To request education records, send a signed written request — or the school’s own records-request form — to the registrar at any school that receives federal funding, identifying the student and the specific records you want to see. Under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), the school has to let you inspect those records within 45 days of receiving the request.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 20 USC 1232g – Family Educational and Privacy Rights Most schools have a standard form; a written letter works just as well when no form exists.
Confirm You Have the Right to Request
FERPA gives parents the right to inspect and review their child’s education records while the student is under 18 and enrolled in a K–12 school. Once a student turns 18 or enrolls in a postsecondary institution at any age, FERPA rights transfer entirely to the student, who becomes an “eligible student.”2Protecting Student Privacy. Eligible Student After that transfer, the school no longer has to share records with the parent on the parent’s say-so.
There is one common exception for parents of college students. A postsecondary school may share an eligible student’s records with a parent if either parent claims the student as a dependent on their federal tax return under Section 152 of the Internal Revenue Code. That is a permission the school can exercise, not a right you can demand. Policies vary, so call the registrar’s office before assuming this route will work.
Gather the Information You’ll Need
Before you fill out the form or draft a letter, collect enough identifying detail that the registrar can locate the right file on the first try.
- The student’s full legal name as it appeared on enrollment paperwork. If the name changed during attendance, include both.
- Date of birth and student ID number, which help distinguish between students with similar names.3Protecting Student Privacy. Personally Identifiable Information for Education Records
- Years of attendance or graduation date. Older records are often archived separately, so a date range tells staff where to look.
- The specific campus or department, especially at university systems with multiple locations.
Then decide exactly which records you want. Asking for “everything” sounds thorough but creates delay. Education records include grades, transcripts, class schedules, student discipline files, K–12 health records, and postsecondary financial information, in any format the school keeps them.4Protecting Student Privacy. What Is an Education Record? If your child received special education services, you can ask for evaluations and individualized education plans by name. Listing categories like official transcripts, disciplinary records, attendance logs, or immunization histories gives the registrar a clear target.
Identity Verification
Schools are required to use reasonable methods to confirm your identity before releasing records.5eCFR. 34 CFR Part 99 Subpart D In person, this usually means a government-issued photo ID. For remote requests, expect to provide several pieces of personally identifying information, such as the student’s date of birth, enrollment dates, and major field of study. Schools generally should not ask for a Social Security number for this purpose. FERPA explicitly excludes SSNs from directory information, and they are not appropriate identifiers for record access.6eCFR. 34 CFR 99.3
Find the Form or Write a Letter
Most schools post their records-request form on the registrar’s page of the school website, often under student services or academic records. Larger institutions may put the form inside a secure student portal that requires a login. If you cannot find it online, call or email the registrar’s office for the form or for instructions.
Fill in every field: your name, your relationship to the student, the student’s identifying details, and the records you want. Sign and date the form. FERPA regulations address signed and dated written consent for disclosures, and most schools treat a missing signature as grounds for rejection.7Protecting Student Privacy. FERPA Final Regulations Relating to Electronic Consent and Signature If a third party will pick up or receive the records, the form will usually include a separate consent section for that disclosure.
When the school has no standardized form, a letter works. Cover the same ground: the student’s full name and identifying details, the specific records you want to inspect or copy, your relationship to the student, your contact information, and your signature and date. Noting that the request is made under FERPA signals that a legal response clock is running.
Submit the Request With Proof of Delivery
Pick a submission method that documents when the school received the request, because the 45-day response clock starts on receipt.
- Online portal. Many schools accept electronic submissions and generate an instant confirmation email or receipt number. Save it.
- In person. Hand-deliver the form and ask the clerk to stamp or sign a copy for your records.
- Certified mail with return receipt. The tracking number and signed receipt prove the date of delivery.
Keep a copy of everything you submit. If the school misses the deadline or claims it never got the request, your copy and your delivery proof are the only leverage you have.
What Happens After You Submit
Federal regulations give schools a reasonable time, but no more than 45 days from receipt, to comply with a records request.8eCFR. 34 CFR 99.10 Some state laws set shorter deadlines, so your school may respond faster than the federal maximum.9Protecting Student Privacy. How Long Does an Educational Agency or Institution Have to Comply With a Request to View Records? “Comply” means letting you inspect the records. It does not automatically mean mailing you copies, although many schools do.
Schools can charge a reasonable per-page fee for making copies, but they cannot charge you for searching for or retrieving the records.10eCFR. 34 CFR 99.11 If a copy fee would effectively keep you from exercising your right to review the records — for example, because you cannot afford it — the school must provide copies at no charge. The school also generally must provide copies instead of requiring an in-person visit when distance, illness, or disability makes it impractical for you to inspect the records on site.11National Center for Education Statistics. Forum Guide to Protecting the Privacy of Student Information – 5.E. Providing Copies or Charging a Fee
If the School Doesn’t Respond
If a school ignores your request, misses the 45-day deadline, or otherwise violates FERPA, you can file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education’s Student Privacy Policy Office (SPPO). File within 180 days of the alleged violation, or within 180 days of when you learned about it.12Protecting Student Privacy. File a Complaint
You can email the completed complaint form to FERPA.Complaints@ed.gov or mail it to:
U.S. Department of Education
Student Privacy Policy Office
400 Maryland Ave, SW
Washington, DC 20202-8520
The complaint has to come from a parent or eligible student with FERPA rights over the records in question, and it must include specific facts giving SPPO reasonable cause to believe a violation occurred.13U.S. Department of Education. Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act Complaint Form This is where your delivery confirmation and your copy of the original request earn their keep. Attach them as evidence that you made a timely request and the school failed to respond.