APUS FERPA Information

Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) Annual Notification to Students
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA), as amended, requires that schools establish and publish a written institutional policy covering student privacy rights. The law provides that the institution will maintain the confidentiality of all education records for its students. At American Public University System (APUS), an applicant is considered a student as soon as orientation is completed.

Student Rights under FERPA at APUS Include:

1. The right to inspect and review his/her own education record within 45 days of the day the University receives an access request. A student should submit a written request to the registrar identifying the education record the student wishes to inspect. The Registrar will arrange for access and notify the student of the time, format, and place where the records may be inspected. For more information on reviewing records, go to Review of Records.

2. The right to request an amendment to the education record that the student believes is inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise in violation of the student’s privacy rights under FERPA. A student who wishes to ask the University to amend a record should submit a written request to the Registrar clearly identifying the part of the record the student wants amended, and specifying the reason for the request. If the University decides not to amend the record as requested, the University will notify the student in writing of the decision and the student's right to a hearing regarding the request for amendment. Additional information regarding the hearing procedures will be provided to the student when notified of the right to a hearing.The final decision to amend the record resides with the University. 

3. The right to require written consent before the University discloses personally identifiable information from the student's education records, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent (you may review FERPA Exceptions for Disclosure below). A student who wishes to grant access to a third party may complete a FERPA Release Authorization Form. Please e-mail FERPA@apus.edu to request the form. The form will only be released to the student not the third party.

4. The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by the University 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  20202-5901

FERPA Exceptions for Disclosure Without Consent

The University discloses education record information without a student’s prior written consent under the FERPA exception for disclosure to school officials with legitimate educational interests. A school official has a legitimate educational interest if the official needs to review an education record to fulfill his or her professional responsibilities for the University.

APUS defines the following as school officials:

• Personnel within APUS
• A person or company the University has contracted as its agent to provide a service instead of using University employees or officials (such as legal counsel, auditors, third-party contractors or collection agents) 
• A person serving on the Board of Trustees

FERPA also allows schools to disclose education record information, without consent, to the following parties or under the following conditions:

• Persons or organizations providing student financial aid 
• Accrediting agencies carrying out their accreditation function
• Persons in compliance with a judicial order or lawfully issued subpoena
• Appropriate officials in cases of health and safety emergencies 
• Parents of dependent children as defined in the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 (Documentation will be required as proof. E-mail FERPA@apus.edu for more information.)
• Officials from:
  • other institutions to which the student seeks to enroll
  • organizations conducting studies for educational and governmental agencies 
  • U.S. Government agencies as listed in Public Law 93-380

Directory Information

Information that is not considered under FERPA to be harmful or an invasion of privacy if disclosed is referred to as directory information. FERPA allows each institution to decide what it deems to be directory information. For more information on APUS Directory Information and a student’s right to block directory information, go to Directory Information.