Understanding FERPA: Your Rights & Privacy Protection
Under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), students at the University have specific rights regarding their education records, including:
1. The right to inspect and review a student's education records within 45 days of the day the Office of the Registrar receives an access request.
The student should submit a written request to the Registrar identifying the record/s the student wishes to inspect. The Registrar will make access arrangements and notify the student of the time and place where the records may be inspected. If the Registrar does not maintain the records, the student shall be advised of the correct official at the University to whom the request should be addressed.
2. The right to request an amendment of the student's education records that the student believes are inaccurate.
The student may ask the University to amend a record that he/she believes is inaccurate. The student should write the Registrar, clearly identify the part of the record he/she wants changed, and specify why it is inaccurate. If the University decides not to amend the record as requested by the student, the Registrar, or other appropriate official if the record is maintained by another office, will notify the student of the decision and advise the student of his or her 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 consent to disclosures of personally identifiable information in the student's education record, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent.
One exception that permits disclosure without 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 law enforcement personnel and health staff); a person or company with whom the University has contracted (such as a 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.
School officials have a legitimate educational interest if they must review an education record to fulfill their professional responsibility.
Upon written request, the University will disclose to the alleged victim of a crime of violence or a nonforcible sex offense the final results of any institutional disciplinary proceeding dealing with that crime or offense.
Students may grant Mississippi College consent to release non-directory information to individuals. The Authorization to Release Information form is available in the registrar's office and the office's website.
4. The right of a currently enrolled student to request that his/her "directory information" not be released by Mississippi College.
Under FERPA, Mississippi College may release, but is not limited to, the following information defined as “Directory Information”: name, current and permanent addresses, telephone number, campus email address, parents’ name, date and place of birth, classification (freshman, sophomore, etc.), dates of attendance, degrees and honors awarded including date of award, full-time or part-time enrollment status, major and minor field of study, most recent educational institution previously attended, and athletic activities and statistics including height and weight. Mississippi College will use its discretion in releasing any or all of these Directory Information items while keeping in mind students' best interests. No indiscriminate use of this information will be allowed, nor will it be released for any commercial solicitation.
If a student wishes to withhold the disclosure of directory information items, the Request to Prevent Disclosure of Directory Information form must be submitted to the Office of the Registrar. This form is available in the registrar's office and the office's website.
Once the Request to Prevent Disclosure of Directory Information is received, directory information will be withheld until the student notifies the Office of the Registrar to remove the hold on their record. If a student has a hold on their directory information, the University cannot comply with external requests for information about the student, including degree or enrollment verifications from schools and/or employers.
5. The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by Mississippi College to comply with the requirements of FERPA.
The contact information for the office that administers FERPA is:
Family Policy Compliance Office
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20202-4605
Students with questions regarding their rights under FERPA can contact the Office of the Registrar at 601.925.3210 or registrar@mc.edu.
As amended, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 may be found at studentprivacy.ed.gov/faq/what-ferpa.
