FERPA for Students

1. Inspect and Review: students have the right to inspect and review their education records within 45 days of submitting a written request to the institution Registrar. The institution will arrange access and notify the student of the time and place where the records may be inspected. 
2. Request an Amendment: students have the right to request an amendment if that student believes the records to be inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise in violation of the student’s privacy rights under FERPA. The request must be submitted in writing, clearly identifying the part of the record to be amended and explaining why it is inaccurate or misleading. This process cannot be used to challenge grades.
3. Provide Written Consent: students have the right to provide written consent before the University discloses Personally Identifiable Information (PII) from the student’s education records, except as authorized under FERPA. Directory Information, as defined below, may be disclosed without prior consent unless the student has opted out.
4. Opt-Out of Directory Information Disclosure: students may choose to opt out of the disclosure of Directory Information by submitting a written request. Once the request is submitted, the institution will withhold Directory Information from public disclosure.
   Important: Opting out does not prevent the institution from disclosing Directory Information to school officials with legitimate educational interests, including certain institution administrators, faculty, and contracted service providers.
5. File a Complaint: students have the right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by the University to comply with the requirements of FERPA.

Under FERPA, "Directory Information" refers to student information that is not generally considered harmful or an invasion of privacy if disclosed. Consistent with the University System of Georgia (USG) Board of Regents (BOR) Academic and Student Affairs Handbook Section 3.2, the University of West Georgia designates the following categories of information as Directory Information:

• Student's Name
• Major Field of Study
• Enrollment Status - (e.g., full/part-time)
• Dates of Attendance
• Class Level - (e.g., classification)
• Most Recent Educational Institution Attended
• Degrees, Honors, and Awards Received
• Participation in Officially Recognized Activities and Sports
• Height and Weight of Athletes
  
• Hometown
• Thesis/Dissertation title 
• Institution-assigned email address
  _{Under this category, an institution-assigned email address may be disclosed without consent only to other, current students. In addition, students may not request email listings of the entire student body or segments thereof, except for academic purposes.}
  

Students may opt out (restrict) their information being released by submiting the FERPA NON-DISCLOSURE FORM, complete parts 1 and 2 only, and follow the submission instructions.

CONSEQUENCES OF RESTRICTING INFORMATION

With this confidentiality restriction applied to your record, the University will not release any information about you, including directory information. The University will refuse all requests for information until this restriction is lifted.

This restriction:

• makes it difficult or impossible to share information or records with third-parties, including parents/guardians.
• makes it difficult or impossible for potential employers to verify enrollment or degree(s) earned from the University. If an employer cannot confirm your educational information through the institution, you may be dismissed from candidacy.
• means the University cannot notify media outlets about awards and honors students have received (e.g., Dean’s list). 
• means your student information will be excluded from publications such as commencement. 

TO LIFT RESTRICTIONS

To remove this restriction from your record and make directory information available to non-institutional persons or organizations, complete parts 1 and 3 of the FERPA NON-DISCLOSURE FORM and follow form instructions.

UWG FAMILY PORTAL

Students may grant parents/guardians access to their academic records through The UWG Family Portal and remove or edit access levels at any time. Once the student approves access, the portal will be updated nightly.

This portal offers a FERPA authorization option that provides a digital dashboard view of academic information such as:

• Academic information
  (registration, student ID number, academic progress, class schedules)
• Academic Information (grades/ GPA only)
• Account Holds
  (registration, athletics, admission, advising, financial aid, health services, etc.)
• Disciplinary Records
  (records related to the Student Wolf Code and the Academic Integrity Policy.)
• Financial Aid/Loan Information (awards, eligibility, balances, etc.)
• Student Account Information
  (billing statements, refunds, past due amounts, etc.)

FERPA RELEASE FORMS

Current and former students can use these forms to identify specific UWG education record(s), the recipient(s) of the records, and the purpose of the release. 

• CONSENT TO RELEASE EDUCATIONAL RECORDS
  _{Follow the submission instructions on the form and return it along with a photo ID (passport or state-issued ID) to the Momentum Center.}
• CONSENT TO RELEASE TREATMENT RECORDS 
  _{Follow the submission instructions on the form and return it along with a photo ID (passport or state-issued ID) to Health Services and/or the Counseling Center.} 

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) grants eligible students the right to seek to amend student records that are inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise violate student privacy. 

To inspect/review an educational record, use the following form, follow the form instructions, and submit it along with a photo ID (passport or state-issued ID) to the University Official or Office that maintains the record you wish to inspect. 

• REQUEST TO INSPECT / REVIEW EDUCATIONAL RECORDS 

For example, if a student wants to inspect or amend their admissions application data, submit the appropriate form to the Office of Admissions.

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) grants eligible students the right to seek to amend student records that are inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise violate student privacy. 

To amend/remove an educational record, use the following form, follow the form instructions, and submit it along with a photo ID (passport or state-issued ID) to the University Official or Office that maintains the record. 

• REQUEST TO AMEND / REMOVE EDUCATIONAL RECORDS 

For example, if a student wants to inspect or amend their admissions application data, submit the appropriate form to the Office of Admissions.

Hearing requests must be made in writing by the student and directed to the University Registrar. The Registrar will notify the student within a reasonable time, not to exceed 30 business days, after receipt of the request as to the date, time, and place of the hearing. In most circumstances, the hearing date will be within 45 business days of such notice so the student may prepare for the hearing. The hearing procedures do not attempt to recreate or approximate a court of law.

• REQUEST FORMAL HEARING
  Follow form instructions and submit a photo ID (passport or state-issued ID) to the University Registrar.

_{Note: If the student disagrees with the Hearing Panel's decision, the student has the right to place a written statement in the record and/or state their reasons for disagreeing. This explanation will become part of the student's education record as long as this record is maintained. Whenever a copy of the records is sent to any party, an explanation will accompany it.}

The institution may disclose education records without a student's prior written consent to certain third parties under certain conditions. The following is a summary of intanaces records may be dislcosed without student authorization:

• School officials with legitimate educational interests.
  _{A school official typically has a legitimate educational interest if the official needs to review an education record in order to fulfill professional responsibilities for the University of West Georgia.}
• Other schools to which a student is transferring.
• Specified officials for audit or evaluation purposes.
• Appropriate parties in connection with financial aid.
• Organizations conducting certain types of studies for or on behalf of the school.
• Accrediting organizations.
• Compliance with a judicial order or lawfully issued subpoena.
• Appropriate officials in cases of health and safety emergencies,
• Military recruiters under the Solomon Amendment.
• Under the parent/legal guardian exemption who can demonstrate that the student is a tax dependent (the latest Tax Form is acceptable).
• Upon request or initiated by the student.

Students who believe their FERPA rights have been violated are encouraged to first contact the institution to address their concerns. Complaints can be emailed to the Office of Legal Affairs (legal@westga.edu) or the Registrar (studentsolutions@westga.edu). 

Compliants must:

• be in writing and contain specific allegations of fact giving reasonable cause to believe that a violation of FERPA has occurred;
• be filed by the parent or by the student (if the rights have transferred to the student); and
• be filed within 180 days of the alleged violation or after you knew or should have known about the violation.

Formal Complaint

Students who believe the institution has failed to comply with FERPA may file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education at the following address:

U.S. Department of Education
Student Privacy Policy Office (SPPO)
400 Maryland Ave, SW
Washington, DC 20202-8520

For more information on FERPA, visit the following resources:

Department of Education – Protecting Student Privacy
Department of Education – FERPA
US Government Information – FERPA 20 USC 1232(g)
Code of Federal Regulations – 34 CFR Part 99