Understanding FERPA
As a University of Arkansas student, your son/daughter is covered by a set of laws that protects the privacy of their records. Many family members are surprised when they call the U of A and cannot gain access to information concerning their student’s records, such as paying a bill or checking grades, like family members could do during the student’s high school years.
What is FERPA?
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA), a federal law, states that a student must give written consent prior to the institution disclosing educational records. These records include personal information, grades, enrollment records, and class schedules. The University of Arkansas does not release information regarding your student without their permission to ensure the protection of your student and family as a whole.
FERPA, for many families, is a confusing issue especially when family members need information about their student for insurance purposes or enrollment verification. In situations like this, have a conversation with your student about their grades, class attendance, finances/tuition bills, and conduct. Having and maintaining open communication and a supportive environment will ease the tension for both you and your student. Often, your student will share openly, without the need of written consent, what is going on.
How do I get access?
Students can designate contacts to have access to all or some of their academic record in Workday by utilizing the Friends and Family task and selecting the ‘is Third Party User’ box. You can also access this task at any time by navigating to the student profile, selecting the Contact menu, and then the Friends and Family tab.
When adding a contact via Friends and Family, check the ‘is Third Party User?‘ box, and then manage the permissions for that individual. This Setting Up Third Party Access video shows the process of adding a third-party user and managing their permissions.
An email address for the third party user is required. It will be used to provide your designees with their own Workday username and password. This process will allow them to log in independently and only see the information you have selected for them.
By making you a third party, a student selects what aspects of their record you can access, including:
- Class schedules
- Grades
- Financial account information
- Ability to make payments
How do I log in?
Follow the steps below to access a student record as a third party user.
- Check your email for Workday credentials
Once you have been designated a third party by a student, you will be sent two emails in succession: one will provide your Workday username and the second will provide an initial Workday password. Both emails will contain the link to the Workday login page.
Note: Upon logging in to Workday, you may receive a pop-up message encouraging use of the Workday mobile app. Unfortunately, the mobile app is not available to third party users. - Set your own Workday password
After logging in with the provided credentials, you will be prompted to set your own password. (Third parties can reset their own password utilizing the ‘Forgot Password’ function on the login page. Username and email is required to reset the password.) - Save your Workday username and password
While your password can be changed, your username cannot. Your username is a Workday-generated combination of numbers and letters that will be difficult to remember. Save the email with your username or make note of it somewhere you can find it when needed.
Resources
Information on the University’s policies and procedures can be found on the Office of the Registrar's website and in the Catalog of Studies. Additional FERPA information is provided by the U.S. Department of Education.
If you have any technical troubles, please email wstudent@uark.edu.