Student Records and FERPA

On this page:

• FERPA Overview 
• Students' rights granted by FERPA
• Who to contact

FERPA Overview

All LSA students have an academic advising file containing placement test scores, unofficial copies of academic records, correspondence, and notes which academic advisors or other student-facing staff have made about their conversations with a student. 

In accordance with the Family Educational and Rights Privacy Act (FERPA), access to individual student LSA advising files is restricted to university academic advisors, student-facing staff, and others with a legitimate educational interest to review the specific record. FERPA governs both the release of, and access to, student records in the College and University. 

Students' rights granted by FERPA

FERPA grants students the right:

• to inspect and review their education records;
• to request amendment of the student’s education records that the student believes are inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise in violation of the student’s privacy rights under FERPA;
• to consent to disclosures of personally identifiable information contained in the student’s education records, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent.

Inspect and review

• LSA students have the right to examine most materials in their own academic files in accordance with university FERPA guidelines. 
• Students who wish to review their advising files may do so by scheduling an appointment with an academic advisor. 
• Students may request copies of most information in their academic files. 

Request amendment

• Students may add clarifying notes and other materials to their advising files. 
• Requests for deletions and additions of material from an advising file should be addressed in writing to the LSA Office of the Assistant Dean (oad.lsa@umich.edu). 

Consent to disclosures

• The release of student information to a third party, including parents, requires the written permission of the respective student. 
• LSA students can use the online Student Release of Information form to authorize release of their LSA advising record and related academic information to third parties. 

Who to contact

• LSA Office of the Assistant Dean: Oad.lsa@umich.edu