INTRODUCTION TO FERPA

The acronym FERPA stands for the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (20 U.S.C. 1232g, 34CFR§99), which Congress enacted in 1974. It is sometimes referred to as the Buckley Amendment.

Faculty, staff, and administrative officers at ULM are required by FERPA to treat education records in a legally specified manner. The Act specifies the institutional penalties for violation of its stipulations, as well as procedures for providing student access to and maintaining the privacy of student records. The University's more detailed response to FERPA is printed yearly in the Student Policy Paper under the Student Records sections entitled Access to Records, Confidentiality of Student Records, Correction of Educational Records, Cost, Directory Information, Maintenance of Records, Notification of Rights Under FERPA, Procedures for Challenge, and Requesting a Transcript.

Please click below to download the PDF or to view the complete FERPA section.

FERPA [.pdf]

FERPA WAIVER INFORMATION

In accordance with FERPA, the University of Louisiana at Monroe (ULM) is prohibited from releasing certain information from your student records to a third party, including your parents, guardians, spouse, or sponsor. However, by voluntarily completing ULM’s FERPA Waiver Form, you may grant ULM permission to release otherwise federally-protected information to individuals you designate.

Things to know before you voluntarily file a FERPA waiver with ULM . . . .

• You will be asked to designate a maximum of two individuals with whom ULM representatives may discuss information otherwise protected by FERPA.

• You will be asked to create a four-character FERPA code as part of the waiver process. You must share the code with the individuals you designate, since they will be required to provide the code in order to speak with a ULM representative about your information.

• The FERPA code applies only to your FERPA waiver. It will not gain access to any other ULM program or software.

• Your FERPA waiver remains in effect as long as you are a student at ULM or until you rescind it by filing appropriate paperwork in the ULM Registrar’s Office.

Please click below to voluntarily file a FERPA waiver with ULM, and be sure to print your form after you have submitted your waiver.

FERPA Waiver Form