The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) affords students certain rights with respect to their education records.

These rights include:

(1) The right to inspect and review the student's education records within 45 days of the day the University receives a request for access.

Students should submit to the registrar, dean, head of the academic department, or other appropriate official, written requests that identify the record(s) they wish to inspect. The University official will make arrangements for access and notify the student of the time and place where the records may be inspected. If the records are not maintained by the University official to whom the request was submitted, that official shall advise the student of the correct official to whom the request should be addressed.

(2) The right to request the amendment of the student’s education records that the student believes is inaccurate.

Students may ask the University to amend a record that they believe is inaccurate. They should write the University official responsible for the record, clearly identify the part of the record they want changed, and specify why it is inaccurate. If the University decides not to amend the record as requested by the student, the University will notify the student of the decision and advise the student of his or her right to a hearing regarding the request for amendment. Additional information regarding the hearing procedures will be provided to the student when notified of the right to a hearing.

(3) The right to consent to disclosures of personally identifiable information contained in the student's education records, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent.

One exception, which permits disclosure without consent, is disclosure to school officials with legitimate educational interests. A school official is a person employed by the University in an administrative, supervisory, academic or research, or support staff position (including law enforcement unit personnel and health staff); a person or company with whom the University has contracted (such as an attorney, auditor, or collection agent); a person serving on the Board of Trustees; or a student serving on an official committee, such as a disciplinary or grievance committee, or assisting another school official in performing his or her tasks.

A school official has a legitimate educational interest if the official needs to review an education record in order to fulfill his or her professional responsibility.

The following information may be made available to the public unless you restrict its release by written notice to the Registrar's Office.  Forms for this purpose are available in Schofield 128.  Release restrictions are effective until rescinded by the student.

A. The following information will be published in the Campus Directory: Name, classification, telephone numbers, local and permanent addresses, and "username" (e.g., for electronic mail access).

B. The following information may also be made public by the University: Date of birth, college, majors and minors, degrees, awards received, dates of attendance, full-time or part-time status, most recent educational institution attended, participation in officially recognized activities or sports, and weight and height of members of athletic teams.

(4) The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by State University to comply with the requirements of FERPA. The name and address of the Office that administers FERPA are: 

Family Policy Compliance Office
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20202-4605

(The information stated above has been collected from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Student Services and Standards publication and from the United Stated Department of Education's Model Notification of Rights under FERPA for Postsecondary Institutions.)