FERPA For Students

What are my rights under FERPA?
Under FERPA, you have a right to

• Inspect and review your education records.
• Exert some control over the disclosure of information from your education records.
  Seek the amendment of any of your education records that you believe to be inaccurate, misleading, or in violation of privacy rights.
• File a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education's Family Policy Compliance Office.

When do FERPA rights begin? 
Your FERPA rights begin when you enroll; that is, when you have registered and paid and classes have begun.

Who can access my educational records? 
FERPA grants USA the right to disclose information from your education records without your approval to the following:

• University officials with a legitimate educational interest.
• Federal or state agencies, or organizations performing audits or official studies.
• Financial Aid Officers.
• Accrediting Agencies.
• Officials of other institutions in which you seek to enroll.
• Appropriate authorities in an emergency situation.
• Parties to legal actions through subpoenas and/or court orders.
• How can I restrict access to public or directory information about me?
• To prevent this information from being released to third parties, you must complete a "Request to Prevent Disclosure of Directory Information" form in the College of Medicine Student Records Office within the first two weeks of a semester. This request will remain in effect unless changed by you.

Whom should I contact with questions or concerns? 
Direct general questions to the College of Medicine Associate Registrar

FERPA For Faculty & Staff

Who are the Designated Records Officials within the College of Medicine?
The University has designated the Office of Student Records as the records official for the College of Medicine student academic records and transcripts. The Associate Dean of Student Affairs is the record official responsible for medical student records. 

Who on campus may access student records?
School officials with a legitimate educational interest are granted permission by the Associate Deans for Medical Education and Student Affairs to review a medical student’s file. A school official is defined as a person employed by the University in an administrative, supervisory, academic, research, or support staff position (including law enforcement unit personnel and health staff); 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.

 A school official has a legitimate educational interest if the official needs to review an education record in order to fulfill his or her professional responsibility.  Examples of official needs include IRB approved educational research.  In this case, the Associate Registrar will de-identify the information before providing it to the school official.  In the event that the school official requires information for a specific student, such as to write a letter of recommendation, the student must first contact the Associate Registrar to grant permission for the school official to view his/her records. 

How do I know if a student has signed a Request for Non-disclosure?
When using Banner to access information on a student who has been granted non-disclosure, an alert box will display the message, "Warning: Information about this person is confidential." The user must click "OK" to view the record. The word "Confidential" will appear in the top left-hand corner of every subsequent screen on Banner for that student. Faculty or advisors using PAWS will see the message, "Confidential" on class rosters and degree audits for that student.

The only proper response to inquiries from third parties for any information about such a student must be "Federal Law prevents me from answering this question."

How does FERPA apply to faculty and staff?
Faculty and staff are required by law to handle students' education records in a legally specified manner. The following list should help clarify what is expected.

Do not post grades by name, Jag Number, or any portion of social security number. The University discourages public posting of grades, even if identity codes are used. The University does not permit the emailing of grades. The Office of the Registrar will post final grades on PAWS at the end of the term and students use a secure website to retrieve that information.

• Do lock desks, file cabinets and rooms that contain student records before leaving them unattended.
• Do guard student records on your computer.
• Do not put transcripts, degree audits, grades, etc. in the trashcan. Shred any paper containing personally identifiable information.
• Do not leave graded papers with student names or Jag Numbers on a table for students to collect. You must not allow students access to other students' grades or personal information.
• Do keep your personal professional notes regarding students separate from education records. These "sole possession" notes must be kept private, not accessible by any other person except for a designated substitute.
• Do procure a written release from a student if you are accessing an education record to write a recommendation. If you will make reference to grade point average, or a particular grade in a course, etc., you must have a written release.
• Do not discuss student daily attendance, academic progress, or grades with a student's parent or guardian. Refer all such inquiries to the proper records official.
• Do refer all other third party requests for information from education records to the proper records official.

When in doubt, err on the side of caution and do not release the requested information. Contact the College of Medicine Student Records if you require clarification of any portion of FERPA regulations.

Whom should I contact with questions or concerns?
Direct general questions to the College of Medicine Student Records office.

FERPA For Parents

May I access my child's student records?
At the post-secondary level, parents have no inherent right to access or inspect their son's or daughter's educational records. The right of access is limited solely to the student.

May I view my child's grades, exams, or academic progress?
Final grades, grades on exams, and other information about academic progress are examples of the confidential information that makes up part of a student's educational record. This information is protected under FERPA and parents do not have access to it.

What about crisis or emergency situations?
If nondirectory information is needed to resolve a crisis or emergency situation, an educational institution may release that information if the institution determines that the information is necessary to protect the health or safety of the student or other individuals.

Whom should I contact with questions or concerns? 
Direct general questions to the the College of Medicine Student Records office.

Address/Name Change

All medical students must provide the Office of Student Records with their address and phone number. University-based email addresses will be provided to each student and email is the primary modality for communication between the College of Medicine and each student.

A student who wishes to change his/her address or name should contact the Associate Registrar in the College of Medicine. Students enrolled in the M.D. program should not process any information through the Registrar’s Office on the main campus.

Registration for Courses

All medical students are required by University policy to register prior to each semester. Registration (making course selections and enrolling in classes) is a process that is handled on the web at http://paws.southalabama.edu. Students will need their “J” or “Jag” number as well as their PIN. Students can check their registration appointment time on line at the above listed web site. Once registration is processed, the student is responsible for paying all applicable tuition and fees by the published deadline. Registration is not considered complete until all money owed to the University has been paid and all admissions documents and examinations are furnished. Failure to satisfy any of the admission or registration requirements is sufficient cause for dropping a student from all classes and voiding their registration.

Students can access their account via the web to view charges, make payment for tuition and fees owed, or view their financial aid award status.

Residency Requirements

Students who were accepted as out-of-state students and wish to change to an in-state status should view the current residency reclassification policy found on the University Registrar’s webpage. While the policy remains the same for all University students, the residency reclassification paperwork for medical students should only be processed through the Office of Student Records.

University of South Alabama College of Medicine Office of Student Records
5851 USA Drive North, MSB 1005 Mobile, AL 36688 Phone: (251)460-7180

Non-Resident Fee Policy

A non-resident tuition and fee policy has been adopted for those students who are enrolled at the University of South Alabama and who are non-resident students. All non-resident students, including undergraduate, graduate and medical students, will be required to pay non-resident tuition and fees.

Reporting and Releasing of Grades

For modules, final grades are submitted no later than 14 days after conclusion of the module. For clerkships and electives, including externships, grades are submitted no later than 30 days after conclusion of the course. Grades are submitted to the Office of Student Records to be entered on the student’s official transcript and used for determination of promotion, probation or dismissal. Grades are submitted by the appropriate course directors. Grades for comprehensive OSCEs are submitted by the Director of Clinical Skills.

Concurrent with submission of grades to the Office of the Student Records, the final grades for modules and OSCEs are provided to the student. Grades for juniors and seniors are released to students from the Office of Student Records.

1. Grade Change by Faculty

Once a grade of H, P, or F is received by the Office of Student Records, it can only be changed by the course director and only if it was assigned in error or as the result of an academic, disciplinary or grievance hearing that prompts a change. A temporary grade of U or X changes to a permanent grade pending successful or unsuccessful remediation by the student and notification of the results to the Registrar.