Do Colleges Allow Parents to Check on Student's Grades?

FERPA

• The Family Education Rights and Privacy Act protects all educational records, even your child's elementary and high school records. However, until college, parents have the right to this information. When your child enters college, even if she is not yet 18, these rights transfer to her and she is responsible for deciding who can access her grades. Some information, such as directory information -- name, degree, honors and awards -- do not require consent. However, the law does allow parents to obtain grades in some situations.

Dependent Child

• If your college kid is a dependent, as defined by the Internal Revenue Service -- meaning you claim him on your taxes ̵1; FERPA will allow you to check your child's grades. You or your child will need to notify the school of your right to this information and provide any verification the school requires, such as a copy of your tax return or a signed form from your child. The college may have a form called "Parental Affadavit for Academic Information" you can fill out. Check with the college registrar's office for details. You will need to request the grades each time.

Consent Form

• Your child can give the school consent to share educational records, such as grades, with you. She will need to provide formal consent to the college, such as completing and signing a consent form or educational records release form. You can take care of this at the college registrar's office. Your child can give consent for the release of ̶0;grades only̶1; so that she can maintain privacy over any other educational records.

Ask Child for Grades

• The quickest and easiest way, if your child complies, is to ask him to share his grades with you. Most colleges make grades available online. Your child can easily login and show you the grades he got or print a copy for you. Alternatively, if you trust your child, they can likely recite their recent grades from memory. Asking your child directly can also give you information about progress in a course, such as grades on an exam or the estimated grade during the semester. The college generally only keeps records of final grades -- and some midterm grades.