FERPA
Student FERPA Rights and Directory Information Policy
FERPA Rights, Annual Notification. The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, (FERPA), as amended, sets forth requirements regarding the privacy of student records and the rights of students as these rights pertain to the student's education records. Education records are those records which are directly related to the individual student currently or formerly in attendance at and maintained by Loyola University Chicago. This page serves as Loyola's annual notification of the students' rights and provides links to valuable resources to help members of the Loyola community better understand their legal responsibilities under FERPA.
Important Notice:
As of January 3, 2012, the U.S. Department of Education's FERPA regulations expand the circumstances under which your education records and personally identifiable information (PII) contained in such records — including your Social Security Number, grades, or other private information — may be accessed without your consent. First, the U.S. Comptroller General, the U.S. Attorney General, the U.S. Secretary of Education, or state and local education authorities ("Federal and State Authorities") may allow access to your records and PII without your consent to any third party designated by a Federal or State Authority to evaluate a federal- or state-supported education program. The evaluation may relate to any program that is "principally engaged in the provision of education," such as early childhood education and job training, as well as any program that is administered by an education agency or institution. Second, Federal and State Authorities may allow access to your education records and PII without your consent to researchers performing certain types of studies, in certain cases even when we object to or do not request such research. Federal and State Authorities must obtain certain use-restriction and data security promises from the entities that they authorize to receive your PII, but the Authorities need not maintain direct control over such entities. In addition, in connection with Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems, State Authorities may collect, compile, permanently retain, and share without your consent PII from your education records, and they may track your participation in education and other programs by linking such PII to other personal information about you that they obtain from other Federal or State data sources, including workforce development, unemployment insurance, child welfare, juvenile justice, military service, and migrant student records systems. (Top)
1. Loyola students have the right to inspect and review their education records within 45 days from the day the University receives a request for access.
Students of Loyola University Chicago have the right to inspect and review their education records within 45 days from the day the Loyola receives the student's request for access. If a student wishes to review parts of their education record that are not directly available to them through LOCUS (the student portal in to the student information system), the following procedures should be followed:
- submit a written, signed request to the director of the department maintaining the record being requested
- identify the record(s) to be inspected
- state to whom the record is to be released, and
- indicate the purpose of the request
The university official will make arrangements for access and notify the student of the time and place where the records may be inspected. If the records are not maintained by the University official to whom the request was submitted, that official will advise the student of the correct official to whom the request should be addressed.
The academic and administrative offices of the university maintain records that are unique to their relationship with individual students. These offices and records maintained by these offices include, but are not necessarily limited to the following:
- Bursar's Office: Student account files and Perkins loan information
- Departments and Colleges: Academic advising records, admission files, including ACT, SAT and TOEFL scores, and high school and college transcripts and other scholastic records
- Financial Assistance: Financial assistance application files, student federal work-study information, scholarships and Stafford loan information
- Intercollegiate Athletics: Injury reports, scholarship contacts, performance records, height and weight information
- Registration and Records: Permanent record of academic performance (grades, transcript, including supporting documents), course schedules
- Residence Life: Residential life and housing services files
- Student Life: Student activity files, student disciplinary files, multi-cultural programs and services files, and intramural sports files
- Student Services: Career planning and placement files, international program files, services files, and learning assistance services files
- Undergraduate Admission and other admission offices: Admission files on prospective students
- University Library: Circulation records
Please note that the Stritch School of Medicine and the School of Law maintain their own admissions, registrar, financial, and student affairs offices and keep records similar to those listed for the same central university offices. (Top)
2. Loyola students have right to request the amendment of their education records that they believe are inaccurate or misleading.
A student my request, in writing, that Loyola amend a record that he or she believes is inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise in violation of the student's privacy under FERPA. The student should write the university official responsible for the record, clearly identify the part of the record the student wants changed, and specify why the record should be changed. If the University decides not to amend the record, Loyola will notify the student, in writing, of the decision and advise him or her of the right to a hearing regarding the request for amendment. Additional information regarding the hearing procedures will be provided to the student when he or she is notified of the right to a hearing. (Top)
3. Loyola students have the right to consent to disclosures of personally identifiable information contained in their education records, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent.
One exception which permits disclosure of personally identifiable information contained in your education records without your consent is disclosure to school officials with legitimate educational interests. A school official is a:
- Person employed by the university in an administrative, supervisory, academic or research, or support staff position (including campus police and security personnel and health staff), acting in the student's educational interest within the the limitations of their "need to know."
- Person or company with whom the university has contracted as its agent to provide a service in lieu of using university employees or officials (such as an attorney, auditor, or collection agent, temporary staffing agencies and outsourced vendors)
- Person serving on the Board of Trustees
- Student serving on an official committee, such as a disciplinary or grievance committee, or assisting another school official in performing his or her tasks.
Outsourced vendors are those parties helping the university provide students access to services relating to their education. For example, the bookstore will be provided with course schedules to assist students with procuring textbooks and other course materials.
The university may disclose a Loyola University student's education records, without consent, to officials of another postsecondary education institution in which the student has applied or seeks to enroll. (Top)
4. Loyola students have the right to refuse to permit the university to disclose "Directory Information." Directory Information is information contained in an education record that would not generally be considered harmful or an invasion of privacy if disclosed. Loyola has designated the following personally identifiable information as public (“directory”) information; the student's:
- Name
- Address(es)
- Telephone number (s)
- e-mail address (es)
- Photograph
- Major and minor field(s) of study, including the college, division, department, institute or program in which the student is enrolled
- Dates of attendance
- Grade level (such as freshman, sophomore, junior, senior or graduate level)
- Enrollment status (undergraduate or graduate, full-time or part-time)
- Date of graduation
- Degree(s) received
- Honors or awards received, including selection to a dean's list or honorary organization
- Participation in officially recognized activities and sports
- Weight and height where the student is a member of athletic teams
Loyola students have the right to have the release of their Directory Information blocked. The Directory Information Non-Disclosure form (PDF) is used to make this request of the Office of Registration and Records. The block will remain in effect until the Office of Registration and Records is requested in writing to remove it.
Please note three important details regarding placing a Directory Information Hold on your record:
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Loyola receives many inquiries for Directory Information from a variety of sources outside the institution, including friends, parents, relatives, prospective employers, the news media and honor societies. Having a Directory Information Hold on the student's record will preclude release of such information, even to those people.
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A non-disclosure hold applies to all elements of directory information on your record. Loyola does not apply a non-disclosure hold to individual directory information items.
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The University assumes no liability as a result of honoring your request nor does it assume the responsibility to contact you for subsequent permission to release the hold. (Top)
5. Loyola students have right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education, Family Policy Compliance Office, concerning alleged failures by the university to comply with the requirements of FERPA.
Family Policy Compliance Office
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20202-5901
Inquiries about the use of directory information or any other FERPA related matter should be directed to Eric C. Pittenger, Associate Registrar, Office of Registration and Records, Loyola University Chicago, by phone (312-915-7234) or by e-mail (FERPA@luc.edu). (Top)
ONLINE RESOURCES
- Family Policy Compliance Office (FPCO)
- FERPA General Guidance for Students (from FPCO)
- FERPA Regulations (from FPCO)
- U.S. Department of Education