Registrar

Office of the Registrar

University Registrar
Laura Doering, M.S.

Associate Registrar
Diane Rupp

The Office of the Registrar at Iowa State University is a unit within the Student Affairs Division and supports the instructional and student progress endeavors of the University by providing quality services to students, faculty, academic and administrative departments, alumni, and the public.

Vision Statement

The Office of the Registrar, strives to be an office that:

• develops and implements policies and procedures to assure the integrity, security, and preservation of each student's official academic record.
• provides the highest quality services to students, faculty, staff and the public in a courteous and professional manner.
• encourages suggestions and ideas from its customers for improving the quality and efficiency of its services.
• respects and values employees, promotes a positive and stimulating work environment for them, and seeks to develop their individual potential.
• evaluates and utilizes the latest technology to meet the needs of its customers and staff.
• is recognized by its peers and customers as a national leader in carrying out the office's mission.

The Office of the Registrar produces a complete calendar of important dates and deadlines for the academic year, which can be found on academic calendar website .

Student Records

Iowa State University maintains various records concerning students, to document their academic progress as well as to record their interactions with university staff and officials. In order that their right to privacy be preserved and to conform with federal law, the university has established certain policies to govern the handling of student records. All policies conform with FERPA, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (also known as the Buckley Amendment).

Student Addresses

Students have the responsibility to notify the Office of the Registrar each time their information changes. Student information changes can be made in person to the Office of the Registrar, 214 Enrollment Services Center, or via AccessPlus . Complete this form online using Acrobat Reader 6.0 or later, then print (remember to sign it) and submit to the Office of the Registrar, 214 Enrollment Services Center; by FAX (515)294-1088.  ISU employees (graduate assistant or student worker), MUST also report an address change correction directly to the Office of Human Resource Services , 3810 Beardshear Hall.

When Records May Be Withheld

The appropriate university official may request that a student's record not be released if that student is delinquent in an account with the university or an affiliated organization. The effect of this action is that a transcript will not be released and registration will be withheld.

The appropriate official may also request that records be withheld in instances when official disciplinary action has been taken against a student. Authorization for these actions is supported by The Iowa Code and The Iowa Administrative Code.

In order for such an action to be rescinded, the Office of the Registrar must receive written authorization from the official who originally requested the action, indicating that the student has met the obligation. Further information about this policy can be obtained from the Office of the Registrar.

Review and Challenge of Records

A student may challenge the accuracy of handling of records maintained by the university on grounds that the records are inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise violate the privacy or other rights of the student. The university has established the following procedures to provide an opportunity for the student to correct or delete inaccurate records, or to insert into the record a written explanation of the content. Students who question their records should discuss the issue first with the individual staff person who established or maintains the records. Presumably most issues can be resolved at this level. If a satisfactory resolution cannot be reached, the student should submit the question to the head of the department in which the record is maintained.

The department head will discuss the issue with the staff person and the student challenging the record. If resolution cannot be reached after meeting with the department head, the student may submit the question to the dean or director to whom the department head is responsible. The dean or director will investigate, and will respond in writing.

If the record has not been reconciled through these measures, the student may direct a written request to the president of the university. The president will convene an Ad Hoc Hearing Panel of Access and Confidentiality of Educational Records, composed of two faculty members, two students, and one administrator, appointed by the president for a period of one year, with the president or a designee serving as nonvoting chairperson. The student shall be given an opportunity to present to the panel evidence relevant to the issues raised, and the panel will issue a written response.

Posting Grades and Test Scores

Instructors who wish to inform students of their performance may post grades and test scores on a secure course web site as long as individual students may only access their own grades. The test scores or course grades of students may not be posted in any public location (World Wide Web or hard copy posting) unless the instructor posts the information using a code for each student that is known only by the instructor and the student.

Release of Grades

Students who choose to release their grades to parents or other trusted third parties may do so using the AccessPlus third party system. Reports of a student's grades are not routinely sent to the student's parents. Parents of students under 18 years of age may obtain grades by writing to the Office of the Registrar. The grades of other students will be sent to their parents only with written permission of the student, or by establishing dependency as outlined in item 9 under Confidential Information.

ISUCard and Identification Number

Each student is assigned a random university identification number on entry to the university. This number appears on the ISUCard that is provided to each student at the time of first registration. The ISUCard, may be required for some services and/or activities. At the time the ISUCard is issued each student also selects a university password, which is required for electronic access to personal student information.

Loss of an ISUCard should be reported immediately to the ISUCard Office, where the lost card will be invalidated and replaced for a charge. Disciplinary sanctions may be imposed for improper use of the ID card or attempts to obtain, by fraudulent means, any form of identification.

Social Security Number

Social security numbers are collected from prospective and current students, for administrative coordination and record identification purposes only. Although procedures have been established by the registrar for assignment of an alternative number upon request, students who wish to be employed on campus, desire to claim federal educational tax benefits, or are applying to receive financial aid, are required by law to provide their social security numbers for administrative use. The social security number is a confidential record and is maintained as such by the university in accordance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.

Policy on Student Names

Iowa Regent universities have a common policy regarding student names and name changes. The name on the student record should be the student's complete and legal name. In evaluating and processing all name change requests, the university reserves the right to require adequate and appropriate documentation as warranted.

Information Disclosure

Iowa State University is required by law to make available to enrolled students, prospective students, and their parents certain information about the university. The information disclosure policy is available at www.iastate.edu/~disclosure . Students without electronic access can obtain the information from the Office of the Registrar, 214 Enrollment Services Center, 515-294-1840 or from the Office of Admissions, 100 Enrollment Services Center, 515-294-5836. A paper copy of the information will be provided upon request.

Public Information

Certain information concerning students is considered to be open to the public upon inquiry. This public information is of two types: directory information and other information not included in the ISU Directory.

ISU directory information includes student name, local address, telephone number, campus e-mail address, college, curriculum, year in school, and enrollment status.

Other public information includes mailing address, date and place of birth, home town, dates of attendance at Iowa State, expected date of graduation, names of advisers, awards and academic honors, Iowa State degree(s) and date(s) awarded, previous educational institutions attended, degrees received, dates of attendance, full- or part-time status, participation in officially recognized activities and sports, and weight and height of members of athletic teams.

Public information will be released by the registrar to anyone upon inquiry, unless students have requested that their information not be released. Students can withhold public information through the Address Change link on Access Plus . 

For the purposes of FERPA, Iowa State University defines directory information to include both ISU directory information and other public information as defined above.

It is the policy of the university to respect the privacy of students; therefore, only lists containing names of students and their directory information will be made available to members of the public who request address lists. This directory information will be provided for the cost of producing the information as provided by the university's public records policies. Directory information is available using the online phonebook .

Disclosures Permitted by FERPA

Iowa State University retains the discretion to disclose both directory and confidential information as indicated in Section 4 of Iowa State University's Notification of Rights Under FERPA. Specifically, the university may disclose to the public or to specific individuals, directory or confidential information for reasons of safety if the disclosure meets the criteria under Section 4 .

Confidential Information

With the exception of the information noted above, all student records are considered to be confidential and are open only to school officials. A school official is a person employed by the university in 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; or a student serving on an official committee, such as a disciplinary or grievance 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 responsibility. Iowa State University's notification of rights under FERPA can be found at http://www.registrar.iastate.edu/policies .

The following policies govern access to student records:

1. Each type of student record is the responsibility of a designated school official, and only that person or the dean or director to whom that person reports has authority to release the record. The following is a list of the responsible officials:

a. Academic records: registrar
b. Admissions records: director of admissions
c. Financial aid records: director of student financial aid
d. Business records: university controller
e. Traffic and security records: director, ISU Department of Public Safety
f. Medical records: director, Thielen Student Health Center
g. Counseling records and test scores: director, Student Counseling Service
h. Actions of Academic Standards Committees: college deans
i. Disciplinary records: dean of students
j. Residence hall records: director of residence
k. Placement records: college placement officers
l. Evaluations for admission to ISU graduate or professional programs: deans or department chairs
m. Special academic programs: faculty member in charge of the program and the dean of the college

2. The designated official may release records to other school officials who have a legitimate need for the information. A list of those persons who normally have access to each type of student record is available in 214 Enrollment Services Center.

3. All student records are reviewed periodically. Information concerning the frequency of review and expurgation of specific records is available in 214 Enrollment Services Center.

4. Students have the right to review upon request any records that pertain directly to them, and may obtain a copy of the record for a fee. This provision does not apply to records to which the student has waived his or her right to review, nor does it apply to medical and counseling records.

5. A student may waive the right to review a specific record by submitting in writing a statement to this effect to the official responsible for that record.

6. A file containing copies of records pertinent to advising is maintained on each student for use by the student's adviser. This file may be maintained in hard copy or electronic format. Ordinarily this file is kept in the possession of the adviser, but for convenience it may be stored elsewhere such as in the dean's office or department office. When the student changes majors, or changes advisers within the same major, the file is transferred to the new adviser. Under the university's student records policy, the student is considered to have the right of access to this file.

7. Medical and counseling records shall be released at the written request of the student to medical or psychological professionals outside the university or to university officials.

8. University personnel who have access to student records in the course of carrying out their university responsibilities shall not be permitted to release the record to persons outside the university, unless authorized in writing by the student or unless one of the exceptions stated earlier is involved.

9. Confidential information may be released by students to their parents or other trusted third parties through the AccessPlus third party system. Confidential information may also be released by obtaining the student's written consent or by having the parent establish the student's dependency as defined by the Internal Revenue Code of 1954, section 152, by furnishing a certified copy of the parent's most recent federal income tax return.

10.The officials responsible for custody of student records will maintain records of requests and disclosures of personally identifiable nonpublic information. The records of requests, whether granted or not, shall include the person or agency requesting the information and the purpose of the release. These records of requests and disclosures will be available to the student on request. Records of requests and disclosures are not necessary for requests made by the student, by school officials in carrying out their official responsibilities, by persons employed by agencies and offices conducting audits and accreditations of university programs, or any of the other exceptions listed previously.

Registration/Enrollment

In order to register for classes students must first accept their offer of admission by the university. Registration and the payment of assessed fees are required of all who attend classes. Enrollment is not complete until fees are paid, including room and board fees for those living in residence halls. See Registration.

Enrollment Status

Enrollment status is defined for certification purposes as either full-time or half-time.

Full-time status, fall or spring semester
Undergraduates: 12 credits
Graduates: 9 credits

Half-time status, fall or spring semester
Undergraduates: 6 credits
Graduates: 5 credits

Summer status
Summer status depends on the number of weeks a student is enrolled. Always contact the Office of the Registrar to verify a student's status for a summer session.

With the exception of enrollment certification for veterans' benefits, credit hours are rounded up to the next whole number. For example, credit load of 11.5 credits is rounded up to 12 credits. Contact the Office of the Registrar for more information.

Residency Classification for Admission and Tuition Purposes

These criteria are contained in the Policy Manual, Board of Regents, State of Iowa and or the Iowa Administrative Code: Board of Regents, State of Iowa.

GENERAL INFORMATION

A. A person enrolling at one of the three state universities shall be classified as a resident or nonresident for admission, tuition, and fee purposes by the registrar or someone designated by the registrar. The decision shall be based upon information furnished by the student and other relevant information.

B. In determining resident or nonresident classification, the issue is essentially one of why the person is in the state of Iowa. If the person is in the state primarily for educational purposes, that person will be considered a nonresident. For example, it may be possible that an individual could qualify as a resident of Iowa for such purposes as voting, or holding an Iowa driver's license, and not meet the residency requirements as established by the Board of Regents, State of Iowa, for admission, tuition, and fee purposes.

C. The registrar, or designated person, is authorized to require written documents, affidavits, verifications, or other evidence deemed necessary to determine why a student is in Iowa. The burden of establishing that a student is in Iowa for other than educational purposes is upon the student. A student may be required to file any or all of the following:

1. A statement from the student describing employment and expected source of support

2. A statement from the student's employer

3. A statement from the student's parents verifying nonsupport and the fact that the student was not listed as a dependent on tax returns for the past year and will not be so listed in future years

4. A statement from the student’s spouse related to sources of family support, length of residence in Iowa, and reasons for being in the state of Iowa

5. Supporting statements from persons who might be familiar with the family situation

6. Iowa state income tax return.

D. Applications for resident classification for a given semester or session are due no later than the fifteenth class day of that semester or session. Applications received after the fifteenth class day of that semester or session will be considered for the next semester or session. Appeals of any nonresident classification decision resulting from applications for resident classifications are due no later than midterm of that semester or session. Change of classification from nonresident to resident will not be made retroactive beyond the term in which application for resident classification is made.

E. A student who gives incorrect or misleading information to evade payment of nonresident fees shall be subject to serious disciplinary action and must also pay the nonresident fees for each term previously attended.

F. Review committee. These regulations shall be administered by the registrar or someone designated by the registrar. The decision of the registrar or designated person may be appealed to a university review committee. The finding of the review committee may be appealed to the Board of Regents, State of Iowa.

GRADUATE ASSISTANTS

Students with graduate assistantships of 1/4-time or more are assessed Iowa resident tuition and fees. Nonresident students with graduate assistantships of 1/4-time or more retain their nonresidency classification, but are assessed resident tuition and fees as long as the graduate assistantship is continued.

The spouse of a 1/4-time or more graduate assistant who is a nonresident is eligible for resident tuition and fees during the period of the assistantship appointment. Iowa residency is not granted, but a waiver of nonresident tuition and fees is in effect. When the graduate assistantship ends, the tuition and fee waiver for the spouse is terminated. (Board of Regents, State of Iowa, Minutes March 15, 1995, p. 801).

The graduate student must request the resident tuition assessment by midterm of the term in question. The benefit will not be granted retroactively.

GUIDELINES

The following guidelines are used in determining the resident classification of a student for admission, tuition, and fee purposes:

1. A financially dependent student whose parents move from Iowa after the student is enrolled remains a resident provided the student maintains continuous enrollment. A financially dependent student whose parents move from Iowa during the senior year of high school will be considered a resident provided the student has not established domicile in another state.

2. In deciding why a person is in the state of Iowa, the person's domicile will be considered. A person who comes to Iowa from another state and enrolls in any institution of postsecondary education for a full program or substantially a full program shall be presumed to have come to Iowa primarily for educational reasons rather than to establish a domicile in Iowa.

3. A student who was a former resident of Iowa may continue to be considered a resident provided absence from the state was for a period of less than 12 months and provided domicile is reestablished. If the absence from the state is for a period exceeding 12 months, a student may be considered a resident if evidence can be presented showing that the student has long-term ties to Iowa and reestablishes an Iowa domicile. A person or the dependent of a person whose domicile is permanently established in Iowa, who has been classified as a resident for admission, tuition, and fee purposes, may continue to be classified as a resident so long as domicile is maintained, even though circumstances may require extended absence of the person from the state. It is required that a person who claims Iowa domicile while living in another state or country will provide proof of the continual domicile as evidence that the person:

(1). Has not acquired domicile in another state;

(2). Has maintained a continuous voting record in Iowa; and

(3). Has filed regular Iowa resident income tax returns during absence from the state.

4. A student who moves to Iowa may be eligible for resident classification at the next registration following 12 consecutive months in the state provided the student is not enrolled as more than a half-time student (6 credits for an undergraduate or professional student, 5 credits for a graduate student) in any academic year term, is not enrolled for more than 4 credits in a summer term for any classification, and provides sufficient evidence of the establishment of an Iowa domicile.

5. A student who has been a continuous student and whose parents move to Iowa may become a resident at the beginning of the next term provided the student is dependent upon the parents for a majority of financial assistance.

6. A person who has been certified as a refugee or granted asylum by the appropriate agency of the United States, who enrolls as a student at a university governed by the Board of Regents, State of Iowa, may be accorded immediate resident status for admission, tuition, and fee purposes where the person:

(1). Comes directly to the state of Iowa from a refugee facility or port of debarkation, or

(2). Comes to the state of Iowa within a reasonable time and has not established domicile in another state.

Any refugee or individual granted asylum not meeting these standards will be presumed to be a nonresident for admission, tuition, and fee purposes and thus subject to the usual method of proof of establishment of Iowa residency.

7. An alien who has immigrant status establishes Iowa residency in the same manner as a United States citizen.

8. At the Regent institutions, American Indians who have origins in any of the original people of North America and who maintain a cultural identification through tribal affiliation or community recognition with one or more of the tribes or nations connected historically with the present state of Iowa, including the Iowa, Kickapoo, Menominee, Miami, Missouri, Ojibwa (Chippewa), Omaha, Otoe, Ottawa (Odawa), Potawatomi, Sac and Fox (Sauk, Meskwaki), Sioux, and Winnebago (Ho Chunk), will be assessed Iowa resident tuition and fees. (Board of Regents, State of Iowa, Minutes October 15-16, 1997, p. 299)

B. Additional guidelines are used in determining the resident classification of a veteran, qualified military person, and dependent children and spouses of a veteran or qualified military person for purposes of admission and undergraduate tuition and mandatory fees:

1.  A person who is stationed on active duty at the Rock Island arsenal as a result of military orders, or the dependent child or spouse of such person, is entitled to resident status for purposes of undergraduate tuition and mandatory fees. However, if the arrival of the person under orders is subsequent to the beginning of the term in which the dependent child or spouse is first enrolled, nonresident fees will be charged in all cases for the dependent child or spouse until the beginning of the next term in which the dependent child or spouse is enrolled. If the qualified military person is transferred, deployed, or restationed while the person’s spouse or dependent child is enrolled in an institution of higher education under the control of the board of regents, the spouse or dependent child shall continue to be classified as a resident under this subparagraph until the close of the fiscal year in which the spouse or dependent child is enrolled.

2. A veteran who is domiciled or moves to the state of Iowa and who is eligible for benefits, or has exhausted benefits under the federal Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008, is entitled to resident status for purposes of undergraduate tuition and mandatory fees. The dependent child or spouse of a veteran who meets these requirements is entitled to resident status for undergraduate tuition.  However, if the arrival of the veteran in Iowa is subsequent to the beginning of the term in which the dependent child or spouse is first enrolled, nonresident fees will be charged in all cases for the dependent child or spouse until the beginning of the next term in which the dependent child or spouse is enrolled.

3. A person who is moved into the state as the result of military or civil orders from the government for other than educational purposes, or the dependent child or spouse of such a person, is entitled to resident status. However, if the arrival of the person under orders is subsequent to the beginning of the term in which the dependent child or spouse is first enrolled, nonresident fees will be charged in all cases until the beginning of the next term in which the dependent child or spouse is enrolled. Legislation, effective July 1, 1977, requires that military personnel who claim residency in Iowa (home of record) will be required to file Iowa resident income tax returns.

FACTS

A. The following circumstances, although not necessarily conclusive, have probative value in support of a claim for resident classification:

1. Reside in Iowa for 12 consecutive months, and be primarily engaged in activities other than those of a full-time student, immediately prior to the beginning of the term for which resident classification is sought.

2. Reliance upon Iowa resources for financial support.

3. Domicile in Iowa of persons legally responsible for the student.

4. Former domicile in the state and maintenance of significant connections therein while absent.

5. Acceptance of an offer of permanent employment in Iowa.

6. Military orders, if for other than educational purposes.

7. Other facts indicating the student's domicile will be considered by the universities in classifying the student.

B. The following circumstances, standing alone, do not constitute sufficient evidence of domicile to affect classification of a student as a resident under these regulations:

1. Voting or registration for voting.

2. Employment in any position normally filled by a student.

3. The lease of living quarters.

4. Admission to a licensed practicing profession in Iowa.

5. Automobile registration.

6. Public records; for example, birth and marriage records, Iowa driver's license.

7. Continuous presence in Iowa during periods when not enrolled in school.

8. Ownership of property in Iowa, or the payment of Iowa taxes.