The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is a federal law that protects the privacy of student educational records and establishes rights for students relative to the disclosure of these records.

Student rights under FERPA

1. The right to inspect and review your education record within a reasonable time after the University receives a request for access. If you want to review your record, contact the University office that maintains the record to make appropriate arrangements. To to view your education record, please submit the Student Request to Inspect & Review Education Records form to the Office of Admissions and Records. The institution has 45 calendar days to comply.
2. The right to request an amendment of your education record if you believe it is inaccurate or misleading. The Office of Admissions and Records will notify you of the decision and advise you regarding appropriate steps if you do not agree with the decision. To request to amend or remove education records, please submit the Request to Amend or Remove Education Records form to the Office of Admissions and Records. A Records Custodian will notify the student of the decision. The institution has 45 calendar days to comply.
3. The right to consent to disclosure of personally identifiable information contained in your education records, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent. One exception which permits disclosure without consent is disclosure to school officials with "legitimate educational interests." A school official has a legitimate educational interest if the official has a "need to know: information from education record in order to fulfill duties, and only within the context of who serve on official institutional committees, and representatives of agencies under contract with the University.
4. 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.

Requesting a formal hearing to amend or remove records

If the student does not agree with the decision of the Records Custodian after submitting a Request to Amend or Remove Education Records the student may submit a Request for Formal Hearing to Amend or Remove Education Records form to the Office of Admissions and Records. An independent Hearing Panel will be convened to schedule a hearing with the student to discuss the amendment/removal in question. The panel has 45 calendar days to comply with the request. Please note that the decision of the Hearing Panel is final. If the student disagrees with the panel's decision, they have the right to place in their record a written statement commenting on the information in the record and/or stating their reasons for disagreeing with the decision. This explanation will become part of the student's education record as long as the record is maintained.

Third-party access to education records

Under the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) a student has the right to inspect and review their education records. Parents or other third parties may request to view a record without student consent if the student in question is under the age of 18 and the parent/third party provides proof of dependency in the form of the most recent year tax return in addition to the Third Party Request to Review Education Records form. Please bring both to the Office of Admissions and Records. The institution may exercise its discretion to do so and has 45 calendar days to comply.

Forms relating to FERPA requests can be obtained by contacting Admissions and Records by email at mynevada@unr.edu or in person at the front counter in Fitzgerald Student Services, 2nd Floor.