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FERPA Resources

Comprehensive look at FERPA and list of frequently asked questions

What is FERPA?

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (a.k.a. FERPA or the Buckley Amendment) protects a student’s right to privacy concerning their academic records and information. The University of Houston will not disclose any information without the written consent from the student, with some exceptions as stated by FERPA. There are some types of information such as grades, financial aid, or class schedules that parents might like to receive but under FERPA, parents can not have access to these records unless the student gives written permission to the University. This means that even if you are paying the bills, you can not access your student’s educational records.

What records does FERPA cover?

FERPA regulations give privacy protection to all students’ “educational records”. Education records are broadly defined as “those records that are directly related to a student and are maintained by an educational agency or institution or by a party acting for the agency or institution.” Examples of FERPA records include grades, transcripts, discipline records and class schedules.

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