FERPA exceptions
Exceptions
Although not required, institutions may release information from student records without prior consent:
- To school officials with legitimate educational interest (as defined by institution within FERPA guidelines).
- To schools in which the student seeks or intends to enroll.
- To federal, state and local authorities involving an audit or evaluation of compliance with education programs.
- In connection with financial aid.
- To organizations conducting studies of or on behalf of educational institutions (provided the institutions research board has cleared the research).
- To accrediting agencies.
- To parents of dependent students (as verified by the most recent tax form).
- To comply with a judicial order or subpoena.
- In health or safety emergencies.
- As directory information (as described above).
- To the student.
- Results of disciplinary hearings.
- Results of disciplinary hearing to an alleged victim of a crime of violence.
- Final results of a disciplinary hearing concerning a student who is an alleged perpetrator of a crime of violence and who is found to have committed a violation of the institution’s rules or policies.
- To parents of students under 21 if the institution determines that the student has committed a violation of its drug or alcohol rules or policies (regardless of the student’s dependent status).
Legitimate educational interest
The 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 or 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 Curators; 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.