PUBLIC ACCESS TO STUDENT RECORDS

Student education records are subject to provisions of Family Educational Rights and the Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA, also known as the Buckley Amendment). Georgia College & State University, in compliance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 "Buckley Amendment," this federal law, releases no personally identifiable information from a student's education records restricted by that Act without written consent of the student. This includes information about a student's grades, enrollment in or performance in class, and academic standing. FERPA applies to all students enrolled at GCSU, regardless of age. This Act prohibits college officials from disclosing any records, including semesterly grade reports, academic standings, transcripts of records, or any other records, files, documents, and materials in whatever medium, which contain information directly related to the student and from which the student can be individually identified.

Exceptions to the written consent rule include:

Individuals employed by the University with a legitimate education interest in the student's information may receive information about a student without his or her written consent. Legitimate education interest is determined by whether the individual needs the information in order to fulfill his or her professional responsibility to the student, such as an academic advisor or a department chair.
The University may release information classified as directory information, as long as the student has not requested that directory information be restricted. Requests for directory information should be forwarded to the Registrar's Office.

FERPA also gives students the right to review their records and request changes to incorrect information. Although the law gives the University 45 days to respond to a student's request for access to his/her records, efforts will be made to meet requests on a reasonably prompt basis.

GCSU Procedures:

Parents do not automatically have access to their son or daughter's education records. Additional information for discussing FERPA with parents is available on the Registrar's Office web site (http://www.gcsu.edu/registrar/parents.htm)

Students may elect to keep a written consent to disclose information to a third-party on file in the Registrar's Office. If a student or third party approaches you for a release of information using the written consent on file, please contact the Registrar's Office to verify that the consent is current, with whom information may be shared, and for instructions on verifying identify of the third party.

GCSU does not classify student addresses or email addresses as directory information, and does not release them to third parties outside the institution, except as required by the Solomon Amendment.

Requests for student information should be forwarded immediately to the Registrar's Office or the Office of Legal Affairs.

For questions on FERPA, please contact the Registrar's Office or the Office of Legal Affairs.

Student Records are maintained as follows:

Student Records Office:

Application for Admission: Undergraduate and Graduate
Academic Performance Records
High School and College Transcripts
Student Petitions Core Curriculum
Student Schedules
Correspondence
Veteran's Records

Vice President and Dean of Students:

Housing Records
Conduct Records
Special Permissions and Correspondence

Deans of the Colleges:

Major and Advisement Records
Students Eligible for Academic Honors

Business Office:

Payment Records

Financial Aid Office:

Financial Aid Records on Students Receiving
Scholarships, Loans, and Grants

Faculty Advisers' Office:

Academic Records Necessary for Advisement

Registrar's Office:

Veteran's Records

FACULTY ACCESS TO STUDENT RECORDS

ABSENCE POLICY, STUDENT