The Georgia Virtual Technical College (GVTC) is dedicated to ensuring your right to privacy when visiting our website.  The information you share with us when applying for admission to our technical colleges, requesting information and/or technical support assistance is used explicitly for the particular purpose stated on the form and is not sold to any third parties. We maintain secure servers and our e-mail is encrypted to provide further protection.

Notification of Rights under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) affords students certain rights with respect to their education records. These rights are:

1. The right to inspect and review the student's education records within 45 days of the day the technical college receives a request for access. Students should submit to the registrar, dean, or head of the academic department or appropriate official written requests that identify the record(s) they wish to inspect. The technical college official will make arrangements for access and notify the student of the time and place where the records may be inspected. If the records are not maintained by the technical college official to whom the request was submitted, that official shall advise the student of the correct official to whom the request should be addressed.
   
    
2. The right to request the amendment of the student's education records that the student believes is inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise in violation of a student’s privacy rights.
   
   Students may ask the technical college to amend a record that they believe is inaccurate or misleading. They should write the technical college official responsible for the record, clearly identify the part of the record they want changed, and specify why it is inaccurate or misleading.
   
   If the technical college decides not to amend the record as requested by the student, the technical college will notify the student of the 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.
   
    
3. 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 exception which permits disclosure without consent, is disclosure to school officials with legitimate educational interests. A school official is defined as a person employed by the technical college in an administrative, supervisory, academic, or support staff position (including law enforcement unit and health staff); a person or company with whom the technical college has contracted (such as an attorney, auditor, or collection agent); a person serving on the Board of Trustees; 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 responsibility.

Upon request from another educational institution, the technical college discloses education records without consent to officials of another school in which a student seeks or intends to enroll.

The student has the right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by the technical college 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
400 Maryland Avenue, S.W.
Washington, DC 20202-4605

The Georgia Virtual Technical College (GVTC) designates student directory information as:

• name
• address
• e-mail address
• telephone number
• age, date and place of birth
• country of legal residence
• program of study
• college where enrolled
• dates of attendance and graduation
• credentials received
• the most recent educational institution attended
• honors and awards received

GVTC may disclose this information unless notified in writing by the student not to release it.  Students who wish to request that this information not be disclosed may do so by clicking the Non Disclosure button and completing the non-disclosure form.