Page 113 - BSU Undergraduate-Catalog-2017-2019

A transfer student who has earned 30-59 semester hours at Bowie State University and has a GPA
of 3.5 or above at Bowie State and at other colleges and universities will graduate with academic
recognition. Graduation with Academic Recognition will appear on the student’s transcript.

Transcripts
Students are not charged for transcripts. However, an express fee of $10.00 (official and unofficial)
will be charged for “while-you-wait” transcripts (maximum of three). “While-you-wait” service is
available on Wednesdays from 9:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.

Directory Information
The University maintains students’ educational records in accordance with the Family Educational
Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 as amended (Buckley Amendment). Records of students are not
released without their consent, except for that information that the institution classifies as Public
Directory Information. Public Directory Information may be given to any inquirer. Bowie State
University designates the following as Public Directory Information: Student’s name, address,
telephone listing, major field of study, participation in officially recognized activities and sports,
weight and height of members of athletic teams, dates of attendance, degrees, and awards received,
and most recently and/or previous educational agency or institution attended.

Students who wish to withhold the release of any of this information must submit a written
request to the Office of the Registrar. Unless under legal compulsion, all information (not identified
as directory information) regarding students’ records shall be denied.

Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) of 1974, as amended, sets forth
requirements regarding the privacy of student records. FERPA governs:
 The release of these records (known as education records) maintained by an educational
institution and
 Access to these records. This law applies to K-12 as well as postsecondary education.
Students have three primary rights under FERPA. They have the right to:
 Inspect and review their education records
 Have some control over the disclosure of information from their education records.
 Seek to amend incorrect education records.
In addition, students have the right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education if
they believe one of their primary rights have been violated.

Institutions must annually notify students currently in attendance of their rights by means that are
likely to be read by students. The most common examples are in the student handbook, catalog, or
student newspaper. This notice also applies to any student pursuing education via distance
education or any other non-traditional educational delivery process.

Institutions may not disclose information contained in education records with the student’s
written consent except under conditions specified in the Act. An institution is not required to
disclose information from a student’s education records to the parents of dependent students but
may exercise its discretion to do so. It is the responsibility of an institution to ensure that
information is not improperly disclosed to the parents of the students.

FERPA applies to the education records of persons who are, or have been, in attendance in
postsecondary institutions, including students in cooperative and correspondence study programs

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