FERPA Info

Summary of FERPA

Student education records are considered confidential and may not be released without written consent of the student except by certain provisions outlined in FERPA. NGU employees have a responsibility to protect the education records in their possession and have access to student information only for legitimate educational use in performing their job duties at NGU.

Some information maintained about students is considered directory information (public information). FERPA allows us to share that information without a written release from the student. In general, though, NGU does not promote the widespread release of directory information. It should only be released if there is a compelling reason to do so.

NGU has designated the following items as directory information:

• Name
• Major field of study at NGU
• Dates of attendance at NGU
• Degrees and award received

Any information not included on this list, including NGUId, SSN, grades, GPA, student schedule, etc. is non-directory information. It may only be released under special circumstances (for instance, with a written release from the student).

Visit the FERPA page on the Ed.Gov website for additional information.

What is FERPA?

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, passed by Congress in 1974, grants four rights to students and is generally summarized as:

1. The right to inspect and review their education records.
2. The right to request to amend their education records.
3. The right to limit disclosure of personally identifiable information from their records.
4. The right to file a complaint with the Department of Education if they believe the institution has violated their FERPA rights.