Under FERPA, who is allowed to review a college student's academic records?

Under FERPA, who is allowed to review a college student's academic records?

• A. The student has the right to examine her own records but must provide written permission for her parents to examine them.
• B. The student and her parents are both permitted to examine her college records after signing a confidentiality agreement.
• C. The student and her parents are both permitted to examine her college records with advanced written notice to the registrar.
• D. The student is a minor and under the age of 18, so her parents must provide written permission for her to examine her college records.

Answer: (A)

Under FERPA, a college student controls access to her education records. She has the right to inspect her own records, and if she wants her parents to review them, she must provide written permission for the release. There is an exception: if the student is claimed as a dependent for tax purposes, a parent may access the records without the student’s separate consent. In this typical college scenario, the description that the student can review her records and must give written permission for her parents to review them best reflects FERPA rules. The other options imply requirements (confidentiality agreements, advance notices) or situations (being a minor) that don't align with postsecondary FERPA practices.

Under FERPA, a college student controls access to her education records. She has the right to inspect her own records, and if she wants her parents to review them, she must provide written permission for the release. There is an exception: if the student is claimed as a dependent for tax purposes, a parent may access the records without the student’s separate consent. In this typical college scenario, the description that the student can review her records and must give written permission for her parents to review them best reflects FERPA rules. The other options imply requirements (confidentiality agreements, advance notices) or situations (being a minor) that don't align with postsecondary FERPA practices.