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Student Records Privacy Policy

The University of Oregon is committed to the privacy and security of our students. The University of Oregon Student Records Policy complies with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA) - sometimes called the Buckley Amendment - which establishes students’ rights and institutions’ responsibilities regarding the privacy of education records. It provides guidelines for maintaining the confidentiality of education records and monitoring the release of information from those records.

Your Rights Under FERPA

As a current or former university student, The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) affords you certain rights regarding your education records. They are:

  • The right to inspect and review your records. You may request to review your records by submitting a written request to the University Registrar or other school official having custody of such records;
  • The right to seek amendment of your records which you believe are inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise in violation of your privacy rights. Requests for amendment of records must be in writing and must describe the specific portions of specific records that you wish to have amended, text or instructions as to the change desired, and the reasons why the change is justified;
  • The right to restrict the disclosure of Directory Information; and
  • The right to file a complaint with the Department of Education’s Family Policy Compliance Office concerning alleged failures by the university to comply with the requirements of FERPA.

Definition of Education Records

Education records are those records directly related to a student maintained by the university or by a party acting for the university.

Release of Education Records

Except as provided in FERPA (see below) or other applicable law, the university will not disclose personally identifiable information from your education records unless you provide a written release containing:

  1. What information is to be released
  2. To whom the information is to be released
  3. The purpose for which it is to be released
  4. Your signature and the date signed

Faculty and staff are responsible for protecting the identity of students and keeping student grades confidential. Grades or evaluations linked to personal identifiers (names, UO ID numbers, or social security numbers) may not be publicly disclosed. Grades or evaluations may be posted only by using randomly generated codes or numbers. The return of graded papers or other assignments must also be accomplished in a manner that protects your identity.

Some records created and maintained by the university, although not covered by FERPA, may be subject to other federal and state laws or regulations regarding disclosure.

The exceptions under FERPA which allow the university to disclose personally identifiable information from your education record are stated in the full text of the University of Oregon Student Records Policy, available at the web address given below. The most common exceptions to disclosure restrictions are disclosures to university faculty or staff – “School Officials” - with a legitimate educational interest, or disclosure of personally identifiable information designated as Directory Information.

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Definition of Directory Information

Directory information includes:

  • your full name
  • mailing and permanent address(es) and telephone number(s)
  • e-mail address
  • the fact that you are or ever were enrolled
  • enrollment status (e.g., full-time, half-time or less than half-time)
  • class level and majors/minors
  • dates of attendance
  • degrees, honors or awards received
  • cumulative credit hours
  • participation in officially recognized activities
  • your status as a graduate teaching fellow and your teaching assignment, if applicable

Below is a quick reference of frequently asked-for data, and whether it is or is not Directory Information at the University of Oregon.

DIRECTORY INFORMATION? YES NO
Student's full name
X
UO ID number
X
Personal Access Code (PAC)
X
Date of Birth
X
Gender
X
Ethnicity
X
Mailing address and telephone number
X
Permanent address and telephone number
X
All addresses and telephone numbers except Mailing and Permanent (e.g. Alternate Billing Address, Contact/Emergency Address, RO Diploma Address, etc.)
X
E-Mail Address
X
Parent names and/or addresses
X
Class level and academic major/minor
X
Dates of attendance
X
Fact that the student is or has been enrolled
X
Degrees, honors, certificates awarded
X
GPA or grades
X
Cumulative credit hours
X
Current term credits or class schedule (CRNs, meeting times, locations)
X
Full-time, half-time or less than half-time enrollment status
X
Information on academic standing (probation, disqualification, etc.) or whether student is eligible to return to school
X
Petitions to ARC or SRC
X
Whether student has applied for graduation
X
Unmet degree requirements for graduation
X
Accounts Receivable balance
X
Financial records of parents
X
Participation in official recognized activities
X
Student employment records
X
Psychiatric or psychological records
X
Copies of transcripts from other schools or colleges
X
Whether a graduate student has a GTF appointment and their teaching assignment
X


Note: items marked as releasable will be provided to a third party upon request unless a Directory Information Restriction has been filed. (See section below.)

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Definition of School Official

A “School Official” is defined as “a person employed by the University or in the chancellor’s office of the Oregon University System; a person or entity, including a governmental entity, with whom the University or the Oregon University System has contracted [e.g. National Student Clearinghouse for enrollment and degree verifications, CollegeNET for online course evaluations]; a person serving on the University’s governing board; or a student serving on an official committee or assisting another school official in performing his or her duties.”

Directory Information Restriction

You may choose to restrict release of your Directory Information.  When the release of Directory Information is restricted, the fact that you are currently a student, or have ever been enrolled at the University of Oregon, will not be released.

Once you restrict the release of Directory Information, in order to conduct any business with the university, you will need to go in person to the office involved, with photo ID, or, via mail or fax, provided a written request for release containing the following:

  1. What information is to be released
  2. To whom the information is to be released
  3. The purpose for which it is to be released
  4. Your signature and the date signed

No information will be provided via telephone. No information will be provided to anyone - parents, relatives, friends, other students, or prospective employers - who may wish to contact you or verify your student status at the university, without a written release from you containing the elements listed above.

Restricted Directory Information is made available only where an emergency is involved, at the direction of a court order, or to University of Oregon staff and faculty with a legitimate educational need to know.

Submitting a Directory Restriction Request

A Restriction of Directory Information form is available in the Office of the Registrar, 220 Oregon Hall. Complete the form, including signature and date, and return it in person. Photo identification is required.

Your request to place or remove the restriction is effective no later than two working days after it is received in the Office of the Registrar.

  • Note: Submission of a Directory Restriction form does not affect directory information already published or released.

Restriction Duration

The restriction of information is permanent until you request, in writing, that it be removed. The restriction will remain in place even after you have stopped attending or have graduated.

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Requesting Letters of Reference or Recommendation from Faculty or Staff

Students who request letters of reference or recommendation from University of Oregon faculty or staff members need to do so in writing. Such letters or statements are most effective if they contain specific information about your academic or work performance; this type of information is considered "non-directory" information and cannot be released without the signed written consent of the student, according to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and the University of Oregon Student Records Policy.

Your request authorizing release of non-directory information should contain the following:

  • What information is to be released (be as specific as possible)
  • To whom the information is to be released (name, address)
  • The purpose of the release of the information (application for a specific job or admission to a graduate program, for example)
  • Your signature and date

Some graduate programs, scholarships or job applications require the use of their own prepared packets and may include a form which provides a place for your signature authorizing release of non-directory information. If that completed form or a copy of it always accompanies the pages to be completed by UO faculty or staff members, no additional authorization is required.

The Office of the Registrar has composed a FERPA-compliant authorization to release form that may be used when requesting references/recommendations. The Student Reference Request form may be completed and signed then mailed, faxed, or sent as a pdf to the faculty or staff member from whom you are requesting the reference/recommendation.

Student Record Policy of the University of Oregon

The information provided on this web site is for informational purposes only. The complete text of the University of Oregon Student Records Policy, which takes precedence over all other published versions, is available at the Oregon Secretary of State Archives Division.

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UO ID Number

The UO ID number is a nine-digit number randomly generated and assigned at the time of first admission. Your UO ID number will be imprinted on your student ID card when it is issued by the Card Office. UO ID numbers are releasable only to you when you come in person to the Office of the Registrar with some type of photo ID. You may also mail or fax a written request for release to the Office of the Registrar containing the four elements listed in the section of this policy headed Release of Education Records. Over the years, the university has used other methods of creating and assigning ID numbers and for some time used Social Security numbers as ID numbers. Such numbers are no longer used. For this reason, former students who contact the university for information or service may be reassigned a new, randomly generated ID number.

Students are requested to provide voluntarily their Social Security Numbers to assist OUS (and organizations conducting studies on behalf of OUS) in developing, validating, or administering predictive tests and assessments; administering student aid programs; improving instruction; internal identification of students; collection of student debts; or comparing student educational experiences with subsequent workforce experiences. When conducting studies, OUS will disclose a Social Security Number only in a manner that does not permit personal identification of a student by individuals other than representatives of OUS (or the organization conducting the study for OUS) and only if the information is destroyed when no longer needed for the purposes for which the study was conducted. By providing their Social Security Number, students are consenting to the uses identified above. This request is made pursuant to ORS 351.070 and 351.085. Provision of the student’s Social Security Number and consent to its use is not required and, if a student chooses not to do so, he/she will not be denied any right, benefit, or privilege provided by law. A student may revoke consent for the use of his/her Social Security Number at any time by contacting the Office of the Registrar, 220 Oregon Hall.

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)

FERPA was enacted by the U.S. Congress in 1974 and has since had many amendments.  Responsibility for oversight of FERPA compliance rests with the Department of Education’s Family Policy Compliance Office.  For complete information on FERPA, see their web site at http://www.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/fpco/index.html.

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