Records Privacy and Release Information for Parents

UC’s record release policies are governed by federal government regulations collectively known as the “Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, as Amended” (FERPA) and by State of Ohio law.

University of Cincinnati cannot waive FERPA or State regulations for any reason.

Under FERPA, Record Privacy rights transfer from the parents to the student once the student reaches 18 years of age or once they enroll in an institution of higher learning. In either scenario, FERPA then regards the parents as third parties.

Record release to all third parties requires the student’s prior written and signed consent. Parents may obtain student end-of-term grades and GPA information, only if:

• The student grants the parent permission via Delegated Access in Catalyst (the University's preferred method of obtaining permission);
• They can provide the Registrar’s Office with a copy of their most recently submitted federal tax return documents establishing the student as their financial dependent (family income amounts may be obscured); or
• The student provides the Registrar’s Office with their written, signed and dated consent (the student can rescind this authorization in writing at any time).

Record release to parents (and to all third parties) occurs at the University’s discretion, even if the parents provide the qualifying tax return or the student’s written consent. The University reserves the right to deny requests for any and all student information to all third parties, including parents.

UC may provide properly authorized parents seeking grade information with end-of-term grades and grade point averages only. UC will not release attendance records, assignment scores, or test scores.

The student’s written consent or the parents’ tax return may allow record release only. These documents do not constitute Power of Attorney, so these do not authorize the parents to take action in the student’s name or on the student's behalf.

All third–party requests to UC for student records must be submitted in writing directly to the Registrar’s Office. In all cases, third parties (including parents) attempting contact administrative offices, college offices, or the faculty will be referred to the Registrar’s Office.

The Registrar's Office will assess both the parent's written request and the submitted authorizing documents and will provide a response. The Registrar's Office will contact other administrative and/or college offices for the information, as required. Parents should not expect a same day response from the Registrar's office to their information requests.

UC does not provide regular or automatic per-term information releases (e.g., final grades) to any third party (including parents). Parents authorized for release by either the student’s written consent or by their own tax return must submit a written request to the Registrar’s Office on each occasion.

FERPA permits UC to release the student’s Directory Information to anyone upon request without the student’s prior consent or notification. Directory Information at UC includes: name, student identifier (non-Social Security Number), current mailing address, current telephone number, email address, college, class, major, dates of attendance, enrollment status (full/ part-time), and degrees/honors/awards received (including dates received).

Students may request that UC not release their Directory Information by updating their preferences in Catalyst.

You can learn more about the “Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, as Amended” (FERPA) from the U.S. Department of Education's Family Policy Compliance Office.