Whether you’re an incoming student gearing up for your first year at UGA or a proud family member helping with the transition, we know there are lots of questions—and we’re here to help. But there’s one question we get a lot that’s a little trickier to answer:
“Why can’t you tell me about my student’s housing assignment, room condition or why they got a charge on their account?”
The short answer: FERPA.
So, what is FERPA?
FERPA stands for the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. It’s a federal law that protects the privacy of student education records, and yes—housing details count! Once you are enrolled at a college or university (like UGA), FERPA gives you control over who can access your records, even if your family is paying the bill.
Why does it matter?
FERPA is important because it protects your personal information—from grades and financial aid to housing and conduct records. That means our University Housing staff can’t legally share details about your account, address or behavior without your written permission, even if someone is trying to help you.
But I just want to help…
We get it. College is a big step, and families play a huge role in helping students succeed. That’s why we encourage students to fill out a FERPA release if they’d like to give someone access to their records. They can do this through their Athena account and choose exactly what information to share and with whom.
Until then, if someone calls us asking about your housing assignment, room change request or account balance, our response will be, “I’m sorry, but due to FERPA, I can’t share that information.” We’re not trying to be difficult—we’re just protecting your rights.
Final thoughts
Now you know all about FERPA, so the next time you have questions you’ll be prepared to reach out. We know it might be tempting to let a parent or family member reach out on your behalf, but—trust us—you’ve got this. If someone else does contact us on your behalf, we’re more than happy to answer general questions and point them in the right direction even if we can’t always give them the specifics.
For more info on FERPA at UGA, visit: https://reg.uga.edu/general-information/ferpa/