UMass Boston

FERPA

Submit a FERPA Waiver through this DocuSign link

A federal law called the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) of 1974 establishes that the access to UMass Boston student records has requirements designed to protect the privacy of parents and students regarding review or release of records. The Act permits current or former students to review certain documents such as permanent academic records and disciplinary records but prevents the University from releasing such information without written permission. When completing the FERPA release form, it must be signed by the student and submitted to the Dean of Students Office. Please review this website for more information on FERPA.

Dean's Certification

Submit all Dean’s Certification and College Report requests through this DocuSign link

Submitting Your Request

The Dean of Students Office maintains all student disciplinary records. We do not accept Dean’s Certification or College Report requests through email or through electronic submission links from other schools. To obtain information on your disciplinary history, please submit our Dean's Certification form through this DocuSign link along with forms from any program or job to which you are applying that require the clearance. The forms that you attach to your DocuSign submission should have your portion filled out and be in PDF format. Incomplete submissions will delay your request. If there is missing information or forms, we will email you to let you know what is missing and instruct you to resubmit your request. After we receive your request, we will send you a notification to your UMass Boston email with information regarding next steps. Before we begin processing your request, you must have an Exit Interview with a Dean of Students staff member. This process does not withdraw you from the university. To formally withdraw from the University of Massachusetts Boston, please consult your academic advisor.

Form Process

When completing your forms, the Dean of Students Office provides information pertaining only to your disciplinary history, but will forward forms to the Registrar’s Office for completion of any academic information requests. Once the forms are completed, we send your request to the destination(s) you listed on the Dean’s Certification form. If your form must be mailed to the institution, we will email you your completed form to the email address you listed for yourself on the Dean’s Certification request and you can print and mail it to the institution directly.

Processing Time

Please allow a minimum of 10 business days for processing all requests. The Dean of Students Office processes forms on a first-come, first served basis and we are unable to expedite records processing.

Notice of Absence Request

The Dean of Students Office will issue a Notice of Absence (NOA) letter to faculty as a courtesy to students when appropriate documentation has been provided by the student, for absences that will span beyond 3 consecutive days. Appropriate documentation must be submitted to the Dean of Students office prior to the office sending any notification to faculty. Documentation submitted more than two (2) weeks after the absence will not be verified, and retroactive notifications will not be sent, unless there are extenuating circumstances that prevented submission. Please note that submission of documentation does not guarantee that a Notice of Absence will be sent by the Dean of Students Office, and DOS staff have the discretion to request additional documentation if necessary.

A Notice of Absence is NOT the same as an Excused Absence and does not mean that an absence will be excused by a faculty member. Instead, this is left to the faculty member’s discretion. The Dean of Students Office asks for flexibility and reasonable assistance in making up missed work once the student has returned to class, though the student is responsible for contacting their faculty members themselves.

It is the prerogative as well as the responsibility of each faculty member to establish a clear policy for each course of instruction regarding the nature and extent of student attendance and participation that will be expected and required.

Faculty should note that notification from the Dean of Students Office is not required to allow for an excused absence or extension for personal or medical circumstances. We encourage students to work directly with their faculty whenever possible to discuss flexibility for extenuating circumstances

Submit a Notice of Absence form with documentation

(Please note the Dean of Students Office will not send a Notice of Absence during the Final Exam period. Please work directly with your faculty should you miss a final exam for any reason.)

Please note: A meeting with a Dean of Students Office staff member may be necessary prior to a notification being sent to faculty.

Additional information on the Notice of Absence Policy.

Secure Document Submission

Submit a document to our office using our Secure Document Submission form at this DocuSign link. Please do not submit excused absence or college report requests through this link.