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Family Educational Rights And Privacy Act (FERPA)

Information for Students and Parents

three female students sitting at a table in a college library

What is FERPA?

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is the federal law that protects the privacy of students’ education records.

What are your rights as a student?

The primary rights protected under FERPA are:

  • Students’ rights to review and inspect their education records within 45 days from the day the College receives a request for access

  • Students’ rights to have their education records amended or corrected

  • Students’ rights to control disclosure of certain portions of their education records

  • Students’ rights to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education regarding alleged failures to comply with FERPA. Complaints of alleged violations may be sent to:

Family Policy Compliance Office

U.S. Department of Education 400 Maryland Avenue, SW Washington, DC 20202-5901

For more information, visit the U.S. Department of Education Web site at https://studentprivacy.ed.gov/faq/what-ferpa/.

What are considered education records?

Education records are all records maintained by the Alamo Colleges District (“ACD”) about individual students.

These records can be in any medium (handwritten, e-mail, print, microfilm, or other formats) maintained by the College.

Public Records...

In accordance with FERPA, ACD has designated the following categories of information about individual students as public or general directory information. This information will be routinely released to any inquirer, unless the student specifically requests that all or part of the following list be withheld:

  • Name
  • Major
  • Enrollment status
  • Dates of attendance (in person or by correspondence, Internet, or other electronic and telecommunications technologies)
  • Most recent previous educational agency or institution attended
  • Degrees, certificates, and awards received

General directory information shall be released to any individual or organization that makes a written Public Information Request.

Additional information which FERPA allows to be treated as disclosable student directory information may be released without consent to implement ACD institutional objectives, unless the student specifically requests that all or part be withheld.

ACD will honor a student’s request to withhold any of the items of public records information listed, but cannot assume responsibility to contact a student for subsequent permission to release the information.

Regardless of the effect upon a student, the College assumes no liability for honoring a student’s request that such information be withheld. Students wishing to restrict access to some or all public information in their education record must do so by submitting the Non-Disclosure form.

View Non-Disclosure Form

Private Records...

The following is a non-exhaustive list of categories of information treated as private, or protected, by ACD:

  • Social Security Number
  • ACD student ID number
  • Residency status
  • Marital status
  • Married name or previous name
  • Parents’ name and address
  • Transfer credits
  • Courses completed
  • Grades
  • Grade point average
  • Rank in class
  • Current class schedule
  • Advisor’s name
  • Academic status
  • Current disciplinary actions
  • Instructor class records other than personal notes


Private records may be released only to the following parties:

  • Individual students
  • College academic departments
  • Appropriate school officials who have legitimate educational interests (see definition of “school official” on next page).
What are not considered education records?

The following are not considered education records:

  • Personal notes of College or District faculty and staff

  • Employment records (unless employment is contingent on the individual’s status as a student)

  • Medical and counseling records used solely for treatment

  • Law enforcement records exclusively maintained by law enforcement and not duplicated elsewhere

  • Financial records of a parent or spouse

  • Confidential letters and statements of recommendation placed in your record

  • Records that contain only information about an individual obtained after the individual was no longer a student at one of the Alamo Colleges

  • Records of applicants for admission who were denied acceptance or chose not to attend.
Who can request access to your education record?

Under FERPA, prior written consent must be obtained before a student’s education record may be disclosed to a third party, unless they are exempted from this provision. Information will be released without your prior written consent to the following groups or individuals:

    • Appropriate school officials who have legitimate educational interests (“school official” means a person either: (1) employed by ACD in an administrative, supervisory, academic, research, or support staff position, (2) serving on a ACD governing body,

(3) under contract to ACD to perform a special task or service, or (4) who is a student serving in an official capacity for ACD)

  • Representatives of agencies or organizations from which you have received financial aid, including banks or other lending agencies from which you have guaranteed student loans

  • Officials of other educational institutions in which you intend to enroll

  • Attorneys, consultants and independent contractors retained by ACD to perform institutional services or functions for which the College District would otherwise use its own employees and under the direct control of the College District

  • Individuals or groups specifically exempted from the prior consent requirement

  • Federal and state officials, accrediting organizations, and organizations conducting studies on behalf of ACD

  • The alleged victim of a violent crime or nonforcible sex offence may view the final results of the alleged perpetrator’s disciplinary proceeding.

Instances in which prior written consent is not required:

  • Requests in connection with an emergency, if such information is necessary to protect the health or safety of the student or other person

  • Requests in accordance with a lawful subpoena or court order

  • Requests for “public records” information, if not restricted by the student

  • When the student violates a law or the College’s policies governing alcohol or substance abuse, if the student is under the age of 21.
What is Prior Written Consent?

The College must obtain prior written consent from students before disclosing any personally identifiable information from their education records except as specifically authorized by FERPA.

The prior written consent must:

  • Specify the records to be released

  • State the purpose of the disclosure

  • Identify the party(ies) to whom disclosure may be made

  • Be signed and dated by the
Reviewing your education records

Eligible students must be given access to review and inspect their education records. Requests to access your education records must be made in writing and submitted to the college Registrar or to your college dean, department chair, or other appropriate official.

Students may not have access to:

  • Parent’s financial records (without written consent from the parent)

  • Law enforcement records exclusively maintained by law enforcement and not duplicated elsewhere

  • Medical, psychiatric or similar records in connection with the treatment of the student

  • Letters or statements of recommendation which were placed in the education record prior to January 1,1975.
Parents and FERPA

FERPA rights transfer to a student when he or she reaches the age of 18. 

Also, a student has postsecondary institution student record rights, regardless of age. Parents or guardians may not have access to a student’s ACD education record without the written consent of the student. 

Minor students taking dual credit courses control their college student records while their parents/guardians control their high school records.