The University abides by the provisions of the Federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974. This act insures a wide range of rights, including but not limited to: information about student records that the University maintains, who maintains them, who has access to them, and for what purposes access is granted. The act also permits the University to release “directory information” without a student’s consent. In addition, the act guarantees students access to their records and restricts the access of others.

Students who wish to restrict access to their directory information may do so on the Morningside campus at the Registrar’s Office, 205 Kent; Medical Center students may do so at the Registrar’s Office located in 1-141 Black Building. These same offices can provide a set of guidelines and a policy statement. The guidelines are also available on ColumbiaWeb and in the current edition of FACETS. Questions about the interpretation of the guidelines should be referred to the University’s General Counsel, 412 Low Library.

Social Security Number Reporting

To comply with current and anticipated Internal Revenue Service mandates, Columbia University requires all students to report their Social Security number at the time of admission. Newly admitted students who do not have a Social Security number should obtain one well in advance of their first registration. International students should consult the International Students and Scholars Office, located at 524 Riverside Drive (212-854-3587), for further information.