ABOUT FERPA
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) provides students the right to examine their educational records and to request amendment of erroneous information. FERPA also allows students to restrict the release of information or to grant the University limited permission to release information in the student’s interest.
Unless specifically prohibited by the student, the University may release “Directory Information” at its discretion for news releases and other purposes which it believes serve the student’s interest. “Directory Information” includes:
(1) name, mailing and email addresses, telephone number, dates of attendance, date and place of birth.
(2) awards, honors, degrees, and major field of study, and
(3) records of participation and accomplishments in sports and other College activities – for athletes this includes physical factors such as height and weight.
In the student’s interest, CMU Educational Information may be shared confidentially with educational officials of the University whose duties require such knowledge without the student’s written consent. “CMU Educational Information” may include academic records, employment records, financial aid records, and on a restricted basis discipline records and some counseling records.
In compliance with FERPA, the University may release CMU Educational Information to parents or guardians who demonstrate that they currently claim the student as a dependent on their income tax returns.