Student Records and Confidentiality
Goodwin University adheres to the rules and regulations regarding student records as outlined in the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) of 1974 as amended. This law was enacted to protect the privacy of students’ educational records, to establish the students’ right to inspect their own educational records, to outline procedures for the correction of inaccurate or misleading information (except grades) and to allow students to control disclosure of such information (with some exceptions).
Information that is classified as directory information will be released by the University. Directory information is listed below. All other information will be kept confidential and secure and will be used only for legitimate educational purposes. Students who wish to have directory and any other information restricted should visit the Academic Office and make a written request to restrict.
Name
Address
Telephone Number
Dates of Attendance
Enrollment Status
Degrees and Awards Received
This policy applies to all education records, files, and other documents pertinent to the student’s enrollment. Academic records only are kept in perpetuity.
Non-Directory Information
All other non-directory information will be released only with the student’s written consent or in response to a court order or a legal subpoena. Once a student has reached the age of majority, this policy also applies to parents and/or legal guardians.
- Request to inspect records will be made in writing by student to the appropriate college office
- Responsible administrator will inform student when the requested record will be made available
- Office will tell student who has had access to records and why
- Students must appropriately identify themselves before record is made available
- Students are expected to examine records during reasonable office hours at the place where the record is kept
- The examination of the record will be supervised by designated office personnel
In addition to the student, the following persons may have access to student records without consent:
- Professional staff members who have a legitimate educational interest in the records
- Authorized federal officials who are auditing federally supported educational programs
- Authorized state officials who are reviewing programs or who have statutory rights to review records
- Any person involved in processing financial aid applications
- Organizations conducting studies on behalf of educational agencies
- Accrediting organizations who are carrying out their accrediting function
- Parents of any student under the age of 18
- In emergency situations, any person who is attempting to protect the health and safety of the student or other persons with whom the student is in contact All educational records are kept in the Academic Office while financial records are kept in Financial Aid and Accounting.
If a student feels that information in his/her record is incorrect, that student should in writing outline what part of the record is inaccurate and request that the record be amended. Student will then meet with the administrator responsible for the records and attempt to resolve the problem through informal discussion
If no agreement is reached, the student may submit in writing a second request for a record amendment to the Academic Dean. For further action, please consult the University catalog. Once all recourse is exhausted, the student may file a complaint with FERPA, Office of the Department of Higher Education, Washington DC 20202.
