The University of Rio Grande and Rio Grande Community College are committed to fully respecting and protecting the rights of students under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) of 1974. FERPA is the federal law that governs the release of and access to student education records.

Student rights under FERPA include the following:

The right to inspect and review educational records within 45 days after the university receives a request for access. A student should submit to the Registrar a written request at records@rio.edu that identifies the record(s) the student wishes to inspect. The Registrar will make arrangements for access and notify the student of the time and place where the records may be inspected.
The right to request an amendment of educational records if the student believes something is inaccurate or misleading. A student who wishes to ask the university to amend a record should email the Registrar at records@rio.edu, clearly identify the part of the record the student wants changed, and specify why it should be changed. If the university decides not to amend the record as requested, the university will notify the student in writing of the decision and the student’s right to a hearing regarding the request for amendment.
The right to consent to disclosure of personally identifiable information contained in education records except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent (see exceptions to consent below).
The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by the university to comply with the requirements of FERPA. The name and address of the office that administers FERPA is:
Student Privacy Policy Office
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20202
1-800-872-5327

The University of Rio Grande does not release student record information without the expressed, written consent of the student, however there are some exceptions:

 Directory Information may be released by the university without the student’s prior consent. Directory Information includes a student’s name, home address, e-mail address, home telephone number, college of enrollment, major, campus attended, status (including current enrollment, dates of attendance, full-time/part-time, withdrawn), honors received, degrees and/or certificates awarded, and participation in officially recognized activities and athletic organizations. The weight and height of student athletes also qualifies as directory information and may be released by the university.
Legitimate Educational Interest
School officials may access student records without prior consent if they are deemed to have legitimate educational interests. A school official is deemed to have legitimate educational interests if they need access to the student’s educational record in order to fulfill his or her official responsibilities. Examples of school officials: university faculty and staff, agents of the institution, students employed by the institution or who serve on official institutional committees, and representatives of agencies under contract with the university.
Confidentiality Status

A student has the right to restrict the release of their directory information (see link to Confidentiality Request Form below). If this restriction is in place, the university is prohibited from releasing this information to anyone including the student. Anyone inquiring about a student with this restriction on their record will be told that there is no record of that student. A student can also lift this restriction at any time (see link to Request to End Confidentiality Status form below). NOTE: Confidentiality status does not restrict