Academic and Student Records
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act and Disclosure of Directory Information
Elon University complies with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA as amended in 2008). This act is designed to protect the privacy of educational records, to establish the right of students to inspect and review their educational records and to provide guidelines for the correction of inaccurate or misleading data through informal and formal hearings. Students also have the right to file complaints with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act Office (FERPA) concerning alleged failures by the institution to comply with the act.
Under the provisions of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, students have the right to withhold the disclosure of Directory Information. Students should consider very carefully the consequences of any decision to withhold Directory Information; any future requests for such information from non-institutional persons or organizations will be refused. Students who wish to withhold directory information should contact the Office of the Registrar.
The institution will honor requests to withhold the information listed below but cannot assume responsibility to contact students for subsequent permission to release them. The institution assumes no liability for honoring instructions that such information be withheld.
The items listed below are designated as Directory Information and may be released for any purpose at the discretion of the institution unless the student requests the information be withheld:
- Name, address, telephone number, dates of attendance, class, and electronic e-mail address.
- Previous institution(s) attended, major field of study, awards, honors (included Dean’s list), degree(s) conferred (including dates).
- Past and present participation in officially recognized sports and activities, physical factors (height, weight of athletes), date and place of birth.
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) afford students certain rights to their education records. These rights include:
- The right to inspect and review the student’s education records within 45 days of the day the University receives a request for access.
A student should submit to the registrar, dean, head of the academic department, or other appropriate official, a written request that identifies the record(s) the student wishes to inspect. The University official will make arrangements for access and notify the student of the time and place where the records may be inspected. If the University official to whom the request was submitted does not maintain the records, that official shall advise the student of the correct official to whom the request should be addressed.
- 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.
A student who wishes to ask the University to amend a record should write the University official responsible for the record clearly identify the part of the record the student wants changed, and specify why it should be changed.
If the University decides not to amend the record as requested, the University will notify the student in writing of the decision and the student’s 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.
- The right to provide written consent before the University discloses personally identifiable information from the student’s education records, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent.
The University discloses education records without a student’s prior written consent under the FERPA exception for disclosure to school officials with legitimate educational interests. A school official is a person employed by the University in an administrative, supervisory, academic or research, or support staff position (including law enforcement unit personnel and health and counseling staff); a person or company with whom the University has contracted as its agent to provide a service instead of using University employees or officials (such as an attorney, auditor, or collection agent); a person serving on the Board of Trustees; or a student serving on an official committee, such as a disciplinary or grievance committee, or assisting another school official in performing his or her tasks.
A school official has a legitimate educational interest if the official needs to review an education record in order to fulfill his or her professional responsibilities for the University. Upon request, the University also discloses education records without consent to officials of another school in which a student seeks or intendeds to enroll.
The University may make disclosure to parents and other parties based on provisions of FERPA (as amended in 2008), which are listed in The Federal Register, Volume 73, No. 237, December 9, 2008. These disclosures are made at the discretion of University officials.
- The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by the University to comply with the requirements of FERPA. The name and address of the Office that administers FERPA is:
Family Policy Compliance Office
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20202-5901
Questions about student records and FERPA may be directed to The Office of the Registrar at (336) 278-6677 or the Office of Student Health and Wellness at (336) 278-7200. Students who wish to provide consent for parents or others to review educational records may do so by signing an authorization form available on the Registrar’s website or the Office of Student Health and Wellness, located in the R.N. Ellington Center for Health and Wellness. Additional information for students about FERPA may be found at The US Department of Education.
Heath and counseling records are not covered by FERPA and can only be released with signed permission unless as allowed by law. Students wishing to release their health or counseling records should contact Health Services at (336) 278-7230 or Counseling Services at (336) 278-7280.