FERPA

Many families use a combination of family resources and financial aid to cover education costs. The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is a Federal law that protects the privacy of student education records.

Should your family members have questions regarding your financial aid, you must complete a FERPA release form‌ to authorize the release of your Houston Community College record. A FERPA release form‌ must be submitted to the Admissions/Enrollment Office. Please visit the Admissions and Enrollment Forms Page to submit the correct FERPA form.

Confidentiality
Houston Community College System considers:

name
address
telephone
date of birth
degrees earned and dates
major field of study
dates of attendance
number of semester hours completed and in progress
enrollment status
student classification
name of the most recent institution attended as directory information

This is done in compliance with the Texas Open Records Law. If you do not want this information released, download the HCC Confidentiality Form and return to the college Registration Office.

Request to Review Financial Aid Records Policy
The Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) affords postsecondary students the right to inspect and review their education records pursuant to 34 CFR 99.10-12 – Right of a student to review records. A school must provide a student with an opportunity to review his or her education records within 45 days of receipt of a request.

Students requesting to review their records must provide a written, signed request to the Executive Director of Financial Aid and mail it to Houston Community College, Financial Aid Office, 3100 Main Street, Houston, TX 77002.

The Executive Director of Financial Aid will schedule a time for the student to meet and review the records within 45 days of receipt of the written request. The student will have an opportunity to request copies of their records at the time of the review.

More Information
FERPA law applies to all schools that receive funds under an applicable program of the US Department of Education. Click here for more detailed information regarding FERPA.