Student Guide

College is a time of new opportunities and new rights, including a student’s right to records privacy and access.

There is a lot of information a college has about students that include personal, academic, financial, and maybe even discipline records. Access to information in these records is protected and limited to the student and college officials who have a legitimate educational interest.

Of course, there are exceptions. One exception is the disclosure of releasable information, things like a student’s name, address, email, phone number, or program of study. This information is not generally considered to be harmful or an invasion of privacy if made publicly available. Other exceptions may also apply such as disclosure to other schools where a student is a student or seeking enrollment; disclosure to the Department of Education or state or local authorities; or disclosure in connection to the receipt of financial aid, etc.

Certain laws protect the privacy of student records and give students the right to control who may access their information. These laws allow students to request that certain information be withheld and to inspect, review, or request amendments to their student records. For more information about these laws and the college’s practices for student record privacy and access, see Policy 650: Student Records – Privacy and Access (policies page).