Fielding Graduate University adheres to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, as amended, concerning student access to files and the release of student information. This and all other Fielding policy statements regarding student rights under FERPA is not intended to be fully explanatory of student rights under FERPA or California law.

The items listed below are designated as "Public" or "Directory" information and may be released at the discretion of Fielding.  Students have the right to restrict disclosure of ANY or ALL of the items of public information listed below.  Students who decide to inform the institution not to release any or all of these public information items, should know that the specified item(s) will be treated as if they were confidential, and any future requests for this information for purposes other than official Fielding business will be refused. A form for the purposes of restricting directory information is available to students from the Registrar's Office. The request for nondisclosure remains in effect until rescinded by the student. Fielding assumes that failure on the part of any student to specifically request the withholding of public information indicates individual approval for disclosure. 

• Name
• Home Address
• Home Telephone Number
• Work Address
• Work Telephone Number
• Fax Number
• Email Address
• Mobile/Cell Phone Number
• Date of Birth
• Place of Birth
• Previous Institution(s) Attended
• Class Roster/Schedule of Classes
• Dates of Attendance
• Grade Level
• Major/Area of Study
• Dissertation/Research Topic
• Degrees/Certificates Awarded/Dates
• Photograph

Students are welcome at any time to review directory information holds they have in place, release those holds, and/or make changes to which items they wish held.

Student educational records are available to school officials who have a legitimate need for them in order to fulfill his or her professional responsibility, as determined by the administrator of the office responsible for maintenance of the record. A school official is a person employed by the University in an administrative, supervisory, academic or research, or support staff position; a person or company with whom the University has contracted (such as an attorney, auditor, or collection agent); a person serving on the Board of Trustees; or a student serving on an official committee, such as a disciplinary or grievance committee, or assisting another school official in performing his or her tasks. Except for directory information items as listed above, and expect for certain parties listed in the FERPA act, the University will not release to outside parties any student's files or information contained in such files unless prior written consent has been obtained from the student concerned, personally signed and dated. Such writing must specify the records to be released, the reasons for such release, and the names of the parties to whom such records may be released. The outside parties excepted by the act generally consist of certain federal and state officials, accrediting organizations, and educational agencies that need the information for valid educational purposes. Also, the University is authorized to release information contained in student files in any emergency situation where the information is needed to protect the health or safety of the student or other persons.

Students have the right to file complaints with the Department of Education concerning alleged failures by institutions to comply with FERPA. Written complaints should be directed to the Family Policy Compliance Office, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, S.W., Washington, DC 20202-4605.

Related Policies

• Student Complaint and Grievance Procedure
• Availability of Records

  Policy Revised 07/01/2007