FERPA Information

Any information that the University collects as part of your application and enrollment is considered confidential – that includes everything from your current student status to your address and grades. AUP's Privacy Policy for Students complies with both the US Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). This FERPA information page provides more in-depth information about your protections under FERPA specifically and acts as an addendum to our broader Privacy Policy for Students.

WHAT IS FERPA?

FERPA stands for the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. It is the US federal law that governs the release of and access to student educational records. The purpose of this law is to protect the rights of students and to ensure the privacy and accuracy of educational records. The act applies to all institutions that are recipients of federal aid administered by the US Department of Education. Under FERPA, students  have various rights and privacy controls that may be set. These controls and rights are detailed below.

Privacy Settings

Students have three important YES/NO privacy settings. Your decision on these settings is first requested during Orientation. We then ask you to review them every semester during check-in to make sure they are accurate and up-to-date:

• Address information. Your address information includes mailing addresses, phone numbers and email addresses. If set to “yes,” we may provide your address details to staff or faculty upon request. We do not provide, under any circumstance, your address information to anyone outside of the AUP community. If set to “no,” your address information is not released to anyone, except for when needed for regular university operations.
• Directory information. If set to “no,” your name, enrollment, college level, full-time/part-time status, major and degree earned remain private. If set to “yes,” we may confirm to people outside of the AUP community that you do/did attend the University and which degree(s) you earned. Please note that most students and alums set this to “yes,” as potential employers frequently contact us for confirmation of attendance or confirmation of graduation. Grades always remain private and are never communicated without your consent.
• Grade information. If set to “yes,” we will automatically send a copy of your grade report to your financially responsible person (FRP) at the end of every semester. If set to “no,” your grades cannot be released to your FRP without your consent.

When you begin your studies at AUP, the default privacy settings are as follows:

• Address: No
• Directory: No
• Grade: No

From the first day you attend classes at AUP, your records are protected under FERPA. At the beginning of each semester, as part of the check-in process, you will be asked to confirm or change your privacy settings, but you can change these settings at any time online. Once you graduate, we will respect your privacy settings as you last updated them when you were a student. If you want to change your privacy settings after graduation, please make sure to contact the Office of the Registrar directly.

Examples of privacy settings

• Directory case: A future employer is looking to verify your degree from AUP. If your preference is “no,” we will respond explaining that we are unable to provide any information unless they can produce a consent form signed by you. If your preference is “yes,” our office  may provide the requested directory information.
• Grade case: If your preference is Yes, we will release your grades by mail at the end of each semester to the person listed as your financially responsible person. If your preference is “no” we will not release your grades without your written consent. If you would like a third party to view your grades, please request official transcripts to be sent.

WHEN WE MAY RELEASE INFORMATION

AUP will never release any information from categories set to “no” without your express written permission, except in the following cases:

• To a member of the AUP community with a legitimate educational interest and in order to fulfill their official responsibilities. School officials (university employees and representatives of agencies under contract with the University) have "legitimate educational interest" if the information needed is essential in carrying out their duties in support of AUP's educational mission.
• Outside university officials requesting verification (in writing) as part of future university applications and the establishment of future education records. We will reply to these inquiries to confirm either the accuracy or inaccuracy of the information provided.
• In a health or safety emergency.
• Other requests including audit or evaluation studies by representatives of US educational authorities and accrediting organizations, and French or US juridical and fiscal authorities and other authorities who have a legal right to demand disclosure.

Your FERPA privacy rights

You are protected by FERPA from your first day of classes at AUP. Under both FERPA and the GDPR you have rights pertaining to your personal data. Under FERPA specifically you have the following rights:

• The right to inspect and review your academic record within 30 days of the University receiving a request for access. If you want to review your record, contact the Office of the Registrar to make the appropriate arrangements.
• The right to request an amendment of your educational record if you believe it is inaccurate or misleading. If you feel there is an error in your record, you should submit a statement to the university official responsible for the record, clearly identifying the part of the record you want changed and why you believe it is inaccurate or misleading. That official will notify you of their decision and advise you regarding appropriate steps if you do not agree with the decision.
• The right to consent to disclose personally identifiable information contained in your academic records, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent. In order to allow a faculty or staff member to talk to your parent (or other third party) about your academic records, you have to complete and sign a FERPA release form [pdf] and return  the hard copy to the Registrar.
• The right to file a complaint with the United States Department of Education concerning alleged failures by the University to comply with FERPA. Rest assured, AUP’s staff is regularly trained on how to handle a student’s record in accordance with FERPA. If you do have any concerns, however, please contact the Office of the Registrar immediately.

Parents’ rights

Since all AUP students are “eligible students” under FERPA, parents do not have free access to their children’s records – even if they pay the bills. If the “grade release” record is set to “yes,” only parents who are listed as the financially responsible person will receive a grade summary and invoice every semester – but they still must be authorized by their children to receive any supplementary information.

FURTHER INFORMATION

For further information about how AUP protects your personal data as a student, please consult the AUP Privacy Policy for Students.