FERPA & Student Privacy

Students have certain rights in accordance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA) regarding the privacy of their education records.  You will find full information regarding MTSU’s sharing of student information under Policy 500: Access to Education Records. MTSU encourages parents to communicate directly with their students regarding their educational records and promotes the use of PIE Partner(s) to students.

Students may grant parents, guardians or others access to view bills, pay balances or view 1098-T statements by creating an authorized user account via PipelineMT.

As an enrolled student at a post-secondary institution you have certain rights pertaining to the privacy of your educational records. In general, parents, spouses, and other family members may not access your confidential educational information without your written consent.

You may choose to allow certain persons access to your confidential information by adding them as a PIE Partner. To start the process, follow these easy steps:

• Login to PipelineMT
• Click on the Registration & Student Records link
• Select Partners in Education (PIE) link in the Academic Records box
• Select the Add/Update/Remove my Partners in Education link to add your partners if you want to participate in the program. You will need to provide the Partner’s name, email, and assign a PIN.

Note that this program does not provide a Partner with online student access to student information nor allow the Partner to act on behalf of the student. The PIE partnership release does not apply to counseling records, disciplinary records or health information protected by FERPA.  Separately, students may grant parents, guardians or others access to view bills, pay balances or view 1098-T statements by creating an authorized user account via PipelineMT. 

Please be aware that photographs and other forms of visual media may be taken on campus during various events and activities. Photographs are considered to be directory information under FERPA and MTSU policy. Directory information includes the student’s name, photograph, major field of study, dates of attendance, degrees and awards received, and other similar information. As a result, the college may have the right to use and disclose these photographs for various purposes, including but not limited to, promotional materials, college websites, social media platforms, and other marketing initiatives. By attending college events and activities on campus, you acknowledge and understand that photographs and visual media may be taken and used in accordance with applicable laws and college policies, including FERPA regulations.

Directory Information

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) allows MTSU to disclose certain basic information about you, known as “Directory Information,” without obtaining written consent.

Directory information includes the following information which may be provided to any requesting party:

1. Student name;
2. City of permanent place of residence;
3. Photograph or video when related to a MTSU activity;
4. Birth year;
5. Major field of study;
6. Enrollment status (full-time, part-time, withdrawn);
7. Student level (freshman, sophomore, etc.);
8. Dates of attendance;
9. Degree status (expected graduation date and/or dates conferred);
10. University-recognized honors and awards and dates received;
11. Participation in officially recognized activities/sports, including weight and height of members of athletic teams; and
12. The most recent educational agency or institution attended by the student.

Directory information also includes the following information that may only be provided to requesters for a legitimate educational purpose or in relation to a MTSU activity.

1. Email addresses (campus and personal);
2. Mailing addresses (campus, primary, and permanent); and
3. University ID Number (M#).

Student Recruitment Information. The following information may be released to military recruiters pursuant to the Solomon Amendment, 10 U.S.C. § 983, a federal law that allows military recruiters to access some addresses, biographical, and academic program information on students age 17 and older. MTSU may release data included in the list of student recruitment infor­mation even if it is not included on our listing of directory information.

Student recruitment information includes:

1. Name;
2. Address;
3. Telephone listing (not defined as directory at MTSU);
4. MTSU email address;
5. Age;
6. Place of birth;
7. Level of education or class standing;
8. Most recent educational institution attended; and
9. Academic major.

PIE Partner PIN

The assigned PIN is for the purpose of identifying you as a partner when emailing to request information. Please remind your student to choose a PIN that is easy for you to remember. If you forget your PIN, your student can access this information for you online using their PipelineMT Partners in Education (PIE) link.

To Request Information – Partners Contact the MT One Stop

All information requests are fulfilled through the MT One Stop. When a PIE partner contacts the MT One Stop and places a request for information about issues such as grades, attendance, or financial aid, the MT One Stop will contact the necessary parties to fulfill the request. The information requested is emailed by the MT One Stop to a Partner and the student is always copied.  Partners must provide assigned PIN for access.

• Email the MT One Stop at [email protected]
• Visit the MT One Stop, Student Services and Admission Center 2^nd floor, Monday – Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Please note that this program does not provide a Partner with online student access to student information nor allows the Partner to act on behalf of the student. The PIE partnership release does not apply to counseling records, disciplinary records or health information protected by FERPA. 

Setting up a PIE partner is different from setting up an Authorized User account to make payments for students. For instructions on how to create an Authorize User account, visit mtsu.edu/tuition/instructions.php.

According to federal law, once a student enrolls in an institution of higher education, regardless of age, the student’s parents no longer have automatic access to the student’s educational records.  However, if the parent(s) claimed the student as a dependent on the most recent tax return as defined by Section 152 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, they may have access to the student’s MTSU educational records without the student’s prior written consent. If either parent claims the student, regardless of their filing status, both parents have access to the student’s educational records.  MTSU encourages strong communication between student and parents and offers the Partnership in Education program for direct access for requesting student educational records.

For parents who are not PIE Partners, proof of dependency may be filed with the MT One Stop with the completion of the Parent(s) Documentation of Student’s Federal Income Tax Dependent Status form along with a notarized copy of the first page of the most recent filing year tax form.  The tax return should be redacted to remove all social security numbers except the student’s last four-digits of their social security number.  Income information may also be redacted. Because tax dependency can change, eligibility must be established each year. The tax return must be from the most recent tax year. Tax information entered for filing the student’s FAFSA, information provided to the Financial Aid office for verification, and a federal tax transcript cannot be used as proof of dependency.  All information requests using Tax Dependent Student status are fulfilled through the MT One Stop and must be request through the MT One Stop. 

Access by documented tax dependency does not provide a parent with online student access to student information nor allows the parent to act on behalf of the student. Access by documented tax dependency does not apply to protected personal counseling records, disciplinary records or health information.