Student Privacy Rights (FERPA)

Annually, Western Seminary informs students of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA), as amended. 

Student Rights

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) affords students certain rights with respect to their education records. These rights include:

  1. The right to inspect and review the student’s education records within 45 days of the day the Seminary receives a request for access. Students should submit written and signed requests to the registrar that identify the record(s) they wish to inspect. The Registrar will make arrangements for access and notify the student of the time and place where the records may be inspected. 

    WESTERN SEMINARY
    Attn: Registrar
    5511 SE Hawthorne Blvd.
    Portland, OR 97215
    503.517.1810
    844.300.4458 fax

  2. The right to request the amendment of the student’s education records that the student believes is inaccurate. To do so, the student must clearly identify the part of the record they want to be changed, specify why it is inaccurate, and submit this request to the Registrar. If the Seminary decides not to amend the record as requested by the student, the Seminary will notify the student of the decision and advise the student of his or her right to a hearing regarding the request for amendment. Additional information regarding the hearing procedures will be provided to the student if the student receives the right to a hearing.
  3. The right to consent to disclosures of personally identifiable information contained in the student’s education records, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent.
    • One exception is disclosure to school officials with legitimate educational interests, which permits disclosure without consent. A school official is a person employed by the Seminary in an administrative, supervisory, academic, research, or support staff position; a person or company with whom the Seminary has contracted (such as an attorney, auditor, student loan clearinghouse, address locator, or collection agent); a person serving on the Board of Trustees; or a student serving on an official faculty committee.
    • 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.
    • Upon request, the Seminary may disclose education records without consent to officials of another school in which a student seeks or intends to enroll.
  4. The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by the Seminary 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 20202-4605

Directory Information

Under the provisions of FERPA, Western Seminary may release to the public “directory information” regarding current and former students without the student’s consent. This may be in the form of, for example, campus directories or graduation programs. Directory information includes: name, photograph, spouse name, postal address, telephone number(s), email address, program of study, dates of attendance, home state/country, degree(s) conferred, and previous institutions attended.

All other information that Western Seminary maintains in its educational records can only be released with the student’s signed consent.

You have the right to withhold the release of such directory information. Please carefully consider the consequences of a decision to withhold directory information, as any future requests for such information from non-institutional persons or organizations will be refused.

Western Seminary will honor your request to withhold your information but cannot assume responsibility to contact you for subsequent permissions to release them. The institution assumes no liability for consequences for honoring your instructions to withhold directory information.

Withhold Directory Information