FERPA Tutorial

What is FERPA?

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, commonly known as FERPA, is a federal law governing the privacy of educational records. It grants specific rights to students and puts restrictions on how schools may handle educational records. FERPA requires that schools obtain written permission from students before releasing educational records. In certain well-defined circumstances, some information may be released without written permission from the student.

FERPA gives each student the following rights:

• The right to see educational records the school is keeping on the student.
• The right to seek amendment to those records.
• The right to consent to any disclosure of those records.
• The right to file a complaint with the FERPA office in Washington, DC.

The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLB) requires colleges and universities to protect the privacy of their employees and students, including nonpublic, personal information. Because universities are governed by GLB, Oral Roberts University has a responsibility to secure the personal records of its employees and students. To ensure this protection, GLB mandates all institutions establish appropriate administrative, technical and physical safeguards. Colleges and universities complying with FERPA are considered in compliance with GLB.