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Students

A student is defined as any individual who is currently enrolled or once was in a credit-bearing course at UW-Green Bay. Any individual who meets this definition is afforded all the rights to privacy as defined by FERPA. Individuals who have been admitted, but not yet enrolled in a credit-bearing course, are not protected under FERPA.

Your Rights Under FERPA

Under FERPA, students are guaranteed the following rights:

1Inspect & review your education records

You have the right to inspect and review your education records within 45 days after the day UW-Green Bay receives a request for access. To review your educational records:

  • Submit a written request to the appropriate University staff member or faculty, identifying the record(s) you wish to inspect. 
  • You will be notified of the time and place where you can inspect the records.
  • If your request wasn't submitted to the appropriate University staff member or faculty, you will be advised where to send your request.

2 Request amendment of education records

You have the right to request the amendment of your education records you believe are inaccurate, misleading or otherwise in violation of your privacy rights under FERPA. This process does not apply to grades assigned by an instructor. For the grade appeal process, go to the undergraduate catalog or graduate catalog. To request an amendment:

  • Submit a request in writing to the University staff member or faculty responsible for the record, clearly identifying what you want changed and why. 
  • If the decision is made NOT to amend the record as requested, you will be notified in writing of the decision. and your right to a hearing regarding your request.

3 Provide written consent before release of info

You have the right to provide written consent before the University discloses personally identifiable information (PII) from your education records. In some circumstances, FERPA allows disclosure without consent. 

The University discloses education records without prior written consent under the FERPA exception for disclosure to university faculty or staff with legitimate educational interest, meaning they need to review the record in order to fulfill their professional responsibilities for the University. This includes:

  • a person employed by UW-Green Bay in an administrative, supervisory, academic, research or support staff position (including law enforcement personnel and health staff)
  • a person serving on advisory or governing boards or a student serving on an official committee, such as a disciplinary or grievance committee
  • a volunteer or contractor outside of UW-Green Bay who performs an institutional service or function which the University would otherwise use its own employees and who is under the direct control of the University, such as an attorney, auditor, collection agent or a student volunteering to assist another University official in performing their tasks.
  • a faculty or staff member of another school in which a student seeks or intends to enroll.

4 File a complaint with Department of Education

You have the right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by UW-Green Bay 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, DC, 20202-5920
1-800-872-5327

Restrict Access to Your Records

You can restrict the release of all your information, except to university faculty or staff with a demonstrated need to know and other officials as defined under FERPA. To do so, submit a form that includes a line to identify a specific expiration date that information can be released to that third party. If no date is provided, the release remains in effect until rescinded in writing.

You should consider all aspects of a Directory Hold prior to filing such a request.

  • Requests for enrollment or degree verifications from non-instructional person or organizes will be refused if a requested restriction is in place. 
  • A student’s email address will not appear in the campus email directory, which may make if more difficult for faculty, staff and other classmates to communicate with you. 
  • A restricted email address would still be included in automated campus email directories (i.e., course distribution lists). 

Submit Restriction Request

If you'd like to remove a FERPA hold, complete the Release Student Record Information form.

If you need restricted information, contact us. Information will be released if:

  • Your identity can be verified over the phone.
  • You contact us through your UW-Green Bay email address since this is password protected and only issued to students. 
  • You contact us through a non-GB email address. In this case, we may ask for further clarification and likely provide the response to your UW-Green Bay email account only. If there is concern the requester is not you, the student, only directory related information may be released until further verification can be made about your identity.

Provide Additional Access to Your Records

Sometimes people need access to your protected records. In order to facilitate what you need, you can grant access to some individuals.

Authorized Party Access

You can authorize party access to other people, like a parent or guardian, for student billing and payments. This makes it easier for them to make online payments.

Authorized Party Access

Reference Letters

When you ask a faculty member or a mentor to write a reference letter or act as a reference in general, talk to them about what will be shared. 

  • If the information is a part of your education records, such as grades or GPA, a release should be signed and provided to the person acting as your reference. 
  • Staff members should ensure they are releasing information they have first-hand knowledge of. 
  • If an official enrollment or grade verification is needed, the student should order an official transcript record from the Registrar’s Office.

Access Reference Request Form

Enrollment & Degree Verification

Both enrollment status (total credit enrollment) and degrees earned (type of degree and date earned) can be released as part of directory information. This information can be obtained in two ways:

  1. UW-Green Bay has authorized the National Student Clearinghouse to verify this data to third-party such as employers, insurance companies, etc. A transcript request can be submitted on http://www.studentclearinghouse.org/.
  2. As a currently enrolled student, you can log into your SIS account to generate a pdf of your transcript to either email to or print for a variety of third-party requesters.

Ask Us

Questions about FERPA? Contact the Registrar, our keeper of records. There's a lot to know, but we can help you find what you're looking for.

Email Us