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Notification of Rights Under FERPA for Postsecondary Institutions

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) affords students certain rights with respect to their education records. They are

  1. The right to refuse permission for any or all of the categories of personally identifiable information to be designated as directory information with respect to themselves.

    Students may request via My TritonLink that their campus email, campus address, and/or campus phone number not be regarded as directory information. Requests to restrict other types of information may be obtained through the Office of the Registrar by sending an email to academicrecords@ucsd.edu. Students may remove restrictions via the same mechanism by which they were placed.

  2. The right to inspect and review the student’s education records within forty-five days of the day UC San Diego receives the student’s written request.

    Students should submit written requests that identify the record(s) that the student wishes to inspect. The UC San Diego official to whom the request was submitted will notify the student of the time and place where the records may be inspected.

  3. The right to request amendments of the student’s education records that the student believes are inaccurate or misleading.

    The request may be submitted in writing to the UC San Diego official responsible for the record, clearly identifying the part of the record they want changed and specifying why it is inaccurate or misleading. If the UC San Diego official decides not to amend the record as requested by the student, that official will notify the student of the decision and advise the student of the procedures to appeal the denial. Grades may not be changed via this provision. See grade appeals for this process.

  4. The right to consent to disclosures of personally identifiable information contained in the student’s education records, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent.

    Exceptions: One exception that permits disclosure without consent is disclosures to UC San Diego or UC officials with legitimate educational interests. A UC San Diego or UC official is a person employed by UC San Diego or UC in an administrative, supervisory, academic, research, or support staff position; a person or company with whom UC San Diego or UC has contracted (such as attorney, auditor, or collection agent); or a student serving on an official committee, such as a disciplinary or grievance committee. A UC San Diego or UC official has a legitimate educational interest if the information requested is relevant and necessary for the official to perform a task or determination that is an employment responsibility or to perform a task that is related specifically to the official’s participation in the student’s education or to perform a task that is related specifically to the discipline of the student and provides a service or benefit to the student or the student’s family.

    UC San Diego may also disclose personally identifiable information from an education record to appropriate parties, including parents of an eligible student, in connection with an emergency if knowledge of the information is necessary to protect the health or safety of the student or other individuals.

  5. The right to file a complaint with the US Department of Education concerning alleged failures by UC San Diego to comply with the requirements of FERPA. The name and address of the office that administers FERPA is

    Family Policy Compliance Office
    US Department of Education
    400 Maryland Ave. SW
    Washington, DC 20202-4605

Questions about these rights or any other aspect of student records management by UC San Diego officials may be referred to the Registrar, Student Services Building, Suite 261, or by telephone at (858) 534-3150 or email at registrar@ucsd.edu. The text of FERPA may be found in the government documents section of the UC San Diego Geisel Library. Copies of the UC San Diego student records policy, PPM 160-2, may be accessed electronically at http://adminrecords.ucsd.edu/ppm/docs/160-2.html.

Social Security Number

UC San Diego uses your Social Security Number (SSN) or Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) to match your record to your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or California Dream Act application and to create or maintain a health record for you at campus health and counseling centers or at a UC medical center. We also report your SSN to the Internal Revenue Service, pursuant to the Taxpayer’s Relief Act of 1997, and to the Department of Education. You are required to disclose your SSN if you have one.

Directory or Public Information

The following has been designated by UC San Diego as “directory information”: a student’s name, email address, telephone numbers, date and place of birth; major fields of study; dates of attendance; grade level; enrollment status (e.g., paid or unpaid enrollment, undergraduate, full time, or part time); number of course units in which enrolled; degrees and honors received; the most recent previous educational institution attended; participation in officially recognized activities, including intercollegiate athletics; and the name, weight, and height of participants on intercollegiate UC San Diego athletic teams.