FERPA does not create a universal requirement that every student-record release be notarized. Federal rules require qualifying consent to be signed and dated and allow qualifying electronic consent, while some colleges use notarization when a student cannot authenticate the authorization in person or through a secure institutional system.
Published and reviewed by iRemoteNotary
Last reviewed August 15, 2026
Not always. Federal FERPA regulations generally require qualifying consent to disclose education records to be signed and dated and to identify the records, purpose, and recipient. The federal regulation also permits qualifying electronic consent that authenticates the person providing it. FERPA itself does not create a universal rule that every release must be notarized.
Individual colleges may use notarization as an identity-verification method. Florida Gateway College requires its written authorization to be signed before an approved college witness or otherwise notarized. Western Oregon University and Millikin University similarly use notarization in specified remote or non-in-person release procedures, while other institutions use secure student portals. Follow the student's current registrar or records-office instructions.
Parents often discover FERPA only after a student begins college and the school will no longer discuss grades, schedules, records, or other protected information in the same way the parent was accustomed to during K–12 education.
When FERPA rights belong to the eligible student, that student may use a written or qualifying electronic authorization to permit specified records to be disclosed to a parent, spouse, adviser, employer, or other person, subject to FERPA and institutional procedures.
The federal consent requirement and the college's identity-verification procedure are separate issues. Federal regulations do not say every FERPA release needs a notary, but a college may use notarization to authenticate a paper or remotely submitted authorization.
A FERPA release form is a common name for an authorization allowing an educational institution to disclose specified information from a student's education records to a named person or class of persons.
Institutions may call it:
The institution's own form and system determine how the authorization is submitted and authenticated.
Under 34 CFR §99.30, when prior consent is required, the parent or eligible student must provide signed and dated written consent.
The consent must:
The regulation also states that signed and dated written consent may include a record and signature in electronic form when the process: • identifies and authenticates the particular person as the source of the electronic consent • indicates that person's approval of the information in the consent. Therefore: FERPA CONSENT does not equal MANDATORY NOTARIZATION.
The U.S. Department of Education explains that FERPA rights transfer from the parent to the student when the student turns 18 OR attends a postsecondary institution at any age.
The student then becomes the “eligible student” for FERPA purposes.
This is why the parent of a 17-year-old college student should not assume that being the student's parent automatically provides the same record-access rights the parent had at the student's high school.
FERPA contains exceptions and circumstances in which records may be disclosed without ordinary student consent, but those exceptions do not turn a parent into the default holder of every postsecondary FERPA right.
| Institution | Current procedure | What it demonstrates |
|---|---|---|
| Florida Gateway College | Its FERPA instructions say written consent must be signed in the presence of an approved college witness. Otherwise, it must be notarized. | A college may use notarization as an alternative to institutional witnessing. |
| Western Oregon University | WOU states that student identity for a release can be verified in person with the student signing before staff or through a signed notarized release. | Notarization can serve as a remote identity-authentication method. |
| Millikin University | Its Student Request to Share Information form says the student should sign in the Registrar's Office; if the student cannot sign there, the form must be notarized. | A paper FERPA release may require notarization specifically when in-person registrar authentication is unavailable. |
| University of Nevada, Las Vegas | UNLV directs students who want to give a parent, spouse, or another individual access to academic records to add a third-party release through the Personal Information section of the Rebel Student Homepage. | A secure institutional portal can eliminate the need for a notarized paper release in that workflow. |
These procedures belong to the named institutions. Do not generalize one university's process into a nationwide FERPA rule.
No universal federal notary requirement applies that way.
FERPA determines the privacy and disclosure framework.
The college determines the procedure it uses to authenticate a particular authorization.
Depending on the institution, a student may grant access through:
• secure student portal
• electronic consent
• in-person signed form
• registrar-witnessed form
• notarized paper form
• another institution-approved method
Parents should first ask the student and registrar how that institution handles third-party authorization.
When FERPA consent is required, federal regulations identify core elements.
The authorization should specify:
• the records that may be disclosed
• the purpose of disclosure
• the person or class of parties receiving the information
• the required signature
• the date
A broad notarized signature does not cure a consent form that fails to contain information required by the institution or applicable FERPA rules.
Potentially, when the university requires or accepts a notarized release and accepts the proposed remote online notarization format.
Before scheduling, confirm:
• that notarization is actually needed
• which student signature is being notarized
• whether the registrar accepts RON
• whether an electronic PDF is acceptable
• whether the school instead requires use of its student portal
• whether the student must use the institution's own form
Do not use a notarized paper release as a workaround when the institution specifically requires its secure electronic authorization system.
Potentially, if the institution accepts the proposed U.S. RON workflow.
For a supported international iRemoteNotary session, identity verification may use:
• supported government-issued identification
• credential analysis
• biometric identity verification
• supported foreign passport where appropriate
Do not require U.S. SSN, U.S. credit history, U.S. driver's license, or U.S.-based KBA as the international path.
But first verify whether notarization is needed at all.
If the university permits authenticated electronic consent through its student portal, that may be the institution's preferred procedure.
A parent may have a power of attorney for other matters and still need to follow the college's FERPA procedure for student education records.
Likewise, a FERPA authorization does not automatically create broad legal authority over:
• finances
• health care
• contracts
• housing
• other decisions
The documents serve different purposes.
Do not tell users that obtaining a power of attorney automatically solves every FERPA-access issue.
Read how power of attorney online notarization differs from a college FERPA authorization.
Send the unsigned university form and registrar instructions so the requested notarization can be reviewed before scheduling.
Start a FERPA Release Notary RequestNo. Federal FERPA regulations require qualifying consent to be signed and dated and contain specified information, and they allow qualifying electronic consent. Individual institutions may impose notarization as part of their identity-authentication procedure.
FERPA rights generally transfer to the student when the student turns 18 or attends a postsecondary institution at any age. FERPA contains exceptions allowing certain disclosures without ordinary consent, but parents should not assume they automatically have unrestricted access to college education records.
Federal regulations permit qualifying electronic consent when the record and signature identify and authenticate the person providing consent and indicate that person's approval. The college's own submission procedure still controls.
Some institutions use notarization to authenticate the student's identity when the student is not signing before registrar staff or through another approved secure process.
Potentially, if the institution requires or accepts a notarized release, accepts RON, and accepts the resulting document format.
Potentially, when the university accepts the proposed remote notarization and the student can complete the supported international identity-verification process. First check whether the university's secure portal makes notarization unnecessary.
No. A FERPA authorization addresses disclosure of specified education records. A power of attorney concerns authority granted under a separate legal instrument and does not automatically replace a university's FERPA authorization procedure.
The following primary sources support the legal and procedural information in this guide. Requirements can change, so confirm current rules with the receiving organization before relying on a notarized document.
34 CFR §99.30 — Under What Conditions Is Prior Consent Required to Disclose Information?
Electronic Code of Federal Regulations
Accessed August 15, 2026
U.S. Department of Education — Protecting Student Privacy
Accessed August 15, 2026
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)
Florida Gateway College
Accessed August 15, 2026
Western Oregon University Registrar
Accessed August 15, 2026
Student Request to Share Information
Millikin University
Accessed August 15, 2026
Forms & Policies — FERPA Authorization
University of Nevada, Las Vegas Office of the Registrar
Accessed August 15, 2026
Send the unsigned college form and registrar instructions so iRemoteNotary can review whether the requested notarization fits the school's current process.