Below are answers to some questions students frequently ask about FERPA.
As a student you have four primary rights under FERPA:
the right to have some control over the disclosure of information from the education
record (with certain exceptions provided by the law);
the right to inspect and review the education records;
the right to challenge or seek to amend the education records under certain circumstances;
the right to file a complaint with the Office of Enrollment Management & Student Affairs;
the right to file a complaint with the Family Compliance Office of the U.S. Department
of Education
FERPA rights begin when the student begins classes. Students who originally sought
admission to one program of study at the university and are denied, but subsequently
are admitted and enrolled in a different program of study have FERPA rights only in
their admitted/enrolled program of study. Applicants who were denied admission to
the University, who do not attend the University or have not yet started classes do
not have rights under FERPA.
Under FERPA, education records are defined as records that are directly related to
a student and are maintained by an education agency or institution or by a party acting
for the agency or institution. Education records can exist in any medium, including:
typed, computer generated, videotape, audiotape, film, microfilm, microfiche and email,
among others.
Directory information is information contained in the educational record that would
not generally be considered harmful or an invasion of privacy if disclosed. Information
identified by the University of Baltimore as directory information that may be disclosed
without prior written consent are:
Student's name
Campus email
Degree sought and time
Major/minor fields of study
College of major and year (freshman, sophomore, etc.)
Enrollment status (full-time/part-time) including credit hours
Dates of attendance
Degrees, awards and honors conferred
Participation in officially recognized activities and sports
The most recent previous educational agency or institution attended by the student
Fraternity/sorority and honor societies.
According to FERPA, while still enrolled, a student can request that the institution
not release any directory information about him/her. At UBalt students who wish to
restrict the release of directory information about him/herself must complete a Request to Withhold Directory Information form, available at the Office of Records & Registration, Welcome Center, prior to the start
of each semester. A hard-copy completed form may be submitted in person to the registrar's
office and must be accompanied by a photo I.D. The restriction will remain in effect
until the student withdraws the request.
Students who wish to restrict the release of directory information should realize
that this action could have negative consequences. The names of students who have
restricted their directory information will not appear in the commencement bulletin
and other university publications. Also, employers, credit card companies, loan agencies,
scholarship committees and the like will be denied directory information and will
be told "we have no information available about this person's attendance at UBalt."
Parents have no inherent rights to access or inspect their son or daughter's education
records at the postsecondary level. This right is limited solely to the student. At
UBalt, records may be released to parents only if:
in compliance with a subpoena. This includes final grades which are available on MyUBalt
but are not mailed to the student's home.
If non-directory information is needed to resolve a crisis or emergency situation,
an education institution may release that information if the institution determines
that the information is "necessary to protect the health or safety of the student
or other individuals." In the case of an emergency, contact the Office of Public Safety
at 410-837-5520.
General questions may be directed to the Office of Records and Registration or to
the office responsible for the record in question.
