Notification of Student Rights

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) affords students certain rights with respect to their education records. These rights include:

1. Right to Inspect and Review: Students have the right to inspect and review their education records within 45 days of the day the University receives a request for access.

Students should submit a request in writing that identifies the record(s) they wish to inspect to the University Privacy Officer or the office holding the records. Arrangements will be made thereafter to determine the place and time where the student will be provided access to inspect the identified records.

2. Right to Request Amendments: Students have the right to request amendment of their education records when the student believes the content of those records contains inaccurate information.

To request an amendment, a student should send a written communication to the University official responsible for the record which clearly identifies the inaccuracy. Please note that this process is intended only to correct inaccurately recorded information, and not to challenge substantive decisions which are correctly recorded. The University makes the final determination as to whether or not the information recorded in the record should be amended. 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 the 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. Right to Decide to Whom Education Records May Be Disclosed: Generally speaking, FERPA requires that the University have a student’s prior written consent in order to disclose information from the student’s education records. However, FERPA does permit the University to disclose information from a student’s education records without consent in a number of specific circumstances as outlined below.

For more information regarding ”prior written consent” and how to permit the University to share your education records or discuss information from your education records, visit the University’s Share My Information page.

Exceptions When the University May Share or Discuss Education Records Without Your Prior Written Consent:

In accordance with the University’s FERPA policy, the University may disclose education records or discuss contents from education records without a student’s prior written consent under the following circumstances:

    • With other University Officials (e.g., faculty, staff, administrators, vendors, etc.) who have a Legitimate Educational Interest—meaning the official needs to review and/or access the education record or its contents to fulfill his/her/its professional responsibilities for the University;
    • to comply with a judicial order or a lawfully issued subpoena;
    • to appropriate parties in a health or safety emergency;
    • with officials of another school, upon request, in which a student seeks or intends to enroll, or where the student is already enrolled if the disclosure is for purposes related to the student’s enrollment or transfer;
    • in connection with a student’s request for or receipt of financial aid, as necessary to determine the eligibility, amount, or conditions of the financial aid, or to enforce the terms and conditions of the aid;
    • to authorized representatives of the U. S. Comptroller General, the U. S. Attorney General, the U.S. Secretary of Education, or certain State and local educational authorities. Disclosures under this provision may be made in connection with an audit or evaluation of Federal- or State-supported education programs, or for the enforcement of or compliance with Federal legal requirements that relate to those programs. These entities may make further disclosures of PII to outside entities that are designated by them as their authorized representatives to conduct any audit, evaluation, or enforcement or compliance activity on their behalf;
    • to accrediting organizations to carry out their functions;
    • to organizations conducting certain studies for or on behalf of the University in order to develop, validate, or administer predictive tests, administer student aid programs or improve instruction;
    • the final results of an institutional disciplinary proceeding against the alleged of a crime of violence or a non-forcible sex offense may be released to the alleged victim of that crime with respect to that crime or offense;
    • the final results of a disciplinary proceeding may be released to the general public if the University determines the student is an alleged perpetrator of a crime of violence or non-forcible sex offense and the student has committed a violation of the school’s rules or policies with respect to the allegation made against him or her;
    • notification to parents or guardians of a student regarding the student’s violation of any Federal, State, or local law, or of any rule or policy of the school, governing the use or possession of alcohol or a controlled substance if the school determines the student committed a disciplinary violation and the student is under the age of 21.

A Word about Sharing With Parents: Please note that for purposes of compliance with FERPA, the University considers all students, regardless of age or tax dependency status, to be independent. Therefore, education records will not be provided to parents without the prior written consent of the student, except where one or more of the exceptions above applies.

4. In addition to the above, the University may disclose without a student’s prior written consent any information deemed to be “directory” under the University’s FERPA policy:

    1. The following categories of Directory Information may be disclosed to anyone who so requests:
      • Name
      • NetID
      • PeopleSoft Number
      • School or College
      • Major Field of Study
      • Degree Sought
      • Student Level
      • Degrees, Honors & Awards Received
      • Residency/Match Information (medical/dental students)
      • Dates of Attendance
      • Participation in Officially Recognized Activities and Sports
      • Weight and Height of Athletic Team Members and Other Similar Information Including Performance Statistics
      • Photographic Likenesses and Video of Athletic Team Members
      • For Student Employees, Employing Department & Dates of Employment
    2. In addition to the information in category a., the following categories of Limited Directory Information may be disclosed to the UConn Foundation:
      • Date of Birth
      • Addresses (physical and email)
      • Telephone Number
    3. In addition, any member of the University community with a NetID may access student email addresses by utilizing University search tools (e.g., phone book), as long as the access is for University-related purposes. However, such individuals may not use any student emails accessed via these tools for commercial purposes or otherwise in violation of other University policies or applicable state or federal law.

5. Students may restrict the release of Directory and Limited Directory Information to third parties, except to school officials with legitimate educational interests and others as indicated above. In order to opt out of having their Directory Information shared without prior written consent, a student must make the request in writing to:

For Undergraduate, Graduate & Non-Degree Students

Office of the Registrar
Wilbur Cross Building
Unit 4077
Storrs, CT 06269-4077

Registrar@uconn.edu
860-486-3331

For School of Medicine and Dental Medicine Students

Office of the Registrar
Student Services Center
263 Farmington Avenue
Farmington, CT 06030-1826

Registrar@uchc.edu
860-679-1902

For School of Law Students

Office of the Registrar
Thomas J. Meskill Law Library
39 Elizabeth Street, Room 211
Hartford, CT 06105

law.registrar@uconn.edu
860-570-5136

The University will not share Directory Information for those students who have opted out in writing without first acquiring the student’s prior written consent to do so. The decision to opt out applies only to prospective disclosures. The written request becomes a permanent part of the student’s record until the student instructs the University, in writing, to have the request to opt out removed.

  1. Students have the right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by the 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
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, DC, 20202-5920

Additional information on filing a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education is available at: https://studentprivacy.ed.gov/file-a-complaint. Complaints may also be filed with the University’s Privacy Officer at (860) 486-5214 or privacy@uconn.edu.

Last Updated: April 2019