FERPA does not make every student-information release form a notarized document. Whether notarization is required depends on the form, school, university, program, or receiving institution's instructions.
Published and reviewed by iRemoteNotary
Last reviewed September 5, 2026
Not automatically. FERPA does not make every student-information release form a notarized document. Whether notarization is required depends on the form, school, university, program, or receiving institution's instructions.
If the institution provides its own FERPA authorization or release form, follow that form's signature, identification, witness, and notarization requirements rather than assuming a notary is required.
Federal FERPA rules and a school's authentication procedure are separate questions.
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| FERPA itself requires notarization? | No, not universally. |
| Who controls the form requirements? | The school/institution and applicable FERPA rules. |
| Signer? | Usually the student or other legally authorized person specified by the form. |
| Witness required? | Not automatically. |
| Online notarization? | May be possible if the form/institution accepts it and applicable law permits the notarial act. |
| Does notarization force the school to release records? | No. |
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. A FERPA release is also separate from a scholarship affidavit or a homeschool transcript or completion affidavit.
No. FERPA does not generally require notarization, and it does not create a universal rule that every student-information release must be notarized.
Under 34 CFR §99.30, when prior consent is required, the parent or eligible student must provide signed and dated written consent that specifies the records, the purpose, and the recipient. The regulation also permits qualifying electronic consent that authenticates the person providing it and indicates that person's approval.
Therefore, FERPA consent is not the same thing as mandatory notarization.
A school or university may use notarization as an identity-authentication method when the student is not signing before registrar staff or through another approved secure process.
| 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.
The form identifies the required signer. Usually that is the eligible student, or another legally authorized person specified by the form and applicable FERPA rules.
A parent should not assume that being the student's parent automatically authorizes the parent to sign a college FERPA release. Enrollment consent and FERPA record authorization are also separate documents. Read when parental consent for a college student under 18 may require notarization.
FERPA rights generally transfer to the student when the student reaches 18 years of age or attends a postsecondary institution, subject to applicable FERPA rules and exceptions. A parent should not assume that being the student's parent automatically authorizes access to college records.
The U.S. Department of Education's FERPA guidance for parents explains that those rights transfer when the student turns 18 or attends a postsecondary institution at any age. The student then becomes the eligible student for FERPA purposes.
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. Do not overstate those exceptions.
Not automatically. If FERPA rights belong to the eligible student, the student generally signs the authorization unless the form and applicable FERPA rules identify another legally authorized signer.
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, or other decisions.
Read how power of attorney online notarization differs from a college FERPA 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, and 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.
When notarization is actually required, the signer whose signature is being notarized generally needs a current acceptable government-issued photo identification. See acceptable identification for online notarization.
If the institution instead uses a secure student portal or in-person registrar authentication, follow that identity procedure rather than assuming a notary session is the next step.
Not automatically. FERPA does not create a universal witness requirement for every release form.
Some institutions use an approved college witness as an alternative to notarization. Florida Gateway College, for example, requires written consent to be signed before an approved college witness or otherwise notarized. Follow the form. Do not add witnesses that the institution did not request.
Potentially, when the university requires or accepts a notarized release, accepts remote online notarization, and accepts the resulting document format, and applicable law permits the notarial act. Read what remote online notarization is.
Before scheduling, confirm that notarization is actually needed, which signature is being notarized, whether the registrar accepts RON, whether an electronic PDF is acceptable, whether the school instead requires its student portal, and 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.
No. Notarization verifies a notarial act associated with the signer; it does not determine whether a school must disclose records or whether a particular authorization satisfies the institution's FERPA process.
A notarized release does not override an institution's FERPA procedures, portal requirements, or applicable exceptions. The school still decides whether the authorization is sufficient under its process.
Send the unsigned university form and registrar instructions so the requested notarization can be reviewed before scheduling.
No. FERPA does not make every student-information release form a notarized document. Federal 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.
No. Notarization verifies a notarial act associated with the signer. It does not determine whether a school must disclose records or whether a particular authorization satisfies the institution's FERPA process.
FERPA rights generally transfer to the student when the student reaches 18 years of age or attends a postsecondary institution, subject to applicable FERPA rules and exceptions. A parent should not assume that being the student's parent automatically authorizes access to college records.
No. Witnesses are not automatically required. Some institutions use an approved college witness as an alternative to notarization. Follow the school's form.
Potentially, if the institution requires or accepts a notarized release, accepts remote online notarization, and accepts the resulting document format, and applicable law permits the notarial act.
Not automatically. If FERPA rights belong to the eligible student, the student generally signs the authorization unless the form and applicable FERPA rules identify another legally authorized signer.
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.
Electronic Code of Federal Regulations
Accessed September 5, 2026
What Is FERPA?(opens in a new tab)
U.S. Department of Education — Protecting Student Privacy
Accessed September 5, 2026
FERPA General Guidance for Parents(opens in a new tab)
U.S. Department of Education — Protecting Student Privacy
Accessed September 5, 2026
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)(opens in a new tab)
Florida Gateway College
Accessed September 5, 2026
FERPA Manage Records(opens in a new tab)
Western Oregon University Registrar
Accessed September 5, 2026
Student Request to Share Information(opens in a new tab)
Millikin University
Accessed September 5, 2026
Forms & Policies — FERPA Authorization(opens in a new tab)
University of Nevada, Las Vegas Office of the Registrar
Accessed September 5, 2026
Send the unsigned college form and registrar instructions so iRemoteNotary can review whether the requested notarization fits the school's current process.