Walk into any UT Dallas orientation session and you will find first-years working their way through a stack of forms, including housing agreements, activity waivers or even simple course acknowledgments. One form that stood out to me as a freshman was hidden in the endless stack, and it was based on a federal safeguard students rarely notice called the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. Initially designed to protect educational records from unnecessary disclosure, FERPA puts privacy rights directly in students’ hands once they enter college. But here’s the catch: many Comets unknowingly sign those rights away for a year before the semester even begins, an early mistake that gives up FERPA protections and puts students at risk.
FERPA gives college students four core protections. These are the right to see their own school files, which include things like grades, disciplinary notes and financial aid documents; the right to decide who else can have access to those files; the right to request amendments to inaccurate or misleading records; and the right to file grievances with the U.S. Department of Education. On paper, the law seems pretty straightforward and airtight, but in practice, UTD, like many other universities, operates in gray spaces by using consent forms and incredibly unclear policy language that essentially nudges students into granting parental or administrative access to their private records.
In practice, UTD, like many other universities, operates in gray spaces by using consent forms and incredibly unclear policy language that essentially nudges students into granting parental or administrative access to their private records.
Although UTD’s Office of the Registrar explains your FERPA rights in a standard FAQ, the waiver forms distributed during orientation tell another story. UTD also offers a variety of release forms that students can fill out to grant parents and other third parties access to FERPA-protected information for one academic year , usually handed out during orientation or early semesters. . With next to no information about the legal ramifications of these forms, students are primed to fill out the release form, giving parents access to grades, financial aid and even disciplinary records for a year. Technically, the form is optional, but realistically, it’s presented so casually, as just another box to tick, that so many students don’t stop to think about what they’re signing.
There’s also the issue of “directory information.” UTD designates things like a student’s name, major, dates of attendance and email address as publicly releasable unless a student files a request to restrict it. Again, this isn’t widely publicized, meaning that unless a curious student digs through the fine print and files a privacy hold with the registrar, their personal information is free game for third parties to swoop in and collect.
Any college student can attest to the fact that the first few weeks of freshman year are unbelievably overwhelming. First-time students are juggling new roommates, class schedules, new buildings and adjustment to a brand-new social environment. It’s during this exact period that universities roll out waivers. Parents, many of whom are most likely still financially tied to tuition payments, often encourage their children to sign so they can “stay in the loop.” This leaves freshmen starting the year off at a disadvantage. They don’t yet realize that the right to withhold consent is theirs to keep, not the university’s to grant.
They don’t yet realize that the right to withhold consent is theirs to keep, not the university’s to grant.
Some may shrug and say, “What’s the harm if your parents see your grades?” But FERPA has never been just about grades. It covers financial aid information, disciplinary records and academic standing. That means a parent or administrator with access can see if you’ve withdrawn from classes for mental health reasons, if you’re facing a disciplinary hearing for something like plagiarism or underage drinking, if you’re behind on tuition payments or have an issue with your financial aid. Those details can have real consequences. Parents might step in and make academic or financial decisions for you, university administrators could flag you for extra scrutiny, and in some cases future employers or graduate programs could learn information you’d rather keep private if it’s released as directory information.
It goes beyond just parents, too, as universities are under pressure from state and federal agencies to share student data for compliance and research. When students casually sign FERPA waivers, we make that job infinitely easier for the schools. But easier for the institution doesn’t always mean safer for the student.
Easier for the institution doesn’t always mean safer for the student.
To be fair to UTD, we aren’t uniquely bad. Many universities, including the University of Maine, Indiana University and the University of Arizona all rely on default disclosures, surface-level staff training, routine consent forms and virtually little to no enforcement mechanisms to guarantee students are fully informed of their rights. Unlike institutions that require tests or briefings before enrollment, these schools leave students to navigate privacy protections largely on their own. Consent forms are framed as regular and routine, directory information releases are set as default practice.
But the opacity still matters. Unlike institutions such as University of Wisconsin Superior that provide mandatory FERPA briefings and mandatory FERPA quizzes pre-enrollment, UTD buries its privacy details in dense PDF policy documents most freshmen never see. And what is the result? Students surrender their rights for a year without ever realizing it.
The good news is that FERPA rights can’t just be permanently signed away. At UTD, students can rescind parental consent at any time by submitting a new release form to the registrar’s office. They can also file a “confidentiality request” to block directory information from being shared publicly. It takes one two-minute form or the willingness to read what you’re signing before you sign it.
Students need to pause before signing any waiver tied to academic records. If you’re unsure, don’t just keep it to yourself, ask the Registrar’s Office, the Office of Undergraduate Education or your academic adviser as to what the form actually means. Orientation leaders may not have all the answers, but they can point you to the right office. And don’t ever underestimate the power of asking exactly in the moment. Be that one excited freshman who raises their hand in that crowded orientation room and says, “Is this required?” Chances are, most of the room is wondering the same thing. Talking openly and asking these incredibly important questions is what normalizes students looking out for their privacy instead of silently signing their rights away too.
The bottom line is simple. Universities have every incentive to keep students from asking questions. If you don’t realize what you’re signing, the school can simplify monitoring for parents, satisfy government reporting requirements and protect itself from disputes all at the same time, all at your expense. Protecting your privacy doesn’t require a law degree, just a little bit of attention. FERPA is your right, and the only way it works is if you choose to use it.