FERPA Policy and Student Records

This page contains information about FERPA and Academic Policies.

Cleveland Institute of Art (CIA) is committed to the confidentiality of student educational records, as established by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). FERPA is a federal regulation that protects maintenance and access to student educational records. In accordance with the law, CIA defines an eligible student as any person who attends or has attended the College. At CIA, FERPA becomes effective the first day of the semester of entrance and remains in effect through life. This does not include prospective students or applicants. Parents of minors attending our non-degree seeking programs retain FERPA rights until the student becomes 18.

For additional details regarding FERPA, please refer to the US Department of Education FERPA website.

An educational record is defined as any record, in any medium, maintained by CIA directly related to a student. Exceptions to educational records include:

• Directory Information (see below for details)
• Records created and maintained by the Institute’s operations or security for law enforcement purposes
• Employment records where employment is not contingent on the fact that the individual is a student
• Records maintained by a physician, psychiatrist, psychologist, or other recognized professional used only for treatment of a student
• Alumni records containing information after the student is no longer in attendance that does not related to the person as a student

Students may inspect, review, and amend their educational records upon written request to the Registrar. Arrangements for access will be made as promptly as possible, but no longer than 45 days from the receipt date of the request. CIA has the right to refuse a student access to their records under the following circumstances:

• The student has an unpaid financial obligation to any College office or department
• The student owes overdue materials or equipment
• Any unresolved disciplinary action against the student
• The educational record requested is an exam or set of standardized test questions

CIA reserves the right to release a student’s educational records without written consent to school officials (as outlined in the FERPA regulations) who have a legitimate educational need to know. At the discretion of the College, information regarding student abuse of alcohol or drugs not prescribed by a physician may be reported to the parents of students younger than 21 years of age.

Authorization for Release

Students have the right to release their information to persons of their choosing. To authorize someone access to their own records, students must complete an Authorization for Release of Student Information form, which is available on the Registrar’s myCIA page. Students must be logged in to submit the form.

Directory Information

FERPA allows institutions to identify certain types information called 'directory information' that may be disclosed without student consent.

In accordance with the Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA), as amended, a student’s education records are maintained as confidential and, except for a limited number of special circumstances listed in that law, will not be released to a third party without the student’s prior written consent. The law, however, does allow schools to release student “directory information” without obtaining the prior consent of the student.

CIA has designated the following information as directory information and will release this information upon request, unless the student has submitted request to restrict directory information to the Registrar’s Office.

• Student's name
• CIA email address
• Phone Number
• Class standing (first-year, sophomore, etc.)
• Full or part-time status
• Major (Animation, Ceramics, etc.)
• Date(s) of Attendance
• Anticipated degree date
• Academic awards and honors
• Degree awarded and date degree awarded from CIA
• Participation in officially recognized activities
• Restricting Release of Directory Information

According to FERPA, a student can request that the College not release any directory information about them. Colleges must comply with this request, once received, if the student is still enrolled.

At CIA, students who wish to restrict the release of all directory information about themselves must contact the Registrar’s Office at registrar@cia.edu.

Students who wish to restrict directory information should understand that their names will not appear in any university publications, with exception of the Commencement program at the appropriate time. Also, employers, scholarship committees and the like will be denied any of the student's directory information and will be informed that we have no information available about the student.

Student’s Rights Under FERPA

FERPA Annual Notification

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) affords eligible students certain rights with respect to their education records. (An "eligible student" under FERPA is a student who is 18 years of age or older or who attends a postsecondary institution at any age.) These rights include:

The right to inspect and review the student's education records within 45 days after the day the Cleveland Institute of Art (CIA) receives a request for access. A student should submit to the registrar, dean, head of the academic department, a written request that identifies the record(s) the student wishes to inspect. The school official will arrange for access and notify the student of the time and place where the records may be inspected. If the records are not maintained by the school official to whom the request was submitted, that official shall advise the student of the correct official to whom the request should be addressed.

The right to request the amendment of the student’s education records that the student believes is inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise in violation of the student’s privacy rights under FERPA.

A student who wishes to ask the school to amend a record should write the school official responsible for the record, clearly identify the part of the record the student wants changed, and specify why it should be changed.

If CIA decides not to amend the record as requested, a school official will notify the student in writing of the decision and the student’s right to a hearing re­garding the request for amendment. Additional information regarding the hearing procedures will be provided to the student when notified of the right to a hearing.

The right to provide written consent before CIA discloses personally identifiable information (PII) from the student's education records, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent.

CIA discloses education records without a student’s prior written consent under the FERPA exception for disclosure to school officials with legitimate educational interests. A school official typically includes a person employed by the CIA in an administrative, supervisory, academic, research, or support staff position (including law enforcement unit personnel and health staff); a person serving on the board of trustees; or a student serving on an official committee, such as a disciplinary or grievance committee. A school official also may include a volunteer or contractor outside of the CIA who performs an institutional service of function for which the school would otherwise use its own employees and who is under the direct control of the school with respect to the use and maintenance of PII from education records, such as an attorney, auditor, or collection agent or a student volunteering to assist another school official in performing his or her tasks. A school official typically has a legitimate educational interest if the official needs to review an education record in order to fulfill his or her professional responsibilities for the [School].

4. The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by the [School] to comply with the requirements of FERPA. The name and address of the office that administers FERPA is:

Family Policy Compliance Office
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, DC  20202

Academic Policies

For detailed information on CIA academic policies, please refer to the College Catalog. Below are some commonly referenced policies:

Transfer credits 

Students who have completed coursework from another institution should send official transcripts as soon as the grade is available to: 

Cleveland Institute of Art
Attn: Registrar's Office
11610 Euclid Ave
Cleveland, OH 44106

or by selecting Cleveland Institute of Art via Parchment. 

Once we have received official transcripts from any colleges you've attended, the Registrar's office will review your transcripts to determine which courses will transfer into CIA's program. A minimum of a C or higher is required for transfer courses to apply toward the program. Credit is based on coursework, credit hours, grade, accreditation of the transfer institution, and alignment with CIA course requirements. Credit for studio coursework may also require consultation with the major Chair and a portfolio review. Refer to the College Catalog for additional details. 

AP Scores

For Liberal Arts credit granted for appropriate Advanced Placement Exams, a minimum score of 3 is required. For Studio credit granted for Art AP Exams, a minimum score of 4 is required. 

Students who have AP Scores should send the official scores via CollegeBoard to CIA as soon as possible to the Registrar's Office (registrar@cia.edu or the address listed above). 

The Registrar's Office will evaluate the scores for the particular requirements and add any applicable credit to the student record. Refer to the College Catalog for additional details. 

Registration

Refer to cia.edu/registrar and the College Catalog for a full list of policies. 

Registration at CIA consists of two components: 

• Course registration
• Tuition payment

Both of these components must be completed each semester before a student is considered enrolled at CIA. Students who have not registered and completed tuition payment by the end of the late registration period (the period starting with the first day of class through the last day of drop/add) may be subject to an administrative withdrawal.

Independent Study

Any sophomore, junior, or senior may propose a semester-long independent study course, equivalent to three credits of liberal arts or studio elective. In general, the purpose of independent study is to pursue a topic of interest not available in the curriculum. 

• Students are limited to one independent study per semester and to a total of six credits (2 courses) of liberal arts or studio independent study.
• The minimum G.P.A. to participate is 2.5, which will be verified by the student's academic advisor.
• Proposals for independent study need to be approved by a faculty sponsor, department chair and submitted to the Vice President for Academic Affairs for final approval. 
• The faculty sponsor must be approved by the Vice President for Academic Affairs.
• Approved proposals must be submitted to the Registrar for proper credit. Independent study is graded and cannot be taken on a pass/fail basis.
•  An independent study application form is available from your academic advisor.

For more information or to begin this process, please email advising@cia.edu or your designated academic advisor.

Internships

Refer to Credit-bearing Internships.