Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act

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

These rights include:

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 College 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 College official to whom the request was submitted, that official shall advise the student of the correct official to whom the request should be addressed.

Students may ask the College to amend a record that they believe is inaccurate. They should write the College official responsible for the record, clearly identify the part of the record they want changed, and specify why it is inaccurate.

If the College decides not to amend the record as requested by the student, the College will notify the student of the decision and advise the student of her/his 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.

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 College 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 College has contracted (such as an attorney, auditor, or collection agency); 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 is considered DIRECTORY INFORMATION, and the College reserves the right to disclose it to anyone inquiring without the student’s consent unless the student, within ten days of the beginning of each semester, informs the Office of the Registrar, in writing, that any or all such information about her/him is not be made public without her/his written permission: student’s name, address, email address, dates of attendance, classification, program of study, previous institution(s) attended, awards, honors, degree(s) conferred (including dates) and past and/or present participation in officially recognized activities.

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

1. The right to inspect and review the student’s records within 45 days of the day the College receives a written request for access.

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

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

4. The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by Wilson College to comply with the requirements of FERPA.