Understanding your rights under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is a federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. FERPA ensures that your college records remain confidential between the university and you as the student.
Protected education records include, but are not limited to, academic progress and grade reports, financial information, residence life records, student activities, and any disciplinary actions. These records are considered private and cannot be shared without your written and signed consent.
For more details, see the U.S. Department of Education’s Eligible Student Guide to FERPA.
The ACU Student Handbook provides a full notification of your rights under FERPA, including procedures for requesting information or filing a complaint.
As an eligible student at ACU, FERPA grants you the following rights regarding your education records.
You have the right to inspect and review your education records within 45 days after ACU receives your request for access.
Submit a written request to the Office of the Registrar — in hardcopy or via email to [email protected] — identifying the record(s) you wish to inspect. The Office of the Registrar will notify you of the time and place where records may be reviewed.
ACU students also have online access to their academic and financial records through their Populi student account.
You have the right to request an amendment to your education records if you believe they are inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise in violation of your privacy rights under FERPA.
To request an amendment, write to the Office of the Registrar, clearly identifying the part of the record you want changed and why it should be changed. If ACU decides not to amend the record, the Office of the Registrar will notify you in writing of the decision and your right to a hearing.
You have the right to provide written consent before ACU discloses personally identifiable information (PII) from your education records, except where FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent.
FERPA permits disclosure to school officials who need to review records to fulfill their professional responsibilities. A school official may include:
You have the right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education if you believe ACU has failed to comply with FERPA requirements.
Students are encouraged to first contact the Office of the Registrar at [email protected] or +1(602) 386-4111. A formal complaint may be filed in writing at:
Family Policy Compliance Office
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20202
ACU may disclose appropriately designated “directory information” without written consent, unless you have advised ACU to the contrary in accordance with university procedures.
ACU does not publicly release a student directory or any directory information outside of the university, except for graduation programs, which may contain student names, degrees, majors, and graduation honors.
Internal to ACU, the Populi dashboard allows certain directory information to be viewed by other active students and staff. This includes:
Any student can opt out of sharing directory information by setting their Populi profile to Private.
After logging into Populi, click your thumbnail photo in the top right corner, select My Profile from the dropdown menu, then select Yes under Make My Profile Private.
The university is permitted to disclose information from a student’s education record — including personally identifiable, non-directory information — without student consent in connection with a health or safety emergency.
The situation must present an imminent danger to a student or other member of the university community to qualify for this exemption.
A health and safety exemption request must be approved by one of the following university officials:
The Office of the Registrar is here to help you understand your privacy rights and how your records are protected.