The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA) is the federal law that governs the rights of students and defines institutional responsibilities with respect to student records. Advisors must complete an online FERPA training prior to gaining access to any advising systems that contain student data. The training takes about 20 minutes. Users will be instructed to fill out a form at the end of the training in order to verify completion for the purpose of requesting access to student data systems.

FERPA restricts the amount of student information that advisors can share with outside parties, including parents and guardians. Some student data is considered to be directory information  and can be shared with any outside party, unless the student restricts access to this information via UAccess. All non-directory information is confidential and cannot be shared with an outside party unless the student waives his or her FERPA rights by signing an Authorization for Release of Information (PDF).

View other FERPA-related links here.