FERPA for Parents

The Federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) of 1974 assigns to the student who is 18 years of age or older, not the parent, certain privacy rights regarding their educational record. In general, this means that students need to give their permission for the release of information about their educational record, even to release information to parents.

Under FERPA, the following pieces of information are considered "directory," or public, information. This means that the information can be released to anyone, including parents, without the student's permission. Students do have the right, however, to prevent the release of even directory information. If students have exercised their right not to have directory information released, the University may not release it, even to parents, without the student's permission. Directory information includes the following:

• Name*
• Email addresses
• Specific quarters or semesters of registration at Stanford
• Stanford degree(s) awarded and date(s)
• Major(s), minor(s), and field(s)
• University degree honors
• Student theses and dissertations
• Participation in officially recognized sports or activities*
• Weight and height of members of athletic teams*
• Institution attended immediately prior to Stanford
• ID card photographs

Students may prohibit the release of any of the items listed above (except those with an "*") by designating which items should not be released on the Privacy function of Axess. Students may prohibit the release of their name (and consequently all other information) after an appointment with a University Associate Registrar to discuss the ramifications of this action. Student thesis and dissertations can be restricted through the publishing options and embargo settings students choose during submission.

All other information regarding a student is considered private and can be released only with the permission of the student. This includes information about courses in which the student is enrolled, grades received, locations of courses, academic standing information, financial aid information, student account information, etc.