An Authorized User is any person that a student sets up with partial or full authorization to access the student's Account Portal. Authorized Users can make online payments, set up a payment plan, and/or view their student account details. Student grades and other academic records are not included.
Students have the option to allow their Authorized User access to view the entire account activity and balance, or allow them "payment only" access through the payment gateway. Student grades and other academic records are not included.
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is a federal law that gives parents the right to have access to their children's educational records, the right to have the records amended and the right to have some control over the disclosure of personally identifiable information from the educational records.
When a student turns 18 years old or enters a postsecondary institution at any age, the rights under FERPA transfers from the parent to the student. This means that any record, be it academic, financial or judicial, will not be released to anyone other than the student without prior written permission or Authorized User access granted from the student (completed in the Payment Gateway through the Account Details card). When a student makes a parent an Authorized User, they are allowing them this access to their financial student account and/or to make payments on their behalf.
More information about FERPA can be found on the Records and Registration website.
Students who wish to give permission to a third party to discuss their student account may do so by filling out the Permission to Release Student Records form on the Records and Registration website (aka the FERPA Form).
By filling out this form, students can determine which aspects of their educational record can be released to a third party as well as determine who those parties may be. Students do NOT have to submit this form for a parent or third party to be an Authorized User for payment purposes.
