Students who are currently enrolled or formerly enrolled, regardless of their age, are subject to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).
The law, also known as the Buckley Amendment, was passed by Congress in 1974.
FERPA grants four specific rights to students:
- see the information that Ball State has concerning the student
- seek to amend those records and, in certain cases, append a statement to the record
- consent to disclosure of his or her records
- file a complaint with the Department of Education Compliance Office in Washington, DC
Learn More about FERPA
What Can BE Released?
The only student information the university may release is called “directory information.” At Ball State, this information is limited to a student’s:
- name (all names on record)
- local address and telephone number
- home address and telephone number
- university email address
- photograph, video, and electronic image taken or maintained by the university
- major field of study
- dates of attendance
- grade (class) level
- enrollment status (undergraduate or graduate, full time or part time)
- participation in officially recognized activities and sports
- weight and height of members of athletic teams
- degrees, honors, and awards received
- previous institutions attended
What is not an educational record?
- sole possession records
- law enforcement unit records
- employment records
- medical records
- alumni (or post-attendance) records
Student Centers of Care
Third-party requests
- Third-party requests for student directory information must now be submitted as an open records request through the Office of General Counsel.