Consumer Info Home

Privacy of Student Records under FERPA (The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act)

Bryan University respects the rights and privacy of its students and acknowledges the responsibility to maintain the confidentiality of personally identifiable information. Student records are maintained for a minimum of five years from the student’s last day of attendance; academic transcripts are maintained indefinitely.

FERPA is a federal law that affords students the following rights with respect to their education records:

• The right to inspect and review the student’s educational records during normal business hours, by appointment, and no sooner than five days after the Education Department receives a written, dated request for access. The university does not permit students to review confidential student guidance notes maintained by the university or financial records of their parents or guardians.
• The right to request the amendment of the student’s education records that the student believes is inaccurate. Students must submit a written inquiry to the program director in which they are enrolled specifying what they want changed and why it is inaccurate. If the university decides not to amend the record, the university will notify the student in writing and/or verbally of the decision and the student’s right to a hearing, if desired.
• The right to consent to disclosure of personally identifiable information contained in the student’s education records, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without prior consent from the parents or the eligible student, as applicable. The university may neither release nor disclose personally identifiable information contained in the student’s records to outside employers, agencies, or individuals without first securing a written release from the parent or eligible student, unless permitted by the law.

Exemptions: Items not considered part of the student’s record under FERPA include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Certain confidential letters of recommendation received by the university.
• Records about students or incidents made by and accessible only to instructors or administrators.
• School security records or records maintained by certain professionals providing specific forms of treatment to the student.

Access Without Student Consent: The university will not permit access to, or release of, confidential information to any individual or agency without the written consent of the student, except to the following:

• Bryan University officials in the proper performance of their duties.
• Organizations conducting studies for educational and governmental agencies where personally identifiable information will not be disclosed.
• U.S. Government agencies as listed in Public Law 93-380.
• Accrediting agencies.
• Parents of dependent children as defined in the Internal Revenue Code of 1954.
• Any organizations or persons who sponsor the student by paying any portion of the cost of training directly to the university.
• Appropriate emergency personnel, as necessary to protect the health or safety of another student or person.
• Other educational institutions upon request of transcripts for students seeking enrollment in that institution.
• In connection with the award of financial aid.
• To comply with judicial order or subpoena, provided that the university makes a reasonable effort to notify the student prior to such compliance.
• Organizations conducting studies involving testing, student aid programs, or instructions.
• To comply with conditions otherwise required by FERPA.

Copyright Infringement Policies and Sanctions

Bryan University strives to provide access to varied materials, services and equipment for students, faculty and staff and does not knowingly condone policies or practices that constitute an infringement of Federal copyright law.

Transmitting (including peer-to-peer) or downloading any material that you do not have the right to make available and that infringes any patent, trademark, trade secret, copyright or other proprietary rights of any party is prohibited. Installing or distributing pirated or unlicensed software is also forbidden. Violation of these requirements may subject students, faculty and staff to civil and criminal liabilities as well as possible dismissal from the institution. Students, faculty or staff who violate federal copyright law do so at their own risk. Copyright status is applied to a work as soon as it is created. Users should assume that all writings and images are copyrighted. The legal penalties for copyright infringement are:

• Infringer pays the actual dollar amount of damages and profits.
• The law provides a range from $200 to $150,000 for each work infringed.
• The Court can issue an injunction to stop the infringing acts.
• The Court can impound the illegal works.
• The infringer can go to jail.
• Willful copyright infringement can also result in criminal penalties, including imprisonment of up to five years and fines of up to $250,000 per offense.

Title 17 of the United States Code (17 USC §501 et seq.) outlines remedies for copyright infringement that may include some or all of the following: obtaining an injunction to stop the infringing activity; impounding and disposing of the infringing articles; an award to the copyright owner of actual damages and the profits of the infringer, or in the alternative, an award of statutory damages which may be increased if the infringement is found to be willful; an award of two times the amount of the license fee a copyright owner could have gotten; an award of the full costs incurred in bringing an infringement action, and the award of attorney’s fees; and for criminal copyright infringement, fines and imprisonment.

Bryan University maintains a campus network to support and enhance the academic and administrative needs of our students, faculty and staff. Bryan University is required by Federal Law – H.R. 4137 to make an annual disclosure informing students that illegal distribution of copyrighted materials may lead to civil and/or criminal penalties. Bryan University takes steps to detect and punish users who illegally distribute copyrighted materials.

Bryan University reserves the right to suspend or terminate network access to any campus user that violates this policy and Network access may be suspended if any use is impacting the operations of the network. Violations may be reported to appropriate authorities for criminal or civil prosecution. The existence and imposition of sanctions do not protect members of the campus community from any legal action by external entities.

Please see the website of the U.S. Copyright Office at www.copyright.gov.

Bryan University Complaint Process

Grievance Policy

Step 1: Students who have academic or administrative concerns, complaints, or problems are expected to discuss them first with the involved faculty or staff member.

Step 2: If the issue is not resolved after this discussion, or if the issue is program-related, students should consult with the Program Director or Department Manager.

Step 3: If, after discussion with the department leader, the issue is not resolved, the student should submit a written complaint either via the grievance form link in the catalog (Official Bryan University Grievance Form) or directly to complaint@bryanuniversity.edu.

A member of the appropriate leadership team will contact you within three business days of the submission.

If the grievance/complaint cannot be resolved after exhausting the Institution’s complaint/grievance procedure, the student may file a complaint with the:

Arizona State Board for Private Postsecondary Education

Physical Address: 1740 W. Adams, 3rd Floor, Phoenix, Arizona 85007

Phone: 602.542.5709 / Website: https://ppse.az.gov/

File a complaint via the following instructions: https://ppse.az.gov/student-complaint-procedure

Distance Education students who have completed the internal institutional grievance process and the applicable Arizona BPPE process, may appeal non-instructional complaints to the AZ SARA Council. For additional information on the complaint process, please visit the AZ SARA Complaint page: https://azsara.arizona.edu/complaints

Arizona Consumer Protection / Attorney General:

Physical Address: 1275 West Washington Street, Phoenix, Arizona 85007

File a complaint via the following site: https://www.azag.gov/complaints/consumer

Department of Education:

Physical address: 400 Maryland Avenue, SW. Washington, D.C. 20202

File a complaint via the following site: https://studentaid.gov/feedback-center/

Northwest Commission on Career Schools and Colleges:

NWCCU will consider complaints that relate solely to Eligibility Requirements,

Standards for Accreditation, Policies, or Procedures.

Complaints of this nature can be submitted at this link: https://nwccu.org/complaints/

Bryan University’s Policy on Arbitration and Waiver Agreements

Arbitration and Class Action Waiver Disclosure: Bryan University requires each student to agree to a pre-dispute arbitration agreement and a class action waiver as a condition of enrollment (“Arbitration Agreement”).  The Arbitration Agreement does not, in any way, limit, relinquish, or waive a student’s ability to pursue filing a borrower defense claim, pursuant to 34 C.F.R. § 685.206(e) at any time.  The Arbitration Agreement does not require that the student participates in arbitration or any internal dispute resolution process offered by the College prior to filing a borrower defense to repayment application with the U.S. Department of Education pursuant to 34 C.F.R. § 685.206(e).  Any arbitration, required by the Arbitration Agreement, tolls (pauses) the limitations period for filing a borrower defense to repayment application pursuant to 34 C.F.R. § 685.206(e)(6)(ii) for the length of time that the arbitration proceeding is underway.  Any questions about the Arbitration Agreement or a dispute relating to a student’s Title IV Federal student loans or to the provision of educational services for which the loans were provided should be directed to Tess Elmore, Deputy Compliance Officer at tess.elmore@bryanuniversity.edu.

Bryan University does not offer, and at this time, does not enroll students in programs that lead to professional licensure. If considering an academic program that leads to a professional license or certification in your state, it is highly recommended that you first seek guidance from the appropriate licensing agency in your home state before beginning the academic program in your state, or upon changing states.

Bryan University’s Title IX Policy & Training Materials

To view Bryan University’s Title IX policy, click here.

To view Bryan University’s Title IX Coordinator Training materials, see below:

• Session 1
• Session 2
• Session 3
• Session 4

To view the Investigator and Decision Maker Training materials, see below:

• Session 1
• Session 2
• Session 3
• Session 4

Vaccination Policy

Bryan University does not require specific immunizations beyond those required by any federal or state law. Bryan University does reserve the right to take steps to limit or restrict an individuals’ access to our campus or to require medical documents as reasonably necessary to verify that an individual does not pose a substantial risk to the community due to a communicable disease.

Graduation and Professional Education Outcomes

Bryan University offers a Master of Public Health program with ongoing student enrollment. There are no graduates to report during the 2023 ACCSC reporting period.

Constitution and Citizenship Day

To celebrate the anniversary of the US Constitution, on September 17, Bryan University will have a program recognizing this special day. If September 17 falls on a day with classes are not in session, Bryan University will recognize Constitution and Citizenship Day on a day closest to September 17 when classes are in session.

Refund Policy and Return of Title IV Funds

An enrollee may cancel the enrollment agreement without penalty or obligation within 3 business days (excluding Saturday, Sunday, and state and federal holidays) of signing the agreement. Refunds will be processed within 30 calendar days and include all tuition and fees paid. After three days, if the enrollee cancels prior to or on the first day of instruction, the university will refund all paid fees except the registration fee. Students who cancel during the first seven days of the academic term will not be assessed a tuition charge.

Cancellation requests must be in writing; letters or emails must be received by the Registrar’s Office within the first seven days of the term. Upon termination, the student is charged for actual books and other supplies received. If the student fails to return class materials in their original condition (open kits, courseware, and books that have been written in will not be acceptable for return) within 10 days from the last day of attendance, the university will deduct the costs from the refund, calculated according to the federal, state, and institutional policies. The university does not charge for textbooks or materials.

A student may withdraw from the school any time after the cancellation period and receive a pro-rata refund if they have completed 60 percent or less of the scheduled hours in the current payment period in their program of study through the last day of attendance. The refund will be less a registration or administration fee, not to exceed $250, and less any deduction for equipment not returned in good condition, within 30 days of withdrawal. If this percentage is greater than 60%, the student earns 100% of the disbursed Title IV, HEA funds or aid that could have been disbursed.

For the purpose of determining a refund under this section, a student shall be deemed to have withdrawn from a program of instruction when any of the following occurs:

• The student notifies the institution of the withdrawal or as of the date of the student’s withdrawal, whichever is later.
• The institution terminates the student’s enrollment due to the student’s failure to maintain satisfactory progress; failure to abide by the rules and regulations of the institution; absences in excess of the maximum set forth by the institution; and/or failure to meet financial obligations to the university.
• The student has failed to attend class for 14 days.
• The student fails to return from a leave of absence.

For the purpose of determining the amount of the refund, the date of the student’s withdrawal shall be deemed the last date of recorded attendance. The amount owed equals the daily charge for the program during the billing period (total institutional charge, minus non-refundable fees, divided by the number of days in the billing period), multiplied by the number of days scheduled to attend, prior to withdrawal. For the purpose of determining when the refund must be paid, the student shall be deemed to have withdrawn at the end of 14 days.

For programs beyond the current “payment period,” if a student withdraws prior to the next payment period, all charges collected for the next period will be refunded. If any portion of the tuition was paid from the proceeds of a loan or third party, the refund shall be sent to the lender, third party or, if appropriate, to the state or federal agency that guaranteed or reinsured the loan. Any amount of the refund in excess of the unpaid balance of the loan shall be first used to repay any student financial aid programs from which the student received benefits, in proportion to the amount of the benefits received, and any remaining amount shall be paid to the student.

Tests and supplies not used are not charged to the student. Any refund amount will be adjusted for the cost of testing and supplies not returned in good condition within 10 calendar days of withdrawal or termination.