Personally identifiable information required by the Graduate School to create your enrollment record is held in confidence under provisions established by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act as amended.
The Graduate School does not rent or sell any e-mail addresses or other contact information that is provided by our students or collected regarding our students. We maintain ownership and control the use of your personally identifiable information in accordance with FERPA laws.
There are several exceptions to this policy wherein the Graduate School discloses records without the written consent of the student, and they are listed below:
1. To school officials determined by the Graduate School to have a legitimate educational interest. A school official is determined to have a legitimate educational interest if the information requested is necessary for that official to
- perform appropriate tasks that are specified in his or her position description or by a contract agreement;
- perform a task related to a student’s education;
- perform a task related to the discipline of a student;
- provide a service or benefit relating to the student or student’s family, such as health care, counseling, job placement or financial aid.
2. To agents acting on behalf of the institution (e.g., clearinghouses, degree/enrollment verifiers).
3. To authorized representatives of the following government entities if the disclosure is in connection with an audit or evaluation of federal or state supported education programs, or for the enforcement of or compliance with federal legal requirements that relate to those programs: Comptroller General of the United States, Secretary of Education, United States Attorney General and state educational authorities.
4. To Veterans’ Administration officials.
5. To other schools at which the student seeks or intends to enroll.
6. In connection with a student’s request for or receipt of financial aid, as necessary to determine the eligibility, amount or conditions of the financial aid, or to enforce the terms and conditions of the aid.
7. To organizations conducting certain studies for or on behalf of the Graduate School.
8. To accrediting organizations, including individuals or visiting committees, to carry out their functions.
9. To comply with a judicial order or a lawfully issued subpoena.
10. To appropriate parties if a health or safety emergency exists and the information will assist in resolving the emergency.
11. To an alleged victim of any crime of violence of the results of any institutional disciplinary proceeding regarding the alleged perpetrator of that crime with respect to that crime.
12. To anyone requesting the final results of a disciplinary hearing against an alleged perpetrator of a crime of violence or non-forcible sex offense (Foley Amendment).
13. To the United States Citizenship Immigration Services (USCIS) for purposes of the Coordinated Interagency Partnership Regulating International Students.
14. To the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for purposes of complying with the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997.
15. If required by a state law requiring disclosure that was adopted before November 19, 1974.
16. To comply with a court order obtained under the USA PATRIOT Act of 2001 for education records considered relevant to a terrorism investigation or prosecution, without advance notice to the
student.
17. The Graduate School retains discretion to disclose to a student’s parents information regarding any violation of law or of university rule or policy as to alcohol or controlled substances use or possession, if the student is under age 21 at the time of the disclosure and the Graduate School determines that such alcohol/drug use or possession constitutes a disciplinary violation (Warner Amendment).