Educational Records: Definition

Summary of Policy

Educational records include a range of information recorded about a student and maintained by Dartmouth College.

Affected Parties

All Groups

Policy Statement

Educational records include a range of information recorded about a student and maintained by Dartmouth College.

Examples of educational records include (but are not limited to):

  • Date and place of birth, parent(s) and/or guardian addresses, and where parents can be contacted in emergencies.
  • Grades, test scores, courses taken, academic specializations and activities, and official letters regarding a student's status in school.
  • Special education records.
  • Disciplinary records.
  • Medical and health records that the school creates or collects and maintains.
  • Documentation of attendance, schools attended, courses taken, awards conferred, and degrees earned.
  • Personal information such as a student's identification code, social security number, picture, or other information that would make it easy to identify or locate a student.

Educational records do not include:

  • Personal notes made by instructors or other school officials that are not shared with others.
  • law enforcement records, as defined in FERPA.
  • Alumni or post-attendance records.

The media in which the record is stored does not matter. An educational record may be:

  • a handwritten document.
  • a computer printout.
  • computer media.
  • video or audio tape.
  • Film, microfilm, or microfiche.

Policy ID

039-0001

Effective Date

January 1, 2016

Division

Office of the Provost

Office of Primary Responsibility

Office of the Registrar

Last Reviewed Date

May 4, 2023

Next Review Date

2030