Records privacy & access

What you need to know

It is important for you to know your rights when it comes to personal information. Your student record is comprised of personal, academic, and financial records. Access is limited to you and MIT officials who have a legitimate educational interest. In addition, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA) gives you some control over the disclosure of certain pieces of personally identifiable information in your academic record.

Your personal record includes

• Your legal name
• Your social security number
• Your date of birth
• Your term and home address and phone
• Your email address

Your academic record includes

• Your Internal Grade Report, including subjects and grades for prior terms
• Your GIR audit based on subjects completed
• Your subject registration for the current term, including projected GIR audit based on current and completed subjects, and any applied transfer credit
• During pre-registration — the list of subjects you selected for the upcoming term
• Between pre-registration and the beginning of classes — your class schedule for the fall and spring semesters

• Your first-year advising folder

About your financial record

• Your financial record, including financial aid and your student account, is maintained by Student Financial Services (SFS). You can contact them at sfs@mit.edu.

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Access

What you can access

• Your personal information in MIT’s people directory
• Your personal and academic records on WebSIS
• Your financial records, maintained by SFS

What other people can access

• Anyone can access MIT’s online people directory.
• Your faculty advisor and department administrator can view your academic record.
• First-year students and undesignated sophomores — the Office of the First Year can view and print your academic record.
• Class lists and prerequisite reports — available to instructors and department administrators — include your email and address information.

What you can’t access

• Unless otherwise permitted or required by law, you may only inspect, review, or be informed of information directly related to yourself.
• You cannot access confidential letters of recommendation, faculty and staff records that are restricted to their personal use, parents’ financial records, and records that contain information on other students.