What is FERPA?

If you attended Family Orientation you probably heard about the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) but may be confused about its purpose.  The purpose of FERPA is to provide certain rights to students concerning their education records.  There are three primary rights associated with the Act.

Under FERPA, students who reach the age of 18 or who attend a college or university have the right to review their education records, the right to request an amendment to their records, and the right to have some control over the disclosure of information from the records. 

As you can see, the laws pertaining to access to information regarding students who attend college are different than those pertaining to high school students.  Although not all institutions interpret FERPA the same way, it is important to know how Ithaca College manages this important regulation.

We encourage parents and legal guardians to contact their son or daughter regarding questions about their education records before contacting a college staff member.  We want to be a resource to parents and family members within FERPA regulations, but it is also important for students to become responsible and self-sufficient.  Having them take initiative to address issues is beneficial for their development.

 For more information, Ithaca College’s FERPA brochure can be accessed online at http://www.ithaca.edu/sacl/services/ferpa/.