Release of Student Recommendations

Legal Requirements

While these guidelines address the type of student information that may be disclosed during a written or oral reference, to whom and for what purposes, it does not obligate faculty or staff members to provide recommendations that are requested of them by current or former students.

No Release Required

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) allows university officials to release oral or written recommendations without the student's written consent if either of the following is true:

  The recommendation is addressed to an educational institution where the student seeks or intends to enroll, including professional school admission services.
  The communication contains only authorized directory information or personal observations.
Release Required

Recommendation letters to prospective or current employers, or for any other purpose, require a signed release by the student allowing the university official to do the following:

  Access the student's educational records.
  Disclose confidential information about the student to a third party.

Release Format

You may use the following release form to facilitate student requests for letters of recommendation from school officials:

Student Release Form for Letters of Recommendation 

If another form of signed consent is used, it is important to ensure that it includes:

  • A description of the information that may be disclosed
  • The purpose of disclosure
  • To whom the information may be disclosed
  • The student's signature and date
  • Language on whether the student waives their rights to review a copy of the letter or know the contents of any oral communication

Such documents of authorization should be retained by the faculty or staff member for an agreed-upon period of time between faculty/staff and student.

Student-Facing Information 

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