Request Information
Ready to find out what MSU Denver can do for you? We’ve got you covered.
FERPA is a federal law that pertains to the release of and access to student educational records. This law seeks to protect the rights of students and to ensure the privacy and accuracy of education records.
FERPA applies to educational institutions and requires the following:
In order to protect your FERPA rights and records, all MSU Denver communication will be sent to your assigned MSU Denver student email account. Please be sure to check your student email account on a regular basis.
The Office of the Registrar is the official University student record keeper. Please use the following drop downs to learn more about how FERPA pertains to your individuals needs. If you have any questions, contact the Records and Registration Team.
As an MSU Denver student, FERPA grants you the following rights:
FERPA also protects your student educational records. The Office of the Registrar is the official University student record keeper. In compliance with FERPA, we will not release your educational records to anyone but you, unless you specifically ask us to do so. We will release directory information to credible third parties, but you can ask us to keep this information confidential, as well.
The following dropdowns help to explain FERPA in greater detail. If your FERPA questions are not answered here, please feel free to call the Office of the Registrar at (303) 556-3991 for more information.
All MSU Denver student records are considered educational records, with the following exceptions:
This means that your student number (900#), grades, GPA, class schedule, residency status, marital status and all other information on your file are considered educational records and, thus, protected by FERPA. MSU Denver school officials with a legitimate educational interest and you are the only individuals who can access this information.
For access to general information pertaining to your grades, GPA, classes, tuition bills, etc., log onto the Student Hub.
If your parents claim you as a dependent when filing taxes with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), they can view certain parts of your educational record, like your grades and tuition bills, without your written consent. In order to gain access to this information, your parents must show a copy of their most recent tax return to prove that they do claim you as a dependent.
In all other cases, we must obtain your written consent before releasing your educational record to third parties. You can allow MSU Denver to release your information to specific parties (e.g., parents, potential employers, insurance companies) by signing a FERPA Release. In order to process your request, you must bring the FERPA Release Form and a photo ID to the Office of the Registrar in the Jordan Student Success Building, Suite 160. If you are unable to visit our office in person due to extenuating circumstances, please contact us at (303) 556-3991 or [email protected] to discuss your options.
FERPA allows each school to determine what it considers to be directory information. MSU Denver considers the following items to be directory information, and we may release this information to credible third parties unless you specifically request otherwise:
All other personal information is considered private and will not be disclosed to third parties unless you specifically ask us to release it.
If you wish to keep your entire record private—including directory information—you can submit a Request for Non-Disclosure of Directory Information. This form must be submitted to the Office of the Registrar in the Jordan Student Success Building, Suite 160, along with a photo ID.
If you submit this form, we will not release any of your information unless we are faced with an extenuating circumstance (e.g., subpoena or health emergency). However, this means that we can’t even release information to you, unless you come to the Office of the Registrar in person and present a photo ID. Additionally, we will not be able to provide information for ANY future requests from third parties. For example:
MSU Denver will honor your request to keep your records private, but we encourage you to consider all potential implications before submitting this form.
Students may inspect and review their education records upon a written request submitted to the Office of the Registrar in the Jordan Student Success Building, Suite 160 (#3)
OR
Campus Box 84
P.O. Box 173362
Denver, Colorado
80217-3362
FERPA grants all educational institutions 45 days to gather all contents of your educational record. In most cases, we can honor your request in less than 45 days; however, we encourage you to plan ahead if you need the information within a specific timeframe.
A student may make a written request to amend a record.
The statement will be maintained as part of the student’s education records as long as the contested portion is maintained. If MSU Denver decides that the information is inaccurate, misleading, or in violation of the student’s rights, it will amend the record and notify the student, in writing, that the record has been amended.
FERPA is occasionally amended, which means your rights as a student may change over time. MSU Denver outlines your FERPA rights in an annual notification posted in the Student Handbook and University Catalog. Please take a minute to read each annual notification for any changes to FERPA regulations.
Now that your child is in college, the rights to access his or her educational records have been transferred directly to the student. This means that your student has sole “ownership” of his or her records.
The following dropdowns outline FERPA as it may pertain to you. The Office of the Registrar is the official University student record keeper. If your questions are not answered below, please call the Office of the Registrar at (303) 556-3991.
The easiest way to receive information about your student’s academic progress, tuition statement, and other educational information is to ask him or her to directly provide you with it. All MSU Denver students can access information regarding their grades, classes, and tuition bills online at STUDENT HUB.
If your student is unable to directly provide his or her records, he or she must sign a FERPA Release in the Office of the Registrar (Student Success Building, Suite 160) in order to grant you access. When filing out the your student will give us a password which you will need to provide before we can release any information.
However, if you claim your student as a dependent when filing your taxes, you can access certain parts of his or her record (e.g., grades, tuition information, etc.) without prior written consent. In order to access this information, you must come to the Office of the Registrar in person and present your most recent tax return documents.
Many MSU Denver parents try to financially assist their students in some way. Yet, all parents must either have written consent from their student, or they must provide their most recent tax form showing they claim their student as a dependent. Please see the section above for information on both options.
The FERPA Release does not serve as an automatic request for records. If you would like to access certain information, you need to contact the MSU Denver office that manages those records. If you are not sure who to contact, the Office of the Registrar (303-556-3991) will gladly assist you.
FERPA regulations apply only to educational records, which do not include any medical or counseling records maintained on campus. Thus, the FERPA Release Form does not grant you access to these records.
The release of medical and counseling records is governed by other Federal regulations, campus policies, and standards for professional ethics. In most cases, your student can provide written consent allowing medical professionals to release certain information to you or other third parties; however, this written consent is specific to the medical office and cannot be transferred to educational offices on campus.
FERPA is a Federal policy governed by the U.S. Department of Education. The Department’s website provides the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act in its entirety.
As a staff or faculty member at MSU Denver, it is your responsibility to oversee and uphold the rights that FERPA grants to our students. These basic guidelines should be used when working with all MSU Denver students:
Student rights, procedure for inspecting and reviewing education records, procedures for amending educational records, nondisclosure and exceptions, and directory information are found in the University catalog under “Student Rights and Responsibilities”.
If you suspect that a FERPA violation has taken place, please contact the Records and Registration Team in the Registrar’s Office. The team will determine the best plan of action based on the specifics of the situation.
All MSU Denver student records are considered educational records, with the following exceptions:
Otherwise, a student’s 900#, grades, GPA, class schedule, residency status, marital status and all other information we have on file are considered educational records and, thus, protected by FERPA. As a school official, you are granted access to this information as long as you have a legitimate educational need to know. It is your responsibility to protect this information whenever you access it.
Directory information is part of a student’s educational record; however, school officials are permitted to share this information with credible third parties. When requesting for lists of students, the lists are limited to directory information only. MSU Denver considers the following as directory information:
All other personal information is considered private and cannot be disclosed to third parties unless we have prior written consent from the student.
Students can request to keep their entire educational record private—including directory information—by completing a non disclosure request form in which a confidentiality hold will be placed on their account. If a student has requested non disclosure, a window indicating confidentiality hold will appear in the Banner System each time you try to access their record.
If this window does appear, you cannot disclose ANY part of the student’s record to anyone. The only time you can discuss the record with the student is when (s)he comes to your office and presents a valid photo ID. The non disclosure request form can be found on the Office of the Registrar website under forms.
When writing a letter of recommendation for a student, you cannot disclose information from the student’s educational record (e.g., GPA) without the student’s written consent. However, you can disclose directory information as long as the student does not have a Confidentiality Hold on their account. You may have to have the student provide you written consent to release the information. It should contain the student name, student identification number, information to be released, and the individual or group to whom the record is to be released. Maintain the records for your protection. If a student files a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education, the Office of the Registrar can refer to you to obtain the written consent.
In order to release private, personally identifiable information, we must obtain prior written consent from the student. A statement of written consent must contain the following:
You can release a student’s 900# to the student if you are able to verify their identity. The best way to verify an identity is to ask for a photo ID (e.g., MSU Denver Student ID, driver’s license, passport). If the student does not have a photo ID or you are speaking with them over the phone, you will need to ask 3-5 questions and the student must be able to answer at least 3 of them with confidence.
Questions to ask:
Helpful hints:
Official transcripts may only be released through the Office of the Registrar in the Jordan Student Success Building, Suite 160 (#3).
Always remember: When in doubt, don’t give it out!
Before discussing any progress in class or non-directory information including grades, you will need to have the student’s written consent. You may have the student simply provide you a written consent to release the information. It should contain the student name, student identification number, information to be discussed, and whom this can be discussed with. Maintain the record for your protection. If the student files a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education, the Office of the Registrar can refer to you to obtain the written consent.
The Office of the Registrar is the official record keeper. You will refer them directly to the Office of the Registrar. We will verify the release and the person asking for the release to assist them with the request.
Contact the Office of the Registrar for a workshop or one-on-one training.
Solomon Amendment
The Solomon Amendment is a federal law requiring colleges and universities to provide “Student Recruitment Information” to eligible units within the five branches of military service. Military recruiters from each eligible unit may request the “Student Recruitment Information” once each semester.
Information may be provided for the current, subsequent, or immediate previous semester for all students, aged 17 and older, who are/were registered for at least one credit hour of the requested semester.
According the Solomon Amendment, Student Recruitment Information is defined as:
Military recruiters must recognize that this information is confidential and must not be shared with third parties or other organizations. Once the data have been used, whether in electronic or paper format, they should be deleted or destroyed.
What recruiters MAY NOT ask for / information MSU Denver will NOT provide:
Information released is limited to military recruiting purposes only. The following is a list of eligible units of the military:
While students cannot restrict the release of “Student Recruiting Information” specifically to the military, a student may submit a request to withhold the release of their FERPA “directory information” to any non-institutional persons or organizations, which would include the military.
For more information on withholding the release of information to all non-institutional persons or organizations, please visit the Office of the Registrar’s Forms webpage for the Non-Disclosure of Directory Information form.