Student Records and Privacy Rights

Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, complies with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). FERPA affords students certain rights with respect to their "education records" as that term is defined in the law. These rights include the following:

1. The student has the right to inspect and review his or her education records within 45 days of the date Rutgers receives a proper request for access to such records.

2. The student has the right to request amendment of education records that the student believes are inaccurate or misleading.

3. Rutgers shall obtain the prior consent of the student before disclosing personally identifiable information contained in the student's education records, except to the extent FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent.

4. The student may direct complaints concerning the alleged failure of Rutgers to comply with the requirements of FERPA to the Office of Associate Vice President for Student Affairs, 83 Somerset Street, College Avenue campus (732-932-7312), or to the U.S. Department of Education, c/o Family Policy Compliance Office, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20202-4605.

Students wishing to exercise their rights to inspect and review their education records should submit a written request to the appropriate official at the Rutgers office which is custodian of the records they wish to review. Students requesting amendment of education records should first review the policies and procedures of their college or school and/or consult with their dean of students, or equivalent official. FERPA permits disclosure of directory information without a student's consent, unless the student has requested such information be kept confidential. Directory information includes the student's name, address, phone, school of attendance, and several other fields of information. For information on how to keep your directory information confidential, visit the Rutgers Online Directory by using the "Search: People" link of the Rutgers home page (http://www.rutgers.edu), or contact the Office of the Registrar on your campus.

Rutgers no longer uses a student's social security number as an identification number. As of February 13, 2006, Rutgers converted to a random number identification system to safeguard students' privacy. Every student will be assigned a random nine-digit number with zeros in the fourth and fifth places. The Social Security Administration guarantees that no number with zeros in the fourth and fifth digits will ever be assigned, making these numbers easily distinguishable. The official notices are archived on the Office of Compliance, Student Policy and Judicial Affairs web site at http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~polcomp. The notices provide full information on Rutgers' compliance with Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), including the current definition of "directory information." Students with questions about FERPA or the privacy of their records should consult these notices and/or contact the Office of Associate Vice President for Student Affairs, 83 Somerset Street, College Avenue campus (732-932-7312, cspc@rci.rutgers.edu).