FERPA for Researchers
UWG expects researchers using student educational records to adhere to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). FERPA may apply even when researchers plan to use educational records that they already have access to, such as student assignments from a course they teach at UWG. Please note that FERPA still applies to projects determined to not be human subjects research.
Researchers can ensure they are compliant with FERPA by obtaining informed consent before using student educational records in research. The UWG IRB offers templates for informed consent documents here.
FERPA allows for certain exceptions where educational records can be used without the student’s consent. For guidance on FERPA and research, please visit FERPA for Employees and review UWG's policy on FERPA and the Use of Educational Records for Research.
If a study reviewed by the IRB will likely meet requirements for a FERPA exception, the IRB reviewer or an Administrator will address this with the PI during review. Upon completion of review, an IRB Administrator will contact the Office of Legal Affairs (OLA) requesting a FERPA exception for the study. Researchers who apply for a FERPA exception may not collect data until one is received from OLA.