The method with which the University of Parkside governs the distribution of student information is based on the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 or FERPA. This Act, as amended, established the requirements governing the privacy of student educational records in regards to the release of those records and access to those records. This Act is also known as the Buckley Amendment. The Act gives four basic rights to students:

• the right to review their education records;
• the right to seek to amend their education records;
• the right to limit disclosure of personally identifiable information (directory information);
• the right to notify the Department of Education concerning an academic institution's failure to comply with FERPA regulations.