Student Rights Under FERPA

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA) restricts the ability of Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology from releasing student information (including financial and academic records) to anyone who has not been authorized by the student. This means that a student must first authorize their parent or any other third party to speak with college personnel about non-medical issues relating to their attendance at Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology before we can speak with them.

The college may disclose, without consent, “directory” information to a third party. Directory Information includes:

• Name
• Address
• Email address
• Telephone number
• Date and place of birth
• Major field of study
• Dates of attendance
• Full-time/Part-time status
• Class level
• Enrollment status (graduate/undergraduate)
• Participation in officially recognized activities and sports (including weight and height of members of athletic teams)
• Degrees, honors, and awards received

Eligible students may withhold directory information by notifying the Dean of Enrollment Services in writing within two weeks after the first day of classes of the semester they are starting at the college. Requests for nondisclosure will be honored by the college for only one academic year and must be filed annually in the Registrar’s Office.

College officials with legitimate educational interests are able to access student records without student consent.

FERPA affords students the following rights with respect to their education records.

1. The right to inspect and review your education records within 45 days of the day the College receives a request for access.
2. The right to request the amendment of your education records that you believe may be inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise in violation of your privacy rights under FERPA.
3. The right to provide written consent before the College discloses personally identifiable information from your education records, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent.

Additional information regarding the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) can be found on the U.S. Department of Education website and in the College Handbook.

Submitting FERPA Permissions

Via Thad’s Pad (my.stevens) portal, you can assign permissions for specific individuals to have access to your financial and educational information using the electronic FERPA submission form.

Steps to Submit:

1. Visit Thad’s Pad and select the “Self Service” link in the ‘Quick Links’ tile
2. Log into Ellucian Self-Service.
3. Click on your username in the upper right corner.
4. Select Student Records Release.
5. Enter the name and relationship of each person would like to grant permission for the College to speak with and assign each person a unique PIN. When they contact us, they’ll need to provide the PIN before we can continue the conversation.
6. Indicate what aspects of your record you give consent to be discussed.
7. Permission can be granted or revoked at any time. All changes to FERPA permission must be done through Self-Service. Please contact registrar@stevenscollege.edu with any questions.

If you have previously submitted permissions and need to make changes or add/remove anyone, please contact the Registrar at registrar@stevenscollege.edu.

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