Education Record and Its Exceptions
An education record is broadly any record directly related to a student and maintained by or on behalf of the school, but FERPA carves out important exceptions - including campus police records, employment records, applicant records, alumni records, peer-graded papers before collection, and treatment records.
An education record includes all records directly related to the student and maintained by or on behalf of the K-12 school or university. This extends beyond grades to financial aid records, disciplinary records, and more. A 'record' is information recorded in any way - handwriting, print, computer media, video or audio tape, film, microfilm, and microfiche - and all electronic records and emails count as computer media.
| Exception | Detail |
|---|---|
| Campus police records | Created and maintained by campus police for law enforcement purposes |
| Employment records | When the employee is not a student at the university |
| Applicant records | Of those who are not enrolled in the university |
| Alumni records | Created after the individual is no longer a student |
| Peer-graded papers | Grades on peer-graded papers before collected and recorded by a faculty member |
| Treatment records | Health records, subject to several requirements |
Campus police records are excluded only while held for law enforcement purposes. If those records are shared between campus police and other campus administrators, they become education records.