The U.S. Department of Education's Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) regulations afford students certain rights with respect to their education records. FERPA rights begin upon the student’s enrollment, which occurs when the student has been admitted to the University and attends any portion of a course. FERPA protected rights include the following:
1. The right to inspect and review the student’s education records within 45 days of the day the University receives a request for access.
- Students should submit written requests to the University Registrar that identify the record(s) they wish to inspect. The Registrar will make arrangements for access and notify the student of the time and place where the records may be inspected. If the records are not maintained by the Office of the Registrar, the Office of the Registrar will facilitate the student’s access to the requested records.
2. The right to request the amendment of the student’s education records that the student believes is inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise in violation of the student’s privacy rights under FERPA.
- Students may ask the University to amend a record that they believe is inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise in violation of the student’s privacy rights under FERPA. They should write to the University Registrar, clearly identifying the part of the record they want corrected, and specifying why it should be corrected.
- If the University decides not to amend the record as requested by the student, the University Registrar will notify the student in writing of the decision and advise the student of their right to a hearing regarding the request for amendment. Additional information regarding the hearing procedures will be provided to the student when notified of the right to a hearing.
- If, as a result of the hearing, the University of Arizona Global Campus decides that the information in the education record is not inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise in violation of the privacy rights of the student, the student will be afforded the opportunity to place with the education record a statement commenting on the contested information in the record and/or a statement setting forth any reason for disagreeing with the decision of the hearing. The statement placed in the education record by the student will be maintained with the contested part of the record for as long as the record is maintained. When the related record is disclosed to an authorized party, the record will include the statement filed by the student.
3. The right to provide written consent prior to disclosures of personally identifiable information contained in the student’s education records, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent. This consent can be revoked by the student at any time, as well as by the University, if deemed necessary to keep the student record protected from fraudulent or excessive access.
- An exception, which permits disclosure without consent, is disclosure to school officials with legitimate educational interests. A school official has a legitimate educational interest if the official needs to review an education record in order to fulfill their professional responsibilities for the University. A school official may include any of the following:
- A person employed by the University in an administrative, supervisory, academic, research, or support staff position (including law enforcement unit personnel and health staff);
- A person or company with whom the University has contracted (such as an attorney, auditor, or collection agent);
- A person or organization acting as an official agent of the institution and performing a business function or service on behalf of the institution;
- A person serving on the Board; or
- A student serving on an official committee, such as a disciplinary committee, or assisting another school official in performing their professional responsibilities.
- Upon request, the University discloses education records without consent to officials of another school in which a student seeks or intends to enroll, or is already enrolled so long as the disclosure is for purposes related to the student’s enrollment or transfer. The University will make a reasonable attempt to notify each student of these disclosures, except when such disclosure is initiated by the student.
- The University may disclose education records without consent in connection with financial aid for which the student has applied or which the student has received if the information is necessary to determine eligibility for the aid, determine the amount of the aid, determine the conditions of the aid, or enforce the terms and conditions for the aid.
- The University may disclose education records without consent to parents in the following circumstances:
- When a student is a dependent student as defined in Section 152 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986;
- When the student has violated any federal, state, or local law, or any rule or policy of the University of Arizona Global Campus governing the use or possession of alcohol or a controlled substance if UAGC determines that the student has committed a disciplinary violation with respect to that use or possession, and the student is under the age of 21 at the time of the disclosure to the parent; or
- The disclosure is in connection with a health or safety emergency.
- The University may disclose education records without consent to appropriate parties and officials when the information is deemed necessary to protect the health or safety of the student or other individuals in an emergency.
- The University may disclose education records without consent to comply with a judicial order or lawfully issued subpoena.
- Directory information can be published and/or disclosed to outside organizations without a student’s prior written consent. “Directory information” means information contained in an education record of a student that would not generally be considered harmful or an invasion of privacy if disclosed. If the student does not want the University of Arizona Global Campus to disclose directory information from their education records without prior written consent, the student must notify the University Registrar in writing. A request for nondisclosure of directory information is valid unless or until the student requests a change in writing. The University of Arizona Global Campus has designated the following information as directory information:
- Student’s name
- Participation in officially recognized activities
- Address
- Telephone listing
- Electronic mail address
- Photograph
- Degrees, honors, and awards received
- Date and place of birth
- Major field of study
- Dates of attendance
- Grade level
- The most recent educational agency or institution attended
- Enrollment status (e.g., undergraduate or graduate, full-time or part-time)
- Class rosters within the classroom
- The University may disclose education records without consent to authorized representatives of the U. S. Comptroller General, the U. S. Attorney General, the U.S. Secretary of Education, or state and local educational authorities, such as a state postsecondary authority that is responsible for supervising the University’s state-supported education programs.
- Disclosures under this provision may be made in connection with an audit or evaluation of federal- or state-supported education programs, or for the enforcement of or compliance with federal legal requirements that relate to those programs. These entities may make further disclosures to outside entities that are designated by them as their authorized representatives to conduct any audit, evaluation, or enforcement or compliance activity on their behalf.
- The University may disclose education records without consent to accrediting organizations to carry out their accrediting functions.
- The University may disclose education records without consent to organizations conducting studies for, or on behalf of, the school, in order to: (a) develop, validate, or administer predictive tests; (b) administer student aid programs; or (c) improve instruction.
- The University may disclose education records without consent upon the documented death of a student or former student. FERPA rights end when the University receives a certified death certificate.
- The outcome of a conduct hearing is part of the education record of any student personally identified, and is protected from release under FERPA. However, the University of Arizona Global Campusobserves the following legal exceptions:
- Complainants and accused in sexual misconduct and sexual harassment incidents have a right to be informed of the outcome and sanctions of the hearing, in writing, without condition or limitation, and to be kept apprised of the status of investigations;
- The University may release the final results of a disciplinary proceeding in which a student who is an alleged perpetrator of a crime of violence* or non-forcible sex offense, is found in violation of the University’s Student Community Standards. The University may not disclose the name of any other student, including the victim or witness, without the prior written consent of the other student. The University will also release this information to the complainant in any of these offenses regardless of the outcome;
- In the event that the alleged victim is deceased as a result of the crime or offense, the notification will be made to next of kin (upon written request)
*A crime of violence includes arson, burglary, robbery, criminal homicide (manslaughter by negligence, murder, and non-negligent manslaughter), forcible sex offenses, assault, destruction/damage/vandalism of property and kidnapping/abduction.
The University may also disclose education records without consent under other exceptions authorized by FERPA.
4. The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by the University of Arizona Global Campus to comply with the requirements of FERPA. The name and address of the Office that administers FERPA is:
Student Privacy Policy Office
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20202
Personally Identifiable Information
The U.S. Department of Education’s Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) regulations expanded the circumstances under which a student’s education records and personally identifiable information contained in such records (including Social Security Number, grades, or other private information) may be accessed without prior consent. First, the U.S. Comptroller General, the U.S. Attorney General, the U.S. Secretary of Education, or state and local education authorities (Federal and State Authorities) may allow access to student records and personally identifiable information without prior consent to any third party designated by a Federal or State Authority to evaluate a federal- or state-supported education program. The evaluation may relate to any education program, which is defined as any program “that is principally engaged in the provision of education,” such as early childhood education, elementary and secondary education, postsecondary education, special education, career and technical education, adult education, and job training, as well as any program that is administered by an education agency or institution. See 34 CFR § 99.3. Second, Federal and State Authorities may allow access to a student’s education records and personally identifiable information without prior consent to researchers performing certain types of studies, even when the University objects to or does not request such research. Federal and State Authorities must obtain certain use-restriction and data security promises from the entities that they authorize to receive any personally identifiable information, but the Authorities need not maintain direct control over such entities. In addition, in connection with Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems, State Authorities may collect, compile, permanently retain, and share without prior consent personally identifiable information from a student’s education records, and they may track a student’s participation in education and other programs by linking such personally identifiable information to other personal information about a student that they obtain from other Federal or State data sources, including workforce development, unemployment insurance, child welfare, juvenile justice, military service, and migrant student records systems.
The University maintains student records in compliance with FERPA and applicable state regulations. Students who would like more information on these policies may contact the Office of the Registrar.