FERPA

Student Records

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is a Federal law that is administered by the Family Policy Compliance Office in the U.S. Department of Education. FERPA applies to all educational agencies and institutions (e.g. schools) that receive funding under any program administered by the Department of Education. FERPA protects the privacy of student education records by prohibiting the improper disclosure of personally identifiable information derived from education records. According to FERPA, there are two types of student information that a university maintains: (1) Educational and (2) Directory Information records.

Educational Records are those records that are: (1) Directly related to a student; (2) Maintained by an educational agency or institution or by a party acting for the agency or institution. Student Educational Records are considered confidential and may not be released without written consent of the student.

Students who wish to opt out of allowing directory information to be released, may fill out a Request to Restrict Directory Information form that can be found online or picked up in the Welcome Center. Please note this will mark your record as confidential which will limit access to your record and require your picture ID when inquiring about your information.

Some educational records are defined as Directory Information, which can be released without the written consent of the student. The student does have the right to request such information not be released. The following items are defined as Directory Information:

Name
Campus Email
Permanent Telephone Number
Local Telephone Number
Dates of Attendance
Program of Study:
- College
- Academic Major
- Campus
Student Classification
Previous Educational Agencies/Institutions Attended
Degrees, Awards, and Honors Received
Participation in Officially Recognized Activities

FERPA forms are available online for students who wish to give consent to individuals to access the student’s information. To access the online forms please go to the Forms page of the Registrar website.

Student Rights

Under FERPA, a student has the following rights:

Annual notification of FERPA rights
Right to inspect and review their records within 45 days of the request.
Right to request changes.
Right to consent to disclosures.
Right to complain internally.
Right to complain to the Department of Education.

If you feel your FERPA rights have not been complied with, please feel free to contact the Office of the Registrar at the following:

Office of the Registrar
Contact Phone Number: (210) 784-1300
Email: Registrar@tamusa.edu

How To File A FERPA Complaint

Students can file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by the University to comply with the requirements of FERPA. Complaints of the alleged violation may be sent to:

Family Policy Compliance Office
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, D.C. 20202-5901