FERPA - Student Rights

FERPA Annual Notification of Student Rights

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

1. The right to inspect and review the student's educational record within 45 days of the day the University receives a request for access.

Students should submit to the registrar, dean, and head of the academic department, or other appropriate official, written requests that identify the record(s) they want to inspect. The University official will make arrangements for access and notify the student of the time and place where records may be inspected. If the records are not maintained by the University official to whom the request was submitted, that official shall advise the student of the correct official to whom the request should be addressed.

2. The right to request the amendment of the student's education records that the student believes are inaccurate or misleading.

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

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

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

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 University 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 University has contacted (such as an attorney, auditor, or collection agent); 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 educational record in order to fulfill his or her professional responsibility.

Upon request, the University may disclose education records without consent to officials of another school in which a student seeks or intends to enroll.

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

The name and address of the office that administers FERPA is:

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

Directory Information

At its discretion, Georgia College & State University may provide directory information in accordance with the provisions of the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act.  Directory information is defined as that information which would not generally be considered harmful or an invasion of privacy if disclosed. Designated directory information at Georgia College includes the following:

  • Student name
  • Date and place of birth
  • Hometown
  • Major field of study
  • Class status
  • Participation in officially recognized activities and sports
  • Weight and height of members of athletic teams
  • Dates of attendance
  • Enrollment status (including hours enrolled)
  • Degrees and awards received
  • Most recent previous school attended

Current students may request non-disclosure of their directory information by completing a "Request to Prevent Disclosure of Directory Information" form and submitting it to the Registrar's Office.  Your request will apply to the disclosure of directory information to anyone other than University personnel with a legitimate educational interest and agencies with whom the University has contracted.  By preventing the release of directory information, any requests for directory information from non-institutional persons or non-affiliated organizations (such as a potential employer verifying your pending degree or a bank verifying your eligibility for a loan) will be refused. Please note that Georgia College does not release addresses, phone numbers, or email addresses to third parties unless the University has contracted with them to provide a specific service, regardless of whether or not this restriction is in place on a student’s records.  

Additional Information

Questions about the University's procedures regarding release of academic information may be directed to the Registrar's Office, Parks Hall 107, 478-445-6286.

For more information about FERPA, please see our FERPA for Parents website or contact the Student Privacy Policy Office.

Additional FERPA information for GCSU Employees can be found here.