Confidentiality & Privacy

Directory Information

FERPA authorizes the release of Directory Information in accordance with what is allowable under law. W&M’s definition of Directory Information is found in the FERPA Policy and includes student name; university email address; telephone numbers; current classification; hometown; previous schools attended and degrees awarded; dates of attendance; current enrollment status; degree(s) earned and dates awarded; major(s), minor; scholarships, awards, honors and special recognition; height, weight, and birth date of members of athletic teams; and photograph. While directory information may be released under FERPA, W&M does not generally release such information with student consent.

W&M does not release non-directory information unless a student has provided consent or the disclosure meets a qualified exception under FERPA.

While FERPA allows for the release of directory information, state legislation limits the release of student contact information. Student contact information is limited as follows.

1. Student mailing address is not considered "directory information" under William & Mary's FERPA policy. Although university email address and telephone numbers are included as "directory information," they may not be released or appear on a published list or website without the student's consent.
2. The student directory requires W&M-authenticated login. W&M faculty and staff may look up student contact information for legitimate educational purposes, but the public cannot look up students.
3. Individual W&M students will have to “opt-in” for their information to appear to other students who login through W&M authentication to the directory. If a student does not “affirmatively consent” to be visible in the directory, then that student’s contact information will not be visible to other W&M students in the directory.
4. To facilitate collaborative learning, faculty members may share student contact information with other students in the course. 

Students may opt-in to the student director, allowing other students find their contact information, by navigating to https://personalinfo.wm.edu/ and clicking “Yes” in the Student Directory Consent section.

Department/Organization Use

Departments or organizations must obtain written consent from students to disclose or publish their contact information. Consent may be obtained through a physical or electronic form. Electronic forms require student authentication with W&M login credentials. Departments or an organization's responsible staff member retain student consents. Below are two templates that may be gently adjusted to meet departmental needs.

For disclosure to a defined group of people (e.g. student workers in a department)

To facilitate my work with [enter department name], I consent to the disclosure of my contact information to [enter the name of the defined group of people, e.g. 'The University Registrar's student worker staff'). I understand that my contact information may include my [enter appropriate categories: phone number, email address(es)]. I further understand that I can revoke this consent at any time by contacting [enter responsible office or employee].

For public-facing websites

To facilitate my work with [enter department name], I consent to the publication of my contact information on their department website [enter URL]. I understand that my contact information may include my [enter appropriate categories: phone number, email address(es), web address for my student homepage (which may contain additional personal or identifying information)]. I further understand that I can revoke this consent at any time by contacting [enter responsible office or employee].

Student Assessment

William & Mary conducts periodic reviews of its curricular and co-curricular programs as part of the university’s state-mandated responsibility to monitor student outcomes and assure the continuing quality of a William & Mary degree. Surveys, course portfolios (including examples of student writing), and other procedures are used to gather information about student achievement and experiences. Information collected as part of the assessment program will not be used to evaluate individual performance and will not be released in a form that is personally identifiable.

Students who do not want their work to be used in institutional or program assessments must submit a letter indicating that preference to Undergraduate Academic Affairs.