purpose, is revealed only to law enforcement agencies of the same jurisdiction, and the enforcement unit does not have access to education records Information obtained when a person is no longer a student (i.e., alumni records) and does not relate to the person as a student.

Can my family/guardians get information about me? Your family, like all other third parties, may have access only to your directory information with your express, written permission. If you have restricted some or all of your directory information from access by the public, then those items of directory information are considered confidential, and cannot be released to your parents or other third parties. If you have granted proxy permission to a family member or guardian (or some other third party), please note that FERPA still applies, and they cannot access additional information outside of the proxy information without your informed consent. This means that any requests to send non-public information require you as the student to complete a FERPA Permission to Release Non-Public Information form.

Who can access my educational records? Your educational records are confidential and may be disclosed to appropriate University administrators, faculty members, or staff members at Grand Valley State University; contractors acting on behalf of the University who require such access in order to perform their legitimate educational and business duties when such records are needed in furtherance of the educational or business purposes of the student or University; or to those to whom you have given express, written permission by completing the FERPA Permission to Release Non-Public Information form.

How does FERPA apply to communication within my classes? Grand Valley State University values innovative teaching and strives to provide students with a wide variety of educational experiences. Some of those educational experiences may involve students from multiple courses interacting/communicating. As such, those students may have knowledge of each other’s email address, name, what course(s) they are enrolled in, and other confidential information.

I need to have a letter of recommendation written on my behalf by either a faculty member or administrator. Is there a form I can use to request this authorization? Students can submit a FERPA Release for Reference Request form to be completed by the student requesting a letter of recommendation from a staff or faculty member.

How can I restrict access to public or directory information about me? If you are currently enrolled, you may request that directory information (i.e., the information that appears on PeopleFinder) be made confidential by completing the Directory Information Release/Withhold Form and returning it to the Registrar's Office. Any restriction will remain in effect until you revoke it. Only currently enrolled students may restrict their directory information, but students may revoke the restriction of their information at any time.

Who can I contact with questions or concerns? Direct general questions to the Registrar's Office or University Counsel.

FERPA 
Annual Notice

FERPA 
Expectations for Student Employees