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Your FERPA rights in a transfer credit dispute

FERPA, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, gives students rights related to access to and correction of their education records. In a transfer credit dispute, those rights may matter if a transcript, grade, credit-hour record or other education record is inaccurate.

FERPA can help students inspect records and request corrections. It does not require a receiving institution to accept transfer credits, and it does not replace the receiving institution’s appeal process.

What FERPA covers

FERPA applies to education records maintained by an educational institution. These can include official transcripts, grades, enrollment records and other records directly related to the student.

In a transfer credit dispute, the most relevant record is usually the transcript used in the transfer evaluation. If the transcript has the wrong grade, wrong credit hours, incorrect course title or inaccurate enrollment information, that error may affect the receiving institution’s review.

Students can request access to their education records and can ask the institution maintaining the record to correct information they believe is inaccurate or misleading.

What FERPA does not do

FERPA does not decide whether a transfer credit should be accepted. That decision belongs to the receiving institution under its own transfer credit policy.

FERPA also does not automatically give students access to every internal note or discussion used by a receiving institution during a credit evaluation. Its purpose is to set out requirements for the protection of privacy of parents and students including access to education records and correction of inaccurate or misleading records.

That distinction matters. If the denial is based on a transcript error, FERPA may help correct the underlying record. If the denial is based on course content, grade policy, credit limits or program fit, the student usually needs to use the receiving institution’s appeal process.The right to inspect education records

Students have the right to inspect and review education records maintained by an institution that they attend(ed) as a student. For transfer purposes, students may want to review the transcript, course record or other academic record that was sent to the receiving institution. This request should be directed to the institution the student attended.

This can help identify whether the evaluation was based on accurate information. If the record is correct, the next step is usually the transfer appeal process. If the record appears incorrect, the student can request a correction from the institution that maintains the record.

The right to request correction

Students can request amendment of an education record they believe is inaccurate or misleading. The request should identify the specific record, explain what appears wrong and provide any supporting documentation.

If the institution agrees, it may correct the record. If it declines, the student may have the right to a hearing or to place a statement in the record explaining the disagreement.

For transfer credit purposes, a corrected transcript or record should be sent to the receiving institution with a request for reconsideration under that school’s process.

How FERPA connects to a transfer appeal

FERPA and transfer credit appeals are separate processes. FERPA addresses access to and the accuracy of education records. A transfer appeal asks the receiving institution to reconsider how it evaluated a credit.

Sometimes both processes may be needed. For example, if a course was denied because the transcript listed the wrong credit hours, the student may first request correction from the sending institution and then ask the receiving institution to review the corrected record.

If the record is accurate but the receiving institution denied the credit based on content or program requirements, FERPA is usually not the main tool. The student should follow the receiving institution’s appeal process.

FERPA also protects student privacy. Official tanscripts and education records are generally released with the student’s consent, often through the transcript request process.

Students should confirm which records are being sent, where they are being sent and whether the receiving institution requires official transcripts directly from the sending institution. Unofficial copies may help with planning, but formal transfer review usually requires official records.

University of Phoenix and FERPA records

University of Phoenix students and former students can request official transcripts and may use FERPA rights to inspect or request correction of their education records maintained by the University.

If a University of Phoenix transcript error affects a transfer credit evaluation, the student can request correction through University of Phoenix and then provide any corrected record to the receiving institution. The receiving institution still makes the final transfer credit decision under its own policy.

Sources

  1. [1] U.S. Department of Education. Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). https://ed.gov/ferpa. Accessed June 2026.

  2. [2] 20 U.S.C. § 1232g. Accessed via https://www.govinfo.gov. Accessed June 2026.

  3. [3] U.S. Department of Education. 34 C.F.R. Part 99 – Family Educational Rights and Privacy. https://www.ecfr.gov. Accessed June 2026.

  4. [4] University of Phoenix. FERPA information for students. https://www.phoenix.edu. Accessed June 2026.