The Federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA) is a federal law designed to protect the privacy of a student’s education records. All schools receiving funds under an applicable program of the U.S. Department of Education, including Cornell University, must comply with FERPA. FERPA generally prohibits schools from releasing education records or certain information contained in such records, such as your grades, billing and payment records, financial aid awards, and other student record information, to third parties.  This restriction applies but is not limited to your parents and/or step-parents, your siblings, your spouse, or a sponsor. Read more about FERPA here.

Schools are also limited by federal law in how Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) information can be used. Schools may share a student’s FAFSA information with scholarship-granting or tribal organizations only with the student’s written consent. However, Cornell may be prohibited from sharing FAFSA data with other third-party organizations, even where the student has given written consent.  

Students may grant Financial Aid permission to release information to a third party by submitting this consent form. You must identify each individual person or organization to whom you wish to give access to your information. The information will then be made available only if it is specifically requested by the authorized third party and permissible under law.

Please complete the Consent to Release Student Information Form if you want another person or organization to have access to information related to your federal, state, and/or institutional awards.

Cornell Financial Aid Consent to Release Student Information Form