FERPA Information

What is FERPA?

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, commonly referred to as FERPA or the Buckley amendment, is a federal law designed to protect the privacy of a student’s educational record. FERPA applies to all educational agencies or institutions that receive federal funding for any program administered by the Secretary of Education. FERPA also applies to private entities that contract to perform services for the University that it would otherwise undertake to perform on its own; in such cases, the private entity must observe the same FERPA protections applicable to the University.

At Rutgers University, records, including progress, deficiencies, and grades may be released to parents only if they have been given access by the student, regardless of the age or tax status of the student. Students who wish to waive parts of this policy and allow their parent(s) or legal guardian(s) to have more access to their information may do so via the myGuest Dashboard.

The myGuest Dashboard

The myGuest Dashboard is now available! This dashboard allows you to give parents, guardians, and third parties access to view content and services related to your experience at the university, such as your class schedule, financial aid awards, and term bill. While the university is offering this service, access will not be granted without your permission due to the protection of student rights under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). For information on signing up an authorized user visit financialaid.rutgers.edu/myguest-faq.

Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA) FERPA is the federal law that governs the rights of students and institutional responsibilities with respect to student records. If you have questions regarding FERPA after reading these pages, please contact the University Ethics and Compliance Director of Privacy at (973) 972-8000 or ferparu@rutgers.edu.