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FERPA Privacy Waiver & Your Academic Records

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The FERPA Privacy Waiver is limited to two categories of information: financial and housing. The Waiver does not cover your academic record (e.g., grades, credits, etc.). When you activate your Waiver in SPIRE, you select the type of information (financial and/or housing) your designees can request from the University.

Note: Under this Waiver, University staff cannot discuss academic information (e.g., your grades) with your designees.
 

Financial Aid Services & Bursar Information

Information in this category includes, but is not limited to:

  • Your bursar account balance, charges, debits, credits, and payments appearing on your account. Past due amounts and/or collection activity, payment plans, third party sponsorship, and 1098T information.
  • Pending or previous financial aid awards (including types and amounts), financial aid application data, processing status, eligibility, or disbursements.
  • Tuition and fee waivers, scholarship or sponsorship awards, refund or excess amounts, and their processing status.
  • University-maintained loan disbursements, loan billing and repayment history (including eligibility).
  • Health insurance waiver status.
  • Approved academic load (full- or part-time status only), withdrawal dates.
  • Questions regarding related service indicators.
  • Questions regarding a student’s financial aid or financial account record, including the student’s communication history with the Office of the Bursar and the Financial Aid Office.

Note: This category does not include UCard, employment records, registration, or other academic records.

Contacts:

Office of the Bursar (http://www.umass.edu/bursar/)
Financial Aid Office (http://www.umass.edu/umfa/)
 

Housing Information

Information in this category includes, but it is not limited to:

  • Your current and future housing assignments, and directory information.
  • On-campus housing requirements, preferences, eligibility, obligations, fees, and refunds, as governed by the Residence Hall Contract.

Contact: Residential Life (http://www.umass.edu/living/about)
 

Only you have access to your academic records

In compliance with the FERPA law, the University will not distribute grades or any other academic information to anyone but you. As owner of your academic records, you decide whether or not you want to share this with others.
 

To share academic information, use transcripts

Do not make your SPIRE logon information available to anyone else. If you want to share your grades or other academic details: