REGISTRATION POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
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FERPA NOTIFICATION

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

  1. The right to inspect and review the student's education records within 45 days of the day the University receives a request for access.  A student should submit to the registrar, dean, head of the academic department, or other appropriate official, a written request that identifies the record(s) the student wishes to inspect.  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 shall advise the student of the correct official to whom the request should be addressed.

  2. The right to request the amendment of the student’s education records that the student believes are inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise in violation of the student’s privacy rights under FERPA.   A student who wishes to ask the University to amend a record should write the University official responsible for the record, clearly identify the part of the record the student wants changed, and specify why it should be changed.  If the University decides not to amend the record as requested, the University will notify the student in writing of the decision and the student’s 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 provide written consent before the University discloses personally identifiable information from the student's education records, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without con­sent.  Florida International University discloses education records without a student’s prior written consent under the FERPA exception for disclosure to school officials with legitimate educational interests.  A school official is a person employed by the University in an administrative, supervisory, academic, research, or support staff position (including law en­forcement unit personnel and health staff); a person or company with whom the University has contracted as its agent to provide a service instead of using University employees or officials (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 responsibilities for the University.  Upon request, the University also discloses education records without consent to offi­cials of another school in which a student seeks or intends to enroll.

  4. Students have 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.  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  20202-5901

The University may disclose, without consent, "directory," or public, information such as a student's name, address, telephone number, date and place of birth, honors and awards, and dates of attendance. However, students are allowed to request that the school not disclose their directory information.
Florida International University considers the following to be directory information items:

  1. name, local and permanent address, campus e-mail address, and telephone number(s);
  2. date and place of birth;
  3. student classification and major and minor fields of study;
  4. participation in officially recognized activities and sports;
  5. weight and height of members of athletic teams;
  6. dates of attendance, degrees and awards received;
  7. the most recent previous educational agency or institution attended by the student; and
  8. photographic image.

Instructions to students for requesting to withhold or release directory information under FERPA
If you do not want your directory information to be released, you are responsible to log into PantherSoft Learner Services, click on the FERPA Link, and select the information you wish to be restricted. It is important to note that by choosing to withhold public information, ALL inquiries, e.g. confirmation of attendance or degrees by companies seeking information on applicants for employment cannot be honored unless accompanied with an authorized release by you.
If for any reason you are unable to log into PantherSoft to withhold, or release, directory information, you may print a request form and return it to the Registrar’s Office in PC 130.