14.1 Accessibility to Student Records and the Privacy Act (FERPA)

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), also known as the Buckley Amendment, passed by Congress in 1974, grants four specific rights to students:

1. The right to inspect and review their educational records
2. The right to request the amendment of inaccurate or otherwise inappropriate records
3. The right to consent to disclosure of his or her public records
4. The right to file a complaint with the Family Compliance Office in the United States’ Department of Education, concerning alleged failure by FNU to comply with the requirements of FERPA.

Students are granted rights under FERPA if they are currently attending FNU or have been in attendance, regardless of whether in a credit, non-credit, degree or non-degree credit program. FERPA does not apply to applicants of FNU who have been admitted but who have not actually been in attendance.