Student education records are official and confidential documents protected by one of the nation's strongest privacy protection laws, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). Educational records, as defined by FERPA, includes all records that schools or education agencies maintain about students. FERPA affords students certain rights with respect to their educational records. These rights include:
1. The right to inspect and review their records. Students should contact the Office of the Registrar to determine the location of appropriate records and the procedure for reviewing such records.
2. The right to request that records believed to be inaccurate or misleading be amended. The request should be submitted in writing to the University office responsible for maintaining the record. If the request for change is denied, the student has a right to a hearing on the issue.
3. The right to consent to disclosures of personally identifiable information contained in the student's education records. Generally, the University must have written permission from the student before releasing any information from the student's record. FERPA does however authorize disclosure without consent in certain situations. For example, disclosure without consent can be made to school officials with a legitimate educational interest in the record.
A school official is a person employed by UNK in an administrative, supervisory, academic, research or support staff position; a person or company with whom UNK has contracted (such as an auditor, attorney or collection agent); a person serving on the Board of Regents; a student serving on an official committee (such as grievance or disciplinary committee) or assisting another school official in performing his/her tasks. A school official has a legitimate educational interest if he/she must review the educational record in order to fulfill his/her official responsibilities.
Upon request, UNK will disclose education records without consent to officials of another school in which the student seeks or intends to enroll.
UNK may also disclose "directory" information without the student's prior consent. Directory information has been defined as:
Student Name
Address
Telephone number
Major field of study
Participation in officially recognized activities and sports
Dates of attendance
Degrees and awards received
Most recent previous education institution or
agency attended
Current enrollment status
Students have the right to prevent directory information from being released. In order to maintain directory information as confidential, a student must sign a Directory Restriction Form at the Office of the Registrar by the end of the first week of each semester/summer term for which the restriction is to be in place.
4. The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by UNK to comply with the requirements of FERPA.
For additional information or to review the complete text of the UNK FERPA policy, contact the Office of the Registrar, Founders Hall.