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Academic Records

Communications with parents about a student’s academic record are restricted by federal law. Generally speaking, University administrators and faculty will not share details of students’ academic progress or social lives unless the student has consented to the release of such information. These restrictions are occasionally frustrating to parents, but students’ privacy rights should not obstruct effective communication between students and their parents, or parents and the University. Brown expects students to acknowledge that their parents have a legitimate stake in their education, not only sharing their grade reports with their parents, but also keeping them informed about important developments in their academic lives.

Limits to students’ privacy rights are stipulated by law and by Brown policy. The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 grants parents or legal guardians access to a dependent student’s grades only if a written request is submitted to the Registrar’s Office. When academic progress has failed to meet institutional expectations, the University will not hesitate to notify parents that, in its judgment, a student may be placing his or her academic career in serious jeopardy.