About the Online Advising File

The Online File contains sensitive information about all undergraduate students currently enrolled at the University, including an individual’s academic standing, cumulative GPA, grades in all courses, approved transfer and test credit, current course elections, class progress reports, advisor contact notes, approved exceptions, progress toward degree worksheets, major/minor releases, and academic audit reports.

Access and Proper Use

Our students rely on us to treat their information with the appropriate degree of respect and confidentiality. Advisors are granted access to student information for the sole purpose of advising the students assigned to them. Use of this information for purposes other than the furtherance of your advising duties is inappropriate and inconsistent with the principles of confidentiality and the University’s policies on student records and data stewardship.

University and LSA Policies on Student Rights and Records

• LSA Student Records Policy
• http://www.ro.umich.edu/ferpa/

Additional Resources

• Quick Reference Sheet on Handling Student, Employee, and Patient Information:
  http://www.mais.umich.edu/access/download/ja_access_compliance.pdf
• Office of the Vice President and General Counsel—FAQs on Student Records Law:
  http://www.ogc.umich.edu/faq_student.html
• University Regents Bylaws, Privacy and Access to Information:
  http://www.regents.umich.edu/bylaws/bylaws14.html#7
• Information Technology Policies and Guidelines:
  http://cio.umich.edu/policy/  
• Other Resources and Administrative Data Policies at the University:
  http://www.mais.umich.edu/access/policies.html

All LSA students have an academic advising file containing admissions material, test scores, unofficial copies of academic records, memoranda, correspondence, and notes which academic advisors or members of the Academic Standards Board have made about their conversations with a student. Information of a sensitive nature may be removed from the academic advising file at the discretion of a member of the Academic Standards Board or at the request of the student and placed in a confidential Dean's file. Dean's files also are created for recording grade grievances filed by students, for those students charged with some form of academic misconduct, and for other serious violations.

Dean’s files are maintained in confidence by the Assistant Dean in the Office of Student Academic Affairs.

Students have the right to examine most materials in their own academic files. Students who wish to review their advising files may do so by scheduling an appointment with an academic advisor. Access to Dean's files may be obtained by contacting the  Office of the Assistant Dean. Students may request duplicate copies of most information in their academic files at cost. They also may add clarifying notes and other materials to their advising files during regular business hours. Requests for deletions and additions of material from an advising file or a Dean's file should be addressed in writing to the Office of the Assistant Dean. 

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA) governs both the release of and access to student records in the College and University. Occasionally, instructors may be contacted by parents or others to inquire about a particular student's academic record.  It is important to recognize that the release of student information to a third party, including parents, requires the written permission of the respective student.  If you have questions about access to student records, contact to the Office of the Assistant Dean.

FERPA grants students the right:

• to inspect and review their education records;
• to request amendment of the student’s education records that the student believes are inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise in violation of the student’s privacy rights under FERPA; and
• to consent to disclosures of personally identifiable information contained in the student’s education records, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent.

Access to individual student LSA advising files is restricted to official college academic advisors, members of the Academic Standards Board, and clerical staff who assist in carrying out official advising or Academic Standards Board functions.

One exception which permits disclosure without consent is disclosure to school officials with legitimate educational interests. A school official is a person employed by the College or University in an administrative, supervisory, academic or research, or support staff position; or a student serving on an official committee, such as a judicial committee or assisting another school official in performing his or her tasks. A school official has a legitimate educational interest if the official needs to review an education record in order to fulfill his or her professional responsibility.