FERPA is the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), a federal law that protects the privacy of education records. Additionally, FERPA affords parents and students the right to have access to their children's or their own Education Records, the right to seek to have Education Records amended, and the right to consent to the disclosure of Personally Identifiable Information from Education Records, except as provided by law. When attending UC Santa Barbara, the rights under FERPA transfer from the parents to the student (“Eligible Students”).

At UC Santa Barbara,

  • Eligible Students have the right to inspect and review the student's education records maintained by the school. Schools are not required to provide copies of records unless, for reasons such as great distance, it is impossible for parents or eligible students to review the records. Schools may charge a fee for copies.
  • Eligible students have the right to request that a school correct records which they believe to be inaccurate or misleading. If the school decides not to amend the record, the parent or eligible student then has the right to a formal hearing. After the hearing, if the school still decides not to amend the record, the Eligible Student has the right to place a statement with the record setting forth his or her view about the contested information.
  • Generally, schools must have written permission from the Eligible Student in order to release any information from a student's education record. However, FERPA allows schools to disclose those records, without consent, to the following parties or under the following conditions (34 CFR § 99.31):
    • School officials with legitimate educational interest;
    • Other schools to which a student is transferring;
    • Specified officials for audit or evaluation purposes;
    • Appropriate parties in connection with financial aid to a student;
    • Organizations conducting certain studies for or on behalf of the school;
    • Accrediting organizations;
    • To comply with a judicial order or lawfully issued subpoena;
    • Appropriate officials in cases of health and safety emergencies; and
    • State and local authorities, within a juvenile justice system, pursuant to specific State law.

Schools may disclose, without consent, “Directory Information.” At UC Santa Barbara, Directory Information includes:

  • Student name
  • Email address
  • Local telephone listing
  • Date of birth (month and day only)
  • Major field of study
  • Class Level
  • Degrees and honors awarded
  • Dates of attendance
  • Last school attended
  • Number of course units enrolled
  • Participation in officially recognized organizations
  • Name, weight, and height of participants in intercollegiate athletic teams

Eligible Students may request UC Santa Barbara not disclose Directory Information about them. Eligible Students at UC Santa Barbara receive annual notification of their rights under FERPA.

All UC Santa Barbara employees are subject to the policy on the Disclosure of Information is Student Education Records.

For more information on FERPA, please see the following web pages:
FERPA for students
FERPA for parents
FERPA for faculty and staff