Loyola University Chicago

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FERPA

Student FERPA Rights and Directory Information Policy

Notification of Rights under FERPA for post secondary institutions

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA, also known as the Buckley Amendment) 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 45 days from the day the University receives a request for access.

As a student of Loyola University Chicago, you have the right to inspect and review your education records within 45 days from the day the university receives your request for access. You should submit to the director of Registration and Records, the dean of the college or director of the program in which you are enrolled, the head of your academic department, or other appropriate official, written requests that identify the record(s) you wish to inspect.

The university official will make arrangements for access and notify you 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 shall advise you of the correct official to whom the request should be addressed.

The academic and administrative offices of the university maintain several types of student education records. Examples of university offices and the information they maintain include:

  • 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 files, including placement information and employers' files, international programs and 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 admission, registrar, financial and student affairs offices and keep records similar to those listed for the same central university offices.

2. The right to request the amendment of the student's education records that the student believes are inaccurate or misleading.

You may ask the university to amend a record that you believe is inaccurate or misleading. You should write the university official responsible for the record, clearly identify the part of the record you want changed, and specify why it is inaccurate or misleading. If the University decides not to amend the record as you requested, the university will notify you of the decision and advise you of your right to a hearing regarding the request for amendment. Additional information regarding the hearing procedures will be provided to you when you are 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 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)
  • Person or company with whom the university has contracted (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.

A school official has a legitimate educational interest if the official needs to review your education record in order to fulfill his or her professional responsibility.

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 your education records without your consent to officials of another school in which you have applied or seek to enroll, upon their request.

4. 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:

  1. Name
  2. Address(es) and telephone number
  3. University e-mail address
  4. Photograph
  5. Major and minor field(s) of study, including the college, division, department, institute or program in which the student is enrolled
  6. Dates of attendance
  7. Grade level (such as freshman, sophomore, junior, senior or graduate level)
  8. Enrollment status (undergraduate or graduate, full-time or part-time)
  9. Date of graduation
  10. Degree(s) received  
  11. Honors or awards received, including selection to a dean's list or honorary organization
  12. Participation in officially recognized activities or sports 
  13. Weight and height of members of athletic teams

You have the right to have the release of your Directory Information blocked.  Use the Student Directory Information Non-Disclosure form (PDF) to notify the Office of Registration and Records of your request.  This will remain in effect until you inform the Office of Registration and Records in writing to remove the block.

Please note two important details regarding placing a “Non-Disclosure" block on your record:

1.      The University 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 non-disclosure block on your record will preclude release of such information, even to those people.

2.      A non-disclosure block applies to all elements of directory information on your record. Loyola does not apply a non-disclosure block differentially to the various directory information data elements.

5. 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.

FERPA is administered by:

Family Policy Compliance Office
U.S. Department of Education
Washington, DC 20202-4605

Inquiries about the use of directory information or any other FERPA issues should be directed to Eric C. Pittenger, Associate Registrar, Office of Registration and Records, Loyola University Chicago, or FERPA@luc.edu.

Or, to the Family Policy Compliance Office at:

Online Resources

Office of Registration and Records
Loyola University Chicago · Lewis Tower, Suite 504
820 N. Michigan Avenue · Chicago, IL 60611 · Phone: (312) 915-7221

Notice of Non-discriminatory Policy