Confidentiality Policies

Guidelines for Confidentiality of Student Records

These statements are set forth as guidelines and procedures to implement the University of Missouri policy on student records developed from the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974.

The University of Missouri­-St. Louis, as charged in the act, will annually inform its eligible students by including in the Student Planner and the UMSL Bulletin the following information:

  1. "Education Records" are those records, files, documents, and other materials that contain information directly related to a student and are maintained by the university. Those records, made available for review to the student under The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, are student financial aid, the student's cumulative advisement file, student health records, disciplinary records, admissions file, and academic record. Confidential letters and statements of recommendation that were placed in student credential folders at the Office of Career Placement Services after January 1, 1975, are also made available, if the student has not waived the right to view these recommendations.

The University of Missouri­-St. Louis "Education Records" do not include:

Records of instructional, supervisor, and administrative personnel and educational personnel ancillary thereto which are in the sole possession of the maker thereof and which are not accessible or revealed to any other person except a substitute.

Records of the University of Missouri Police Department created for a law enforcement purpose and maintained by the police department.

In the case of persons who are employed by the university but who are not in attendance at the university, records made and maintained in the normal course of business that related exclusively to such persons and that person's capacity as an employee where the records are not available for any other purpose.

All records on any university student that are created and maintained by a physician, psychiatrist, psychologist, or other recognized professional or paraprofessional acting in his professional or paraprofessional capacity, or assisting in that capacity, and created, maintained, or used only in connection with the provision of treatment to the student, and are not available to anyone other than persons providing such treatment, provided, however, that such records can be personally reviewed by a physician or other appropriate professional of the student's choice. 

Directory Information:

  1. The University of Missouri-St. Louis recognizes "Directory Information/Public Information" to mean a student's name, address, telephone listing, e-mail, enrollment status, current level, major field of study, participation in officially recognized activities and sports, dates of attendance, degrees and awards received, and the most recent previous educational agency or institution attended by the student. All students must inform the Office of the Registrar if the information designated as directory information should not be released without the student’s prior consent. Students may change their privacy settings by logging in to MyView. 
  2. University of Missouri-St. Louis students have access to the educational records identified in Paragraph 1 above. In accordance with Public Law 93­380 as amended, the University of Missouri­-St. Louis will not make available to students the following materials:

Financial records of the parents of students or any information contained therein.

Confidential letters and statements of recommendation placed in the education records prior to January 1, 1975, if such letters or statements are not used for the purpose other than those for which they were specifically intended.

Confidential recommendations respecting admission to the university, application for employment and receipt of honor, or honorary recognition, where the student has signed a waiver of the student's rights of access as provided in 6.0404, the University Policy on Student Records.

  1. The Director of Financial Aid, the appropriate academic dean, Assistant Vice Provost for Student Affairs: Health, Wellness, & Counseling Services, the Vice Provost for Student Affairs, the Director of Career Placement Services, the Director of Admissions, and the Registrar are the officials responsible for the maintenance of each type of record listed in Paragraph 1.
  2. Any student may, upon request, review his or her records and, if inaccurate information is included, may request the expunging of such information from the file. Such inaccurate information will then be expunged upon authorization of the official responsible for the file.
  3. Students desiring to challenge the content of their record may request an opportunity for a hearing to challenge the content of the educational record in order to ensure that the record is not inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise in violation of the privacy or other rights of the student, to provide an opportunity for the correction or deletion of any such inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise inappropriate data contained therein, and to insert into such records a written explanation respecting the content of such records.
  4. The university official charged with custody of the records will attempt to settle informally any disputes with any student regarding the content of the university’s educational records through informal meetings and discussions with the student.
  5. Upon request of the student or the university official charged with custody of the records of the student, a formal hearing shall be conducted as follows:
    1. The request for a hearing shall be submitted in writing to the chancellor, who will appoint a hearing officer or a hearing committee to conduct the hearing.
    2. The hearing shall be conducted and decided within a reasonable period of time following the request for a hearing. The parties will be entitled to written notice 10 days prior to the time and place of the hearing.
    3. The hearing shall be conducted and the decision rendered by an appointed hearing official or officials who shall not have a direct interest in the outcome of the hearing.
    4. The student shall be afforded a full and fair opportunity to present evidence relevant to the hearing.
    5. The decision shall be rendered in writing within a reasonable period of time after the conclusion of the hearing.

Either party may appeal the decision of the hearing official or officials to the campus chancellor. Appeal of the chancellor's decision is to the president. Appeal of the president's decision is to the Board of Curators.

  1. The University of Missouri-St. Louis will not provide grade reports to parents unless the student has granted access to academic information via their self-service student center.
  2. The University of Missouri­-St. Louis may permit access to or release of the educational records without the written consent of the student to the parents of a dependent student as defined in Section 152 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954.
  3. If any material or document in the educational record of a student includes information on more than one student, the student may inspect and review only such part of such material or document as relates to him or her or to be informed of the specific information contained in such part of such material.