The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) of 1974, commonly called the Buckley Amendment, is a federal law designed to protect the privacy of education records, to establish the right of students to inspect and review their education records and to provide guidelines for the correction of inaccurate and misleading data through information and formal hearings. The Center for Academic Success and Records makes copies of the federal regulations available.
“I was surprised at how well SU engages parents. Unlike K-12 education, federal privacy laws require universities to allow only the student to have control of the access to his/her educational records (including grades). While the faculty and staff take their responsibility to treat their students as the adults they are, they are proactive and transparent with parents while maintaining legal boundaries.”
- Current Southwestern Parent
In accordance with FERPA, disclosure of student information, including financial and academic, is restricted. Release of information other than “directory information” to anyone other than the student requires a written consent from the student.
The University retains the right to release “directory information” without prior consent from the student. Southwestern University considers the following information to be “directory information”:
Name, phone number, mailing address and email address.
Date and place of birth.
Year in college.
Prior educational institution attended.
Major field of study.
Dates of college attendance and full-time status.
Degrees.
Scholarships and awards received.
Weight and height of members of athletic teams.
Participation in officially recognized activities and sports.
We understand that you are concerned with your student’s academic progress. Due to FERPA regulations, however, the University cannot send grade reports to parents. If your student is willing, he or she may sign a waiver giving permission for you to request that grade reports be mailed to you and to discuss financial information, merit scholarships and financial aid. The best way to find out about your student’s grades is to ask him or her. Students may access their final semester grades through the password-protected WebAdvisor site.
If you have academic concerns for your student, please contact the Center for Academic Success and Registrar at 512.863.1286. However, please understand that the amount of information we are able to discuss without written student consent is limited.