INFORMATION FOR STUDENTS AT PURDUE UNIVERSITY
A quick-reference guide to understanding and applying the provisions of FERPA
WHAT IS FERPA? back to top
The Family Educational Rights and
Privacy Act (FERPA), also known as the
Buckley Amendment, is designed to
protect the privacy of students' education
records and personally identifiable
information. This federal law spells out
the rights of students and the
responsibilities of educational institutions.
WHAT ARE STUDENTS' PRIMARY RIGHTS UNDER FERPA?
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Students have the following rights under
FERPA:
- Right to inspect and review education records
- Right to seek to amend education records
- Right to have some control over the disclosure of information from education records
- Right to file a complaint with the FERPA office in Washington, D.C.
WHAT IS AN EDUCATION RECORD? back to top
Education records are any records directly related to a student and
maintained by the University or a party acting for the University. These records may be maintained via any media, including handwriting, computer media (including e-mail), print, videotape or audiotape, film, microfilm, and microfiche.
WHAT IS PERSONALLY
IDENTIFIABLE
INFORMATION?
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Personally identifiable information
includes, but is not limited to the
following:
- The student's name
- The name of the student's parent
or other family member
- The address of the student or the
student's family
- A personal identifier (SID, PUID,
SSN)
- A list of personal characteristics
that would make the student's
identity easily traceable
WHAT IS DIRECTORY INFORMATION? back to top
Directory information is information contained in the education record of a student that would generally not be
considered harmful to the student or an
invasion of privacy if disclosed. It can
include pieces of personally identifiable information, such as:
- Name
- E-mail address
- Address (local and home)
- Telephone (local and home)
- Classification
- School and curriculum
- Enrollment status and credit hour load
- Participation in officially recognized activities
- Sports photograph
- Dates of attendance
- Degrees and awards
- Position, weight, and height of athletes
Students can restrict all or part
of their directory information. |
WHAT DOES IT MEAN WHEN ALL OR PART OF A STUDENT'S RECORD IS RESTRICTED? back to top
Restricted records cannot be released
without the written permission of the
student. This permission must be signed
and dated, specify the records to be
disclosed, state the purpose of the
disclosure, and identify the party or parties
to whom the disclosure may be made.
There are exceptions to the consent to
disclosure requirement. Please see the
following Web site for further details:
https://www2.itap.purdue.edu/ITEATraining/asp/FERPA/
EducationRecords/Disclosure.asp
WHAT ARE THE RESTRICTED DIRECTORY OPTIONS?
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Restricted Directory Listing options for students are as follows:
- No restrictions
- One of the following:
- Local address and local
telephone number
- Home address and home
telephone number
- All addresses and telephone
numbers
- All telephone numbers
- Degrees and honors received
- School, classification, and field
of study
- All directory information
Students desiring to restrict their e-mail
address must restrict all directory
information.
Students interested in restricting all or part
of their directory information must make
their request in person at the Office of the
Registrar, Room 45, Hovde Hall. Photo
ID is required.
WHAT HAPPENS IF NONCOMPLIANCE OCCURS? back to top
Students have the right to file a complaint
with the FERPA office in Washington,
D.C.
This complaint may result in the loss of
federal funding for financial aid and
educational grants for Purdue University
and the filing of civil litigation.
Action to terminate funding is generally
taken only if compliance cannot be
secured by voluntary means.
SOURCES OF ADDITIONAL FERPA INFORMATION back to top
Purdue University's Office of the
President Executive Memorandum
No. C-51:
http://www.purdue.edu/oop/policies/pages/records/c_51.html
Purdue University’s University
Regulations, Part 6, Rights and Privacy -
Student Educational Records:
http://www.purdue.edu/oop/univregs/pages/
stu_edu_rec/stu_edu_rec.html
Purdue University - Office Of the
Registrar:
http://www.purdue.edu/Registrar/Records/FERPA/index.htm
Purdue University - Office Of the
Registrar - Frequently Asked Questions
About Education Records:
http://www.purdue.edu/Registrar/Records/FERPA/faq.htm
FERPA Certification - Training Material:
https://vwave-01.itap.purdue.edu/ITEATraining/asp/FERPA/Fwelcome.asp
Office of the Registrar
Hovde Hall of Administration
610 Purdue Mall
West Lafayette, IN 47907-2040
Phone (765) 494-8581
Fax (765) 494-0570
http://www.purdue.edu/Registrar
Purdue University is an
equal access/equal opportunity university
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