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FERPA stands for Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, as Amended. It is commonly known
as FERPA, the Privacy Act or the Buckley Amendment. It is a federal law 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 and misleading data through informal
and formal hearings.
FERPA allows release of specified items but does not require it. Items that may be released are called
directory information. Texas A&M University has classified these items as directory information:
student’s name, local address, permanent address, e-mail address, local telephone number, permanent
telephone number, program of study, classification, dates of attendance, previous educational
agencies/institutions attended, degree(s), academic honors and awards received, participation in
officially recognized activities and sports.
Students may place a directory hold on any or all of this information via MyRecord, or by completing
the Hold Directory Information form and turning it in to the Records section of the Office of the
Registrar. It is available on the Registrar’s web page or in the Records Office. After this information
is entered into SIMS, a statement will appear on the monitor screen that the student has blocked
his/her information. Check SIMS screen 011 for directory items that have been restricted and may not
be released without a signed statement from the student.
Items that can never be identified as directory information are a student’s social security number or
institutional identification number (UIN), race/ethnicity, citizenship, nationality, gender, grades,
GPA (GPR in Aggieland) or class schedule.
Any record, with certain exceptions, maintained by an institution that is directly related to a student
or students is an educational record. This record can contain a student’s name, or several students’
names, or information from which an individual student or students can be personally (individually)
identified. Educational records include files, documents and materials in whatever medium (handwriting,
print, monitor screen, tapes, disks, film, microfilm, microfiche or notes) that contain information
directly related to students and from which students can be personally identified.
If ever in doubt whether information may be released, DON’T. Please call an Assistant Registrar
(845-1076 or 458-4175), Associate Registrar (845-1059) or the Registrar (845-1145). They will help you
determine if the information is an educational record and/or whether it may be disclosed without
written consent. To be safe, always think written consent.
A legitimate educational interest shall mean any authorized interest or activity undertaken in the name
of the University for which access to an educational record is necessary or appropriate to the proper
performance of the undertaking.
This means if a student is assigned to you for advising, you have a legitimate educational interest and
may access his/her records. If a good friend asks you to tell him the grades his daughter has made,
DON’T. This situation poses two problems. First, unless this student is your advisee, you do not have a
legitimate educational interest. Second, if the parent has not filed the Certification of Dependency
form with the Office of the Registrar, the parent is not entitled to this information.
In post-secondary institutions, the student “owns” his/her educational record from the first
enrollment. This has nothing to do with age of the student.
Statements made by a person making a recommendation that are made from that person’s personal
observation or knowledge do not require a written release from the student who is the subject of the
recommendation. However, if personally identifiable information obtained from a student’s educational
record is included (GPA, grades, etc.), the writer is required to obtain a signed release from the
student. This letter would become a part of the student’s educational record and the student has the
right to read it unless he/she has waived that right.
The public posting of grades either by the student’s name, institutional student identification
number (UIN), social security number, or any portion of these numbers without the student’s written
permission is a violation of FERPA. This includes posting grades to a class/institutional website and
applies to any public posting of grades for students taking distance education courses.
Even with names obscured, numeric student identifiers are considered personally identifiable
information. The practice of posting grades by social security number, student identification number
(UIN), or any portion of these numbers violates FERPA.
Notification of grades via a postcard violates a student’s privacy.
There is no guarantee of confidentiality when sending grades via email or the Internet. The institution
would be held responsible if an unauthorized third party gained access, in any manner, to a student’s
education record through any electronic transmission method. A third party in this definition could be
parents or guardians, boyfriend or girlfriend, roommate, etc. Only secure web sites are approved by
FERPA for accessing grade information.
The Family Policy Compliance Office reviews and investigates complaints of violations of FERPA. The
penalty for violating FERPA is loss of all federal funding, including grants and financial aid.
If you witness or commit what you believe to be a possible FERPA violation, please notify the Office of the Registrar immediately
at 979-845-1059. They will investigate the matter and determine what action, if any, should be taken. If you have any questions about FERPA compliance or the release of student information, please contact
Venesa Flores, Associate Registrar at vflores@tamu.edu or 979-845-1059.
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At any time use the social security number, institutional identification number (UIN), or any
portion of these numbers in a public posting of grades
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Link the name of a student with that student’s social security number or institutional
identification number (UIN) in any public manner
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Leave graded tests or papers in a stack for students to pick up by sorting through the tests or
papers of all students
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Circulate a printed class list with student name and social security number/institutional
identification number (UIN) or grades as an attendance roster
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Discuss the progress of any student with anyone other than the student (including parents/guardians)
without the consent of the student
- Provide anyone with lists of students enrolled in your classes for any commercial purpose
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Provide anyone with student schedules or assist anyone other than university employees in finding a
student on campus
The staff members of the Office of the Registrar are available to participate in a FERPA question and
answer session for any department or college faculty meeting. To make arrangements, please call Ms.
Venesa Flores, Associate Registrar.
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