File Confidentiality & Availability

The official academic records of all students, past and present, are housed in the registrar's office. The official transcript contains identifying information, a complete record of all coursework, transfer credits, academic status and any degree(s) or certificate(s) granted.

The transcript is kept as a permanent record of the University.

Matriculated Students

The student's academic folder, which is kept for matriculated students, includes:

  • Degree requirement check sheet
  • Application for admission
  • High school transcript(s)
  • CEEB and/or other standardized test score reports
  • Transcript(s) from other colleges attended

Nonmatriculated Students

For nonmatriculated students, only a permanent record of coursework completed at Notre Dame is retained.

View Your Academic Record

These files, including the permanent record, are open for student review upon request.

Members of faculty or administration also have access to the files if they have legitimate interest in the material and demonstrate a need to know.

Additional Academic Files

The office of the associate academic dean maintains a file on each matriculated undergraduate student, while the director of the College of Adult Undergraduate Studies maintains the records of their students.

These files are retained for the use of the dean's and director's offices only. They are not official records or documents.

File Documents

  • Registration-Related Forms
  • Waiver Forms
  • Academic History
  • Correspondence

Academic Advisors

Academic advisors receive copies of academic history reports of their advisees. They also maintain a check sheet of the student's progress toward degree requirements.

These files are retained for the advisor's use only and are not official records or documents.

Individual Faculty & Administration

Any additional academic files held by individual members of faculty and/or administration are for the use of the individual holder only.

Academic Record Policies

Academic records and transcripts are also housed in the Registrar’s Office. Notre Dame of Maryland has a commitment to protect the confidentiality of student records. The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), as amended, and associated regulations establishes requirements regarding the privacy of student records and provides students with certain rights with respect to their education records.

These include:

  • the right to inspect and review their records;
  • the right to request an amendment of the student’s education record they believe is inaccurate;
  • the right to consent to disclosure of personally identifiable information (PII) contained in the student’s record (except where FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent).

One exception that permits disclosure without consent is for school/university officials with legitimate educational interests. For more detailed information on academic records, see the University Catalog.

Students have the ability to provide an approval for others (parents, spouses, etc) to have access to educational and financial records by completing an Authorization to Release Student Information Form.

FERPA permits the disclosure of PII from students’ education records, without the consent of the student, if the disclosure meets certain conditions found in §99.31 of the FERPA regulations, including Directory Information. Notre Dame considers the following to be directory information:

  • Student’s Name;
  • Email Address;
  • Photograph (when created by the University for the purposes of promotion or advertisement);
  • Major/minor/concentration/field of study
  • Dates of attendance;
  • Grade level (e.g. junior, senior);
  • Degrees, honors, and awards received;
  • Participation in officially recognized activities and sports
  • Weight and height of members of athletic teams 

Students must send a written request to the registrar’s office in the first week of the semester to place a hold on the release of any of this directory information. The hold is valid for one semester.

For additional information about release of academic records, background check, obtaining release of records for deceased students and more academic record policies, see the University catalog.

Student Privacy Rights

Notice is hereby given that Notre Dame of Maryland University is prepared to comply with the provisions of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (Public Law 90-247, as amended) and any regulations that may be promulgated there. Students and others who want specific information regarding their rights of access to institutional educational records maintained in their names are advised to contact the registrar's office.