Security, Privacy, Responsibility & Your Right to Know

The following provides important information for all undergraduate and graduate students at UMass Boston.  It covers the following topics:

• Access to Your University Records
• Your Student Identification Number
• Campus Security
• Financial Aid
• Athletic Participation Statistics
• Institutional  Information
• Graduation Rates

Access to Your University Records

A federal law called the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 establishes the following regulations governing access to every student's UMass Boston records.

1. This Act sets forth requirements designed to protect the privacy of parents and students with regard to access, review or release of records maintained by educational institutions.
2. The Act permits current or former students to review the following documents: permanent academic record, admissions, financial, placement, veteran's, counseling, advising and disciplinary records.
3. Access to these records may also be granted to faculty and staff; your parents, if you are a student listed as a dependent on their federal income tax returns; authorized federal or state officials auditing education programs; and accrediting associations
4. The following records may not be examined: parents' financial records; medical, psychiatric or psychological records; personal files of faculty or administrative personnel; law enforcement records held by law enforcement officials.
5. Directory information may be released to third parties without your written consent, provided you have been given the opportunity to withhold all such disclosure.  Directory information includes your name, address, date and place of birth, major field of study, dates of attendance, degrees and awards conferred.  As a public institution we must comply with any request for a list of our students.  If you would like to insure that your name is not included on any list, please read the section, Your Right to Restrict Access.
6. The University does not use your Social Security number as the primary identifier.
7. Procedure for gaining access to records: Your request for access to a record should be made in writing to the office which maintains the record.  The academic record is the only permanent record and is maintained in perpetuity.  Medical records are retained by the Health Services Center for seven years.  Admissions records for all applicants must be held for three years.
8. Any questions and/or challenges concerning these matters should be addressed to the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, Fourth floor, Campus Center.
9. The University discloses education records without a student's prior written consent to school officials with legitimate educational interests in a student's record.  University defines "school officials" as any professional employee who is head of an office, department, school, college, division, their specified designee or an agent of the University under contract to the University performing on behalf of the University a function or service that the University normally would perform itself.  'Legitimate educational interests' is defined as a need to know by a University official, a student's educational record, academic status, degree status, enrollment status, student evaluations, research, curriculum evaluation or development, institutional/statistical evaluation and analysis, student placement, public safety, and admission evaluation.  The University may disclose, to teachers and school officials in other schools who have legitimate educational interests in your behavior, disciplinary action taken against you for certain kinds of conduct.

Your Right to Restrict Access

You have the right, as noted in paragraph 5 above, to withhold access to your directory information from any third party.  To authorize such restrictions, you should fill out a confidentiality form, available from the One Stop, Upper level, campus center.  Once you have done so, no information can be released (even to you) without your written consent.

Your Student Identification Number

On admission to UMass Boston, as noted in paragraph 6 above, the University assigns you a student identification number.  That is the number which appears on your student ID card. Student ID cards are available from the Student ID office (Campus Center 3rd floor East Side).

Financial Aid

The Office of Financial Aid Services and the Student Financial Aid Handbook can provide a wide range of information:

• descriptions of financial assistance programs available at UMass Boston;
• application forms and procedures;
• eligibility requirements;
• criteria for selection and for determining the amount of an award;
• standards of satisfactory academic progress;
• disbursement methods;
• loan terms;
• the conditions and terms for the employment provided as part of a student's financial assistance package.

The Handbook also includes a list of individuals to contact for information about study abroad programs that will allow you to apply for UMass Boston financial aid.  The Office of Financial Aid Services can be contacted at 617-287-6300.

Campus Security

Under federal law, the Campus Crime Security Act requires colleges and universities to publish certain public safety policies and procedures, as well as the statistics recording the incidence of certain crimes on the campus.

This information can be found in the UMass Boston Student Handbook (available from the Office of the Dean of Student Affairs); or on the Public Safety Web Site.

You may also call the University's Department of Public Safety at 617-287-7799 with any questions or concerns in this area.

Institutional Information

Information about refund policies, return of Title IV assistance, and other requirements for officially withdrawing from UMass Boston is available in the UMass Boston undergraduate catalog and graduate bulletin. These publications also contain information about the case of attendance; detailed descriptions of academic programs, courses, and University facilities; faculty listings; accreditation and licensure information; and special resources and services for students with disabilities. You may request an undergraduate catalog or graduate bulletin by contacting Enrollment Information Services at 617-287-6000.

Athletic Participation

Information on the number of individuals, by gender, who participated on at least one varsity team is available each year after October 15 from the Department of Athletics at 617-287-7807.

Graduation Rates

You may request information on UMass Boston's graduation or completion rates by contacting the Office of Institutional Research at 617 287-5420.