Student Records
Following the recommendations of the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers' (AACRAO) guide for the retention of records, the Registrar's Office retains the following documents in a student's permanent academic record: academic appeals, competency assessments, change of grades, degree plan, disclosure of information forms (until terminated), final academic transcript, grades, graduation audit, narrative evaluations, registration appeals, and transcript evaluations.
The following is a list of various records maintained on each student and where they are housed. Original documents submitted to the University become a permanent part of a file and will not be returned to the student or sent elsewhere. The University adheres to the privacy of student records as required by the Family Educational Rights & Privacy Act (FERPA).
Academic Records. The official transcript and grades are maintained in the Registrar's Office by the Registrar.
Admissions Records. Records are transferred from the Admissions Office to the Registrar's Office when the admission process is complete. Completed records are maintained in the Registrar's Office by the Registrar.
Advising Records. Advising records are maintained by the student's assigned advisor in the advisor's office.
Discipline Records. Discipline records are maintained in the Office of Student Affairs.
Financial Aid and Placement Records. Financial aid and placement records are maintained in the Financial Aid Office by the Director of Financial Aid.
Access to Student Records
Each year this institution gives notice of the various rights accorded to students pursuant to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). You are hereby notified of the following:
The right to inspect and review the student's education records within 45 days of the day the University receives a request for access.
Students should submit written requests that specifically identify the record(s) they wish to inspect to the Office of the Registrar. The Registrar's Office will make arrangements for access and notify the student of the time and place where the records may be inspected.
The right to request the amendment of the student's education records that the student believes are inaccurate or misleading.
Students may ask the University to amend a record that they believe is inaccurate or misleading. They should notify the Registrar's Office of this request, clearly identifying the part of the record which they are requesting to be changed and specifying why it is inaccurate or misleading. If the University determines that the record will not be amended as requested by the student, the University will notify the student of that decision and advise the student of his or her 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 consent to disclosures of personally identifiable information contained in the student's education records, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent.
One such exception which permits disclosure without consent is disclosure to school officials with legitimate educational interests. A school official is a person employed by the University in an administrative, supervisory, academic or research, or support staff position (including law enforcement unit personnel and health staff); a person or company with whom the University has contracted (such as an auditor, attorney or collection agent); a member of the Board of Trustees; or a student serving on an official University committee or assisting another school official in performing his or her tasks. A school official has a legitimate educational interest if the official needs to review an education record in order to fulfill his or her professional responsibilities. Upon request, the University also discloses education records without consent to school officials of another institution in which a student seeks or intends to enroll, or where the student is already enrolled so long as the disclosure is for purposes related to the student’s enrollment or transfer. Another exception which permits disclosure without consent is for the disclosure of a student's directory information. "Directory information" is defined as a student's:
(a) name;
(b) address;
(c) telephone number;
(d) email address;
(e) date and place of birth;
(f) major field of study;
(g) enrollment status (full-time, part-time, undergraduate, graduate);
(h) participation in officially recognized activities and sports;
(i) weight and height (if an athletic team member);
(j) dates of attendance;
(k) degrees, honors, and awards received;
(l) most recent previous educational agency or institution attended;
(m) photographic, video or electronic images that are taken and/or maintained by the University;
(n) and other similar information.
A student may request that directory information, in part or in whole, be withheld from disclosure by providing a specific written request to the Office of the Registrar on or before the last day of late registration each term. Such a request is valid until revoked in writing by the student. If no request is filed with the Registrar's Office, the University may release directory information to the general public upon inquiry.
The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by Dallas Baptist University 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
600 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, D.C. 20202-4605
Pursuant to FERPA, an institution of higher education may disclose to a parent or legal guardian of a student information regarding any violation of any federal, state, or local law, or any rule or policy of the institution, governing the use or possession of alcohol or a controlled substance regardless of whether that information is contained in the student’s education records if, (a) the student is under the age of 21, and (b) the institution determines that the student has committed a disciplinary violation with respect to such use or possession.
Change of Name or Address
A student who, after registration, changes a local or home address, or a student who marries (documentation required) after enrollment at Dallas Baptist University, is expected to notify the Registrar of this change immediately. Any communication from the University which is mailed to the name and address on record in the Registrar's Office is considered to have been properly delivered, and the student is responsible for the information contained therein.
Current and former students of Dallas Baptist University may request a change of name on their student records, including but not limited to academic transcripts, with appropriate documentation. Current and former students who request a change of name on their records must provide to the Registrar’s Office, in person, the original legal document which verifies the change of name requested. These original legal documents would include a valid marriage license issued by a county or city clerk, a divorce decree from a court of law, and/or a change of name decree from a court of law. A copy of this original document will be made by the Registrar’s Office and retained in the student’s file. A current or former student can also change their name by providing two government-issued forms of identification with the new name.
For those current and former students who are unable to produce an original legal document to the Registrar’s Office in person, a legally certified copy of the original document verifying the change of name may be emailed or mailed to the Registrar’s Office. The certified copy will be retained by the Registrar’s Office in the student’s file.
Official Communications
A request that a student report to an administrative office or faculty office may be made in person, by email, by mail, or by telephone. Failure to comply with such a request immediately may result in disciplinary action.
Communications to the entire student body are considered properly delivered when they are sent to the student's DBU email account, placed on official campus bulletin boards, in the campus newsletter, in the student's campus mailbox, or sent to the student's address on record in the Registrar's Office. Each student is responsible for checking their DBU email account, bulletin boards, mailboxes, and the newsletter regularly, and giving proper heed to such communications.
Transcript of Credits
The transcript of college credits is an official copy of the student's permanent record, bearing the school seal and the signature of the Registrar. Copies of the student's official transcript may be ordered by visiting the DBU Online Marketplace. Transcripts are $5.00 each. Payments are made in advance to the Cashier's Office.
A student, who is clear of all university holds, should allow a minimum period of one business day for processing of the transcript after the request has been submitted and approved for release. A minimum period of three weeks should be allowed for the processing of the transcript at the close of the semester for which grades are being requested. Transcripts will not be released if the student has outstanding financial, academic, or administrative obligations to the University except as occasionally required by law. This policy includes, but is not limited to, the Cashier’s Office, the bookstore, athletic department, or any other department or agency considered a part of the University. Transcripts will also not be released until the student is clear with the Financial Aid Office.