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Office of the Registrar

Guidelines for Student Data Use

Requesting Student Data

University employees (faculty, staff, student employees) requesting access to student records, data or information in any form during the course of conducting University business may make their request by emailing registrar@ksu.edu if they do not already have access via current security clearances or legitimate educational business.  Decision regarding the release of information are governed by the Student Records Policy and may take a minimum of 7-14 business days (excluding weekends and holidays) for a response. 

Requesting Student Data as a Registered Student Organization with K-State

If you are a registered student organization with the Center for Student Involvement you may be eligible to obtain some directory information data elements.  Depending on the request, the needs and use will determine what is the best protocol and process available for data access and engagement. 

Please follow these simple steps to help us make the process of certifying your members a smooth one.

If any of the requirements are missing or incorrect, the Office of the Registrar will not be able to complete final review of the request for data.

  1. The Campus (Faculty/Staff) Advisor should send an e-mail to registrar@ksu.edu indicating the following items: 
    • Data elements needed - if any data elements are needed beyond established Directory Information, additional releases would be required under FERPA.  
    • Use of how the data will be used and acknowledgement that this can only be used for a one time purpose and may not be forwarded or shared with anyone or any organization beyond the original request. 
  2. Identify all points of contact:
    • Name of the Campus {Faculty/Staff} Advisor,
    • E-mail and Phone in case there are questions or issues
  3. Data requests WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED from any student, regardless if they are the chair, president, etc... 
    • Requests and questions may only occur between the Campus {Faculty/Staff} Advisor and Office of the Registrar in order to ensure full compliance with FERPA regulations.

We ask that you allow for a minimum of 5-7 business days (excluding weekends and holidays) for review of the submitted data request.

Once reviewed a decision will be made by the Office of the Registrar and notification will be sent back to the Campus {Faculty/Staff} Advisor along with next steps if approval has been granted. 

If you DO NOT have a Campus {Faculty/Staff} Advisor connect with Center for Student Involvement for assistance. 

Solomon Amendment Requests for Student Data

The Solomon Amendment is a federal law that allows military recruiters to access some address, biographical, and academic program information on students age 17 and older.

The Department of Education has determined the Solomon Amendment supersedes most elements of FERPA. An institution is therefore obligated to release data included in the list of "student recruiting infor­mation," which may or may not match K-State's FERPA directory information list. Data will not be released to the Military for students with a FERPA Hold. For a list of "student recruiting information" and the procedure to request a release of information to a Military Recruiter please refer to the Solomon Amendment Request page.

Requesting Student Data for Use in a Research Project

As the steward of student data, the Office of the Registrar is tasked with determining whether requests for student data are compliant with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA) and thus, whether such data requests shall be fulfilled or not.

The Office of the Registrar will only disclose information from a student's educational record upon receipt of prior written consent of the student or if one of the exceptions to 34CFR99.31 has been invoked.

University officials include academic and research personnel of Kansas State University and research is held to be a legitimate educational interest of the institution, generally sufficient to satisfy the exception to 34CFR99.31, when supported by an approved University Institutional Review Board application.

However, disclosure of student data is still the institutional prerogative and IRB approval does not overrule the decision of the Registrar when the two are in conflict.

In order to request student data for research purposes, it is necessary to complete the Data Request Form - IRB and Research and submit to the Office of the Registrar at registrar@k-state.edu along with a copy of your application and/or approved IRB form. An IRB should be submitted if there is any potential for the research to be submitted for publication, even when the data were originally requested for non-research purposes.

  • Under no circumstances will data be released from a student record wherein the student has placed a request for "FERPA Non-disclosure Hold" to create a denial of disclosure of personally identifiable information.
  • All publication of findings must assure the anonymity of the data cohort by publishing only aggregate data and not publishing any data derived from a cell size of less than five.
  • Personally identifiable data should not be distributed via unencrypted email and must be stored in a manner to ensure its protection and confidentiality.

Requesting Student Data under the Kansas Open Records Act

The Kansas Open Records Act (KORA) is not intended for requesting a copy of your own student record nor is this an acceptable alternative to proper discovery procedures in pending litigation.  The Office of the Registrar provides self-service (KSIS) options to view your academic record, or you can order specific documents such as a duplicate/replacement diploma, official transcripts, etc... depending on your needs. 

Student records are typically not disclosed based on protections granted in the federal student privacy law, FERPA {also see the Student Records Policy}. 

It is important to note that the purposes for which the University may release directory information are: The University may, in its considered discretion, release directory informaton where the release will aid the University in its mission; where a release is made to benefit students; or to University affiliates and partners. 

    • K-State does not list or provide student directory information via an online directory option and generally does not provide electronic or hard copies of such records.