According to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA), student records are confidential.  Students have the right to review their records, request explanations concerning them, obtain copies, and challenge records.  Only information designated “public record” will be released without the written consent of the involved student.

Per federal law, information which is considered “public record” includes: Name, classification, local address, home address, local telephone number, email address, most recent previous educational institution attended, dates of attendance at NSU, major, degree earned, nature and place of employment at NSU, honors and awards received, participation in officially recognized or registered activities and sports, and weight and height of members of athletic teams.

Counseling records and disciplinary records are not public information.  Students may choose to further restrict directory information released about them by contacting University Housing.  Per federal law, confidential information contained in student records will be open for inspection only by the student or parents of dependent students as defined by the Internal Revenue Service and designated members of the professional staff of the University.

Students and parents request account and assignment information as well as other student record information on an ongoing basis in person, via phone and via the Internet from University Housing staff.  To ensure and maintain the confidentiality of student records, students or parents of dependent students will be required to provide identification, including the student’s NSU identification number before staff can discuss information that is not public record.  If dependency of a student as defined by the IRS cannot be determined, the involved student must grant permission in writing before staff can discuss information in the student’s record with parents.