Registrar's Office
Internal Data Requests
Internal data requests for research purposes are always welcomed by the Office of the Registrar. In order to remain compliant with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), an application is required to both document requests as well as to identify what types of information are appropriate to release to University personnel. Requestors must be able to answer the following questions:
Are you a school official with a legitimate educational interest completing a task for Tennessee Tech?
Who will have access to the requested data?
How will the requested data be kept secure and how will it be destroyed when no longer being utilized?
What are the specifics regarding what type of data is needed (academic year(s), course-specific information, etc.).
Requestors must also understand and acknowledge that if the data request is approved, his/her obligation in regards to FERPA, is to keep all student data records secure and only access data that one has the right to access as a school official with a legitimate education interest as defined by FERPA. Under FERPA, school officials may obtain access to only those education records in which they have legitimate educational interests. “Legitimate educational interest” is defined as an interest which results from the duties officially assigned to a school official and which are related to such a school official’s responsibility for facilitating the student’s development. In other words, a staff member should only access those student education records that are needed to perform his or her job as an official of the university. Any other access is a violation of FERPA.
All requests are reviewed and considered in relation to FERPA, and are therefore, subject to approval by the University Registrar.
