FERPA
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is a federal law that affords students certain rights with respect to their educational records.
student rights under ferpa
Right to Inspect and Review Education Records
Students have the right to inspect and review their education records within 45 days of submitting a written request to the University Registrar. Georgia College & State University will arrange access and notify the student of the time and place where the records may be inspected.
Right to Request Amendment of Records
If a student believes their education records contain inaccurate or misleading information, they have the right to request an amendment of those records. The request must be submitted in writing to the University Registrar, clearly identifying the part of the record to be amended and explaining why it is inaccurate or misleading. If the University decides not to amend the record as requested by the student, the University will notify the student of the decision in writing and advise the student of their right to appeal that decision. Additional information regarding the appeal procedures will be provided to the student when notified of the decision.
Right to Provide Written Consent Before Disclosure
Students have the right to provide written consent before the institution discloses any personally identifiable information from their education records, except as authorized under FERPA. Directory information, as defined below, may be disclosed without prior consent unless the student has opted out of such disclosure.
Right to Opt-Out of Directory Information Disclosure
Students may choose to opt out of the disclosure of directory information by submitting a written request to the Registrar's Office. Georgia College & State University provides a "Request to Prevent Disclosure of Directory Information" form to facilitate this request. Once the request is submitted to the Registrar's Office, Georgia College & State University will withhold all directory information from public disclosure.
Please note: Opting out of directory information does not prevent Georgia College & State University from disclosing directory information to school officials with legitimate educational interests, including certain institution administrators, faculty, and contracted service providers. Georgia College & State University does not release addresses, phone numbers, or email addresses to third parties unless the University has contracted with them to provide a specific service, regardless of whether or not a student has restricted the disclosure of directory information; therefore, opting out of directory information is not required to maintain the confidentiality of this data. By preventing the release of directory information, any requests for directory information from non-institutional persons or non-affiliated organizations (such as a potential employer verifying your pending degree or a bank verifying your enrollment to determine eligibility for a loan) will be refused. Awards, such as inclusion on the Dean's List, will not be disclosed to local newspapers. Students with directory restrictions will also not be listed in the commencement program unless they provide written permission to the University Registrar prior to a published print deadline.
Right to File a Complaint with the U.S. Department of Education
Students who believe the institution has failed to comply with FERPA may file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education at the following address:
Family Policy Compliance Office
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20202-8520
Directory Information
Under FERPA, "directory information" refers to student information that is not generally considered harmful or an invasion of privacy if disclosed. The University System of Georgia and Georgia College & State University have designated the following categories of information as directory information. This information may be disclosed without the student's prior written consent unless the student has opted out of such disclosure (see Student Rights above).
- Student’s name
- Hometown
- Institution-assigned email address. Under this category, an institution-assigned email address may be disclosed without consent only to other, current students. In addition, students may not request email listings of the entire student body or segments thereof, except for academic purposes.
- Major field of study
- Enrollment status (e.g., full-time, part-time)
- Participation in officially recognized activities and sports
- Dates of attendance
- Degrees, honors, and awards received
- Thesis/Dissertation title
- The most recent educational institution attended
- Height and weight of athletes
- Class level
Additional Information
Questions about the University's procedures regarding release of academic information may be directed to the Georgia College & State University's Registrar's Office, Parks Hall 103, 478-445-6286. For more information about FERPA, please see our FERPA for Parents website or contact the Student Privacy Policy Office. Additional FERPA information for GCSU Employees can be found here.