The following are common instances where UConn is permitted to disclose education records and information:

• To the student himself/herself, unless he/she has waived the right;
• To University Officials who have a legitimate educational interest in the records;
• To other individuals, such as parents, when the student has provided consent;
• To release requested student directory information (as defined in the FERPA policy)
• Several other exceptions exist that determine when UConn may release your student records and information. Please review Section C of UConn’s FERPA Policy for more information.

Certain student information is considered directory information and can be shared with anyone that requests it. Please note this does not include your contact information. Examples of directory information include your name, degree sought and received, and dates of attendance. See Section D of UConn’s FERPA Policy for a full list of what types of student information are considered directory and therefore may be released.

You may opt out of directory information from being shared with the public. Please note, that there are some considerations when you make this decision. For example, if an employer calls to verify that you have a degree, we will not be able to give them information since you have opted out of directory information being shared. We would then need your prior written consent to be able to share any information about you with someone outside of the University.

Please contact the Office of the Registrar at registrar@uconn.edu to request to opt out of your directory information being shared outside of the University.

We may share your contact information with the Foundation. We are also required, by the Solomon Act, to share your information with the military for recruiting purposes when requested.

No. We will only share any of your education records with your parents or any other individual outside of the University with your prior written consent.

FERPA pin codes are created by you and may be accessed by logging into the FERPA Designee Pin Page. You may create, modify, or remove pin codes at any time.

Only with your prior written consent may we release your protected education records to an individual like a parent or guardian. If you would like your parents to view certain records within your student administration account, please visit this page  for step by step instructions for how to create an account for your delegate.

The privacy protection FERPA gives to students is very broad. With limited exceptions, the FERPA regulations cover access to students’ “education records,” as well as discussions regarding the information contained in those education records. At UConn, education records are defined to include “any records maintained in any form or medium by the University that are directly related to a student.” Almost all information about a student that is held by or for the University of Connecticut will fall under FERPA.

With limited exceptions, FERPA requires that a student provide “prior written consent” for the University to share education records or their contents with third parties—including parents. In other words, the University will need your student’s explicit documented permission to provide access to copies of education records or to discuss information about your student with you. Learn more about how the University would acquire this “prior written consent” from your student.

Access to student grades is managed by the student at their discretion, even for their parents. Parents may ask their student directly about their grades, but sharing this information is the ultimately their student’s decision. If a student does wish to provide their parent with direct access to view their grades, they can delegate access to certain education records within the Student Administration System under the Share My Information section.

The University of Connecticut does not have a single waiver that students can sign to give parents access to their records, or that will permit University faculty or staff to discuss student information. However, students may provide direct access to certain portions of the education records utilizing a feature called Delegated Access (https://studentadmin.uconn.edu/ ). Students also have the ability to provide permission for certain offices at UConn to discuss records held or managed by that office and/or services provided to the student through that office utilizing a feature called the FERPA Designee Pin Page. Different processes are required for each of these options: they are not interchangeable

Under FERPA, the access rights that parents and legal guardians had in the elementary and secondary school setting transfer to the students once that student begins attending a post-secondary educational institution, even if that student has not yet reached the age of 18. The University may be able to provide you with access to certain records or discuss certain aspects of your student’s records or services provided by the University with you, but to do so, we will need your student’s prior written consent.

The University uses online billing statements; they are not mailed. Students view their statements through the Student Administration System. Due to FERPA regulations, only individuals authorized by your student may view their financial information. Your student may designate you as an Authorized User to view their fee bill and other financial information. For more information on how to become an Authorized User, please visit the website of the Bursar.

No. Information about grades and academic standing is provided directly to students. The University corresponds with students any time their status changes from good standing informing them not only of their status but the conditions attached to their current standing. For more information go to scholasticstanding.uconn.edu. You can, of course, ask your student to keep you informed about their academic performance.

If we learn of a critical or life-threatening emergency involving one of our students, we may attempt to notify the student’s parents only in accordance with specific departmental emergency notification policy and procedures. Hospitals and police agencies will also follow their own notification protocols. Students are responsible for submitting their emergency contact information in the Student Administration System.

FERPA regulations authorize—but do not require—disclosure to parents of “the student’s violation of any Federal, State, or local law, or of any rule or policy of the institution, governing the use or possession of alcohol or a controlled substance.” Currently, the University of Connecticut will notify parents/guardians of students under the age of 21 who are found responsible for violations of the University’s alcohol and/or drug policies. This notification will typically be in writing from the Office of Community Standards. If the parent(s) are aware of the incident, the University may not send a notification letter as these circumstances meet the notification standard. For more information about Community Standards and parental notification please visit their website.

Not normally. State and Federal laws preclude the University from sharing student health information with third parties, including parents, without the student’s consent. Student Health Services routinely encourages students who are very ill to let their parents know the situation, and to let the provider contact the parent. If your son or daughter is under 18, the State and Federal laws are different, and UConn will contact parents, except in cases of family planning, sexually transmitted disease, and substance abuse treatment, per state laws.

In most cases, no. State laws and professional ethical codes preclude the University from sharing student counseling records with third parties, including parents, without the student’s consent. There are important policy reasons supporting these confidentiality requirements, including the proven therapeutic benefits associated with encouraging students to talk openly and candidly with a counselor—without fear their conversations will be reported to others.