The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) of 1974 is a federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. FERPA applies to all schools that receive funds under an applicable program of the U.S. Department of Education.

Education Record

Records, files, documents, and other materials which contain information directly related to a student, maintained by an educational institution.

Release of Information Contained on Student Education Records

(Excerpt from URI Student Handbook)

Procedures for the release and disclosure of student records maintained by the University are in large measure governed by state and federal laws.

• Where the law is silent, the University is guided by the principle that the privacy of an individual is of great importance and that as much information in a student’s file as possible should be disclosed to the student on request.
• A current or former student has the right to inspect and review official records, files, and data directly related to that student.
• This right does not extend to applicants, those denied admission to the University, or those who were admitted but did not enroll.
• Students should be aware that in accordance with federal law, the University may, without consent, release information from conduct records.

The University maintains student records primarily for educational purposes, although student records are maintained for other purposes such as health and employment (University Manual section 6.12.21). Guidelines incorporating the requirements of the Federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 are published in the Student Handbook.

• Third parties, including the University police, do not have access to personally identifiable records or information pertaining to students without the written consent of the student who specifies that the records be released, except in cases of health and safety.
• Parents are considered third parties. However,  as a student, you may assign guest access to e-Campus to a third party to view your billing, academic records, and/or financial aid information. 
• A guest can be your parent, guardian, grandparent, sibling, employer, or other third party payer. Details to grant third party access will be available soon.

Detailed guidelines for the release and disclosure of information from the student records are available from the Dean of Students Office. These guidelines comply with the legal requirements of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) of 1974 as amended.

For students and guests without computer access, the University has a paper Consent to Release Student Educational Records form. The authorization remains in effect until you cancel the authorization by written request. It will not grant real-time access to e-Campus.

STUDENT PUBLIC RECORDS

Public information may be released or published without the student’s consent. Currently enrolled students may inform the appropriate office that public records should not be released or published (forms for this purpose are available at designated offices or on e- Campus).

Information confirming the following items about individual students is public and available from the offices listed below:

Manage Your FERPA Restrictions

Directory information is information contained in a student education record that would generally not be considered harmful or an invasion of privacy if disclosed. While institutions may designate and release specified items, students have the right to and may block any or all of this information.

Note that students with a FERPA block will generally not appear on publicly released Dean’s Lists or in Commencement Programs.

Log into eCampus and navigate to:

1. Home 
2. Self Service 
3. Campus Personal Information 
4. FERPA Restrictions

For purposes of this section, the term “official records, files, and data” means material on students pertaining to their status as students, held by any unit or department of the University and intended for University use or to be available to parties outside the University.

STUDENT PRIVATE RECORDS

All personal information relating to a particular student other than public records as defined above is considered private information. Information which is considered private records includes:

• Letters of recommendation to which students have waived their right of access
• Campus law enforcement records held in the campus police station
• Clinical, medical, counseling, or health records
• Financial aid records including the financial records of the parents of the student or any information contained therein
• Private records kept by individual faculty or administrators possibly used as memory aids
• General advising records, academic evaluations, test scores, transcripts, or other academic records. Additional information regarding FERPA can be found here.

Student records and the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act

February 17, 2026

As of January 1, 2026 the University of Rhode Island has implemented a Policy on the Rights of Students Pursuant to FERPA.

The University of Rhode Island complies with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) of 1974. This act was designed to protect the privacy of education records, to establish the right of students to inspect and review their education records, and to provide guidelines for the correction of inaccurate or misleading data through formal and informal hearings.

As a general rule, students attending a college or university, regardless of age, have the right under FERPA to control disclosure of information from their educational records.

FERPA generally requires the university to obtain written consent prior to the disclosure of personally identifiable information from a student’s education records. The university may disclose “directory information” without such consent, unless you have notified the school otherwise.

What is directory information?

Directory information is basic information related to a student that the school may include in certain school publications such as yearbooks, graduation programs, sports activity sheets, honor roll or other recognition lists, etc.

As of January 2026, the University of Rhode Island designates the following as directory information:

• Student’s full name
• City and state (only) of a Student’s campus, local, and or/home address
• University email address
• Major field of study
• Full/part-time status
• Participation in officially recognized activities and sports
• Weight and height of members of athletic teams
• Date(s) of attendance
• Degrees, honors, and awards received
• The most recent previous educational institution attended
• Class year
• Graduation dates

Additionally, the following are considered Directory Information for the purposes of disclosures made internally within the University or to the URI Foundation:
• Date of birth
• Home mailing address
• Information related to a public facing presence (e.g. LinkedIn)
• Personal email
• Telephone number

May I opt-out of directory information disclosure?

Yes. Directory information is considered public information and may be released upon request unless the student activates a “privacy hold” in e-Campus. If you do not want the University to disclose directory information from your education records without your prior written consent you can manage your FERPA restrictions through e-Campus. To do so, log into e-Campus and go to Main Menu, then Self Service, then Campus Personal Information, then FERPA Restrictions.

Can I grant a third party, like parents, access to my information?

Yes. As a student, you may assign guest access to e-Campus to a third party to view your billing, academic records, and/or financial aid information. A guest can be a parent, guardian, grandparent, sibling, employer, or other third-party payer. Details to grant third-party access can be found here. All other information is considered private and will not be released outside the University without the written permission of the student, unless a specific exception under FERPA applies. Additional information about student records can be found in the Student Handbook.

When does FERPA permit disclosure of personally identifiable information (PII) without student consent?

Personally Identifiable Information from an Education Record(s) may be released by a Records Custodian in accordance with FERPA and in its implementing regulations. The following are some of the permissible release conditions without consent under FERPA:

1. To a School Official if they have a legitimate educational interest, or legal right to know. The University has defined a school official as a person employed by the University in an administrative, supervisory, academic, research, or support staff position, as well as a trustee or outside contractor, consultant, volunteer, or other party acting as an agent for the University. Examples of School Officials include, but are not limited to: attorneys, auditors, collection agents, health or medical staff, officials of the National Student Clearinghouse, members of the University of Rhode Island Board of Trustees; Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (“ROTC”) cadre members (limited to their relationship with students enrolled in the ROTC program and/or enrolled in ROTC courses), and students serving on an official committee, such as a disciplinary or grievance committee, or assisting another School Official in performing their tasks.
   
   These situations are limited to:
   a. Performing a necessary or appropriate task or activity to fulfill their assigned institutional duty for the University and specified in their position description or in a contract agreement or other official appointment;
   b. Performing a task related to a student’s education or to student discipline;
   c. Maintaining safety and security on campus; or
   d. Providing a service or benefit directly relating to the student or student’s family, such as health care, counseling, job placement, or financial aid.
2. To officials of other schools in which the Student seeks or intends to enroll or has enrolled, as long as the disclosure is for purposes related to the Student’s enrollment or transfer. The student shall receive notification of the disclosure unless the Student initiated the disclosure and they may, upon request, have a copy of the records transferred.
3. To a third party in connection with determining eligibility, amounts, and conditions, or enforcing terms of financial aid for which the Student has applied or that which the student has received.
4. To a third party in connection with Directory Information for a student directory, commencement program, yearbook, sports publicity materials, honors announcements, the manufacture of class rings, or other similar uses.
5. To an appropriate third party if the information is necessary to protect the health or safety of the Student or other individuals.
6. To a Student’s parent or legal guardian, information regarding the Student’s violation of any Federal, State, or local law (or of any rule or policy of the University) governing the use or possession of alcohol or a controlled substance, provided that the Student is under the age of 21 and either:
   a. The Student is found responsible for a second violation of the alcohol or drug policy; or
   b. The incident was of such a serious nature that the University decides that the parent/guardian will be notified.

How do I request to inspect and review my student educational records?
In accordance with FERPA, students have the right to inspect and review their education record(s) upon written request to the appropriate Records Custodian. To request access to a record, a student may submit a written request to review education record either in person or via email to:

Registration & Records Office
Green Hall
6 Rhody Ram Way
Kingston, RI 02881
FERPA-group@uri.edu

The School Official will arrange for access and notify the student of the time and place where the records may be inspected within forty-five (45) calendar days as mandated by FERPA. If a student requests a copy of the education records, the University may assess a reasonable copy fee. Copy fees of up to $0.15 per page for copies on business or legal-size paper. Additional charges may be assessed for any fee associated with retrieving records from storage, and for the actual cost of delivery (if any). A charge for the search or retrieval of documents, up to $15.00 per hour with the first hour free may be assessed. A student may be required to present proper government issued identification or otherwise verify their identity in a manner deemed appropriate by the Record Custodian.

A student may request clarification or explanation of information within their Education Record. After inspecting the record(s), a student may submit a request for explanation or interpretation to the Registration & Records Office, either in person or via email. The School Official will respond within fifteen (15) calendar days to schedule a meeting or provide a written explanation of the record.

How do I request to amend my student educational record?
A student who wishes to request an amendment to their education record may submit a request to amend or remove education records to the Registration & Records Office, either in person or via email. By law, the University is required to consider only requests to amend information that is inaccurately recorded. The FERPA amendment process does not apply to: (a) academic grades or decisions (except for clerical errors in recording); (b) subjective opinions or evaluations; or (c) outcomes of disciplinary or conduct proceedings. The written request should clearly identify the part of the record the student is requesting be changed and specify why the record is inaccurate or misleading. Upon receipt of a completed request for amendment, the Registration & Records Office or applicable School Official will make a prompt informal determination within a reasonable time, but not more than thirty (30) calendar days, as to whether the proposed correction is accepted or rejected. The student will be notified in writing that the amendment has occurred or that the request is denied. A letter denying the request will state the reasons for the decision and notify the student of the right to request a formal hearing.

Can I request a formal hearing if my amendment request is denied?
Yes. Upon denial of an eligible record correction request, students may request a formal hearing by submitting a request to the Registration & Records Office, either in person or via email. Note that FERPA amendment rights do not extend to: (a) substantive academic grades or decisions (clerical recording errors excepted); (b) subjective opinions or evaluations; or (c) outcomes of disciplinary or conduct proceedings.

The request for a hearing should include (a) copies of the contested record(s) or a description of the contested record(s) with enough specificity that they can be identified and located by the Registration & Records Office:

• A statement that the student has attempted to resolve the matter informally including the identity of the School Official(s) with whom the student worked toward informal resolution, or an explanation as to why informal resolution was not appropriate; and
• A statement explaining why the student believes the record(s) is inaccurate, misleading, or in violation of the student’s privacy rights.

The Registration & Records Office will notify the student, within a reasonable time after the request is received, but not more than thirty (30) calendar days, as to the date, time and place of the hearing. In most circumstances, the hearing date will be within forty-five (45) calendar days of such notice so that the student may be prepared for the hearing.

Who can I contact if I have more questions?
Questions concerning student rights under FERPA should be directed to:

Director of Enrollment Services or
Registration & Records Office
Green Hall
6 Rhody Ram Way
Kingston, RI 02881
FERPA-group@uri.edu

How can I file a complaint?
Students may file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by the University to comply with the requirements of FERPA. The name and address of the Office that administers FERPA is:

Family Policy Compliance Office
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, D.C. 20202-8520