Under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), the U.S. Department of Education administers regulations requiring that Strayer University (the “University”) maintain the privacy of students’ education records, permitting disclosure only with the student’s written consent or under certain limited exceptions. FERPA provides University students with certain rights with respect to education records. Students receive notification of their rights under FERPA annually and these rights include:
- The right to inspect and review their education records within 45 days of the University’s receipt of a request for access. A student must submit a written request to the University Registrar that identifies the record(s) they wish to review. The Registrar will make arrangements for access and notify the student of the procedures for records inspection.
- The right to request the amendment of education records that the student believes are inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise in violation of their privacy rights under FERPA.
If a student wishes to ask the University to amend a record, they should notify the University Registrar in writing, clearly identifying the part of the record being asked to change, and specify why it should be changed. If the University decides not to amend the record as requested, the student will be notified 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 in the notification.
- The right to provide written consent before the University discloses personally identifiable information (PII) from a student’s education records, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent.
The University discloses education records without 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; a person serving on the Board of Trustees; or a student serving on an official committee, such as a disciplinary or grievance committee. A school official may also include a volunteer or contractor outside of the University who performs an institutional service or function for which the University would otherwise use its own employees and who is under the direct control of the University with respect to the use and maintenance of PII from education records. This could include an attorney, auditor, or collection agent or student volunteering to assist 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 to fulfill their professional responsibilities for the University.
Additionally, upon request, the University discloses education records without student consent to officials of another school in which the student seeks or intends to enroll.
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:
Student Privacy Policy Office
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue SW
Washington, DC 20202
- The right to opt out of the release of “Directory Information.” Under FERPA, certain information within a student record is called “Directory Information” because it is not generally considered to be harmful or an invasion of privacy if disclosed. Directory Information includes the following:
- Name
- Address
- Telephone number
- Email address
- Date of birth
- Photograph
- Major field of study
- Grade level
- Enrollment status (undergraduate or graduate, full time or part time)
- Participation in official school activities
- Dates of attendance
- Degree(s), honors, and awards received
- Prior institution(s) attended
FERPA permits Directory Information to be released to third parties without student consent. However, students have the right to notify the University of their refusal to let the University designate any or all of the above listed information as Directory Information. A student must do so by notifying the University Registrar within 30 days of the annual notice that they do not want any or all of the above listed information to be designated as Directory Information in their student file. To provide notice, the student should send a written notification by email to [email protected].
- Students at Media Design School at Strayer are subject to both FERPA and the New Zealand Privacy Act 2020.