The American University in Cairo and School of Continuing Education (SCE) respect the privacy and security of all its constituents. Strict measures are in place to protect the privacy of the learners' educational records.
The University is subject to the U.S. Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 {FERPA}, which is also known as the Buckley Amendment. FERPA gives learners the right to inspect and review their education records, to amend or correct their education records if they contain inaccurate information, the right to limit disclosure of their education records and the right to report the institution’s failure to comply with FERPA regulations.
Certain information regarding the learner is considered directory information and is released to university staff that follows the proper procedures for requesting information. SCE prohibits the release of any non-directory information regarding a learner's educational information or graduation to any person outside the University community or to any University personnel without legitimate educational interest.
Directory information includes the following elements:
- Learner name and address
- Date and place of birth
- Telephone number and email
- Dates of attendance
- Major or field of study
- Enrollment Status (full-time or part-time)
- Degrees awarded and honors received
Educational information includes the following elements:
- List of courses, the learner is enrolled in
- Schedules and grades
- Transcripts
- Final assessment of courses
- Admission requirements of the program
A learner who does not wish SCE to disclose directory information about his/her record within the School without prior written consent must notify the Strategic Enrollment Management (SEM) Office in writing at the time of completing the admission application.
The University/School does not prohibit disclosure of directory information without a prior learner consent in the following instances:
- Disclosure to school officials with a legitimate educational interest
- Disclosure in connection with the receipt of an educational scholarship to validate eligibility
- Disclosure in compliance with a judicial order or lawfully issued subpoena
- Disclosure to parents of dependent learners less than 18 years of age
However, directory information that cannot be released without the written consent of a learner is restricted to the Social Security Number and/or Egyptian national ID number, nationality, and gender.
Sharing certificate awarded information, such as whether the learner graduated or not from the School, with parents and employers does not constitute a violation of learner privacy or security. Certificate awarded information is part of the directory information.
SEM Office is not permitted to release any information from the learner's educational record to a person other than the learner unless the learner has provided written permission to release specific information from the record.
This policy does not apply to applicants for admission. However, the admission-related records of applicants who become learners at the University are subject to the policy.
A form for the Authorization for Release of Learner Educational Record (FormF4-1May14) has to be filled every time the learner needs to release educational information to another institution, organization or person. The form is therefore used as a onetime release request form.
All data in any format that contains confidential information such as grade roster, test scores/grades and contact information in admission applications is destroyed in a manner that ensures that the data cannot be retrieved and misused.
Payment in advance is required from the learner if the release request involves extra copies of documentation from SCE.
Payment settlements can be accepted through SCE offices on Tahrir Square campus or through AUC office in New York, USA.
To ensure staff is familiar with how to handle or disclose confidential information, staff internal instructions for the release of learner educational records are emailed to the front desk staff, call agents and Registration and Certification staff by their respective managers whenever any new updates to the policy take place.
PPM: F4 July 2019