Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and Applicant Records

A. Notification of Student Rights Under FERPA

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

1. The right to inspect and review the student’s education records within forty-five days of the day that the Institute receives the request for access.
   
   Students should submit to the registrar written requests that identify the record(s) they wish to inspect. The registrar will make arrangements for access and notify the student of the time and place where the records may be inspected.
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 Institute to amend a record that they believe is inaccurate or misleading. They should write the registrar, clearly identifying the part of the record they want changed, and specify why it is inaccurate or misleading.
   
   If the Institute decides not to amend the record as requested by the student, the Institute 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 whether volunteering for or employed by the Institute 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 Institute has contracted (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 education record in order to fulfill his or her professional responsibility.
4. The right to file a complaint with the United States Department of Education concerning alleged failures by the Georgia Institute of Technology 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 20202-4605

B. Applicant Records

1. Access to applicant records is strictly controlled and governed by Institute policy. These records are treated as confidential.

Annual Notice of Directory Information Contents

"Directory Information" is information not generally considered harmful or an invasion of privacy if disclosed. Effective November 1, 2009 the Georgia Institute of Technology considers the following information to be directory information:

1. Name, address (including GT email address), and telephone listing
2. Level (graduate or undergraduate)
3. Field of study
4. Enrollment status (full-time, part-time, less than part-time)
5. Dates of attendance
6. Degrees with associated honors and designations, and date(s) awarded
7. Anticipated date of graduation

Directory information cannot include social security numbers.

Students who wish to prohibit the release of Directory Information can view information on the registrar's confidentiality Web page.

Additional Information

Additional information on Georgia Tech’s FERPA policies is available from the Registrar’s Office.