Student Privacy Laws and the Media
As media organizations track down leads and follow up on tips, from time to time newsgathering efforts conflict with laws UT is obligated to abide by. The following is a brief summary of laws governing students' privacy rights to help educate reporters as to what student information they may or may not be entitled to.
The University of Toledo is responsible for protecting the educational records of all current and former UT students, as well as all students who have applied for admission, in accordance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) enacted by the United States Congress in 1974.
UT is permitted to release the directory information of a student, including:
- Student name
- Local address
- Local phone number
- College, major or field of study
- Full- or part-time enrollment status
- Class rank (freshman, sophomore, etc.)
- E-mail address
- Dates of attendance
- Degrees and awards received
However, under FERPA, students are able to choose to restrict directory information from the general public, preventing the University from discussing any aspect of students' educational records, including whether they are UT students.
Additionally, regardless of a student's proactive information restriction efforts, some information only can be released to a third party upon the University obtaining the student's written permission. This information includes:
- Student's ID or Social Security Number
- Grade point average
- Grades
- Courses taken
- Student's schedule
- Residency information
- Student judicial system disciplinary records
Additional information on FERPA can be found on the U.S. Department of Education's website.