The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is a federal law regarding the privacy of student record and the obligations of Indiana University as an institution, primarily in the areas of release of the records and the access provided to these records. Any educational institution that receives funds under any program administered by the U.S. Secretary of Education is bound by FERPA requirements. Institutions that fail to comply with FERPA may have funds administered by the Secretary of Education withheld.
Indiana University is committed to the protection and confidentiality of student educational records, adhering closely to the guidelines established by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. The application of this commitment is reflected primarily under two university policies: the Release of Student Information Policy, which governs how we secure and disseminate student records, and Student Rights Under FERPA, which informs students of their rights with respect to their records.
To help you understand how these policies apply to your job responsibilities and your handling of sensitive student data, the following pages are included in this section:
- An overview of the FERPA guidelines as they apply to Indiana University.
- Specific content on how FERPA applies to:
- Some frequently asked questions about the protection of student records that have been compiled by our office over the years.
- How to spot student privacy indicators in the Student Information System (SIS)