What is an education record?

Under FERPA, just about any information directly related to a student and maintained by Wheelock College, or by a person acting on behalf of the College, such as faculty, administrators and staff, is considered a student education record. Any record related directly to a student must be held in confidence and may not be disclosed unless authorized by FERPA or its implementing regulations.

Some examples of student education records include:

• grades and transcripts
• course schedules
• names of student advisors
• papers and tests
• certain records regarding student discipline
• documents containing personal information such as social security number, age, parent's name

Student education records do not include:

• sole possession records (not accessible or revealed to any other person)
• certain law enforcement records
• employment records
• medical records
• post-attendance records
• financial aid records
• certain records of a disciplinary process relating to alleged violent or sexual offenses

The storage media in which this information is maintained does not matter. A student education record may be:

• a document in the Office of Academic Records and Registration
• a computer printout in your office
• a class list on your desktop
• a computer display screen
• notes that you have taken during an advising session