<p>I feel like this is a dumb question. I've searched the forum and can't find an answer. So here goes... How does a parent get to see a student's grades? Is it only through the student? I am assuming I will not have access to my son's college transcripts and grades (even as the footer of the bill!) and in some sense this is a bit of a relief as it will keep me from stressing out, but at the same time, I want to know how he is doing! (He will be a freshman this fall.)</p>
<p>Are your college kids forthcoming in sharing their semester grades with you?</p>
<p>I am a college kid, but at my school, you have to sign over permission and set up a special login and password so your parent(s) can see your grades. My parents don’t check, but I’m pretty forthright about my grades with them.</p>
<p>Through my college you have to get it from the student. There is no other way because they are considered personal records. Pretty much if you can believe they are hard working and care about their future there is little you have to worry about. However, if you suspect they are going out and partying all the time then that’s another factor all of its own.</p>
<p>I had access to D1’s grades while she was in college, and will do the same for D2 when she is in college this fall. I get their ID and PW. D1 used to call me after she got any major grade back.</p>
<p>I know a lot of parents do not think it is appropriate, but I don’t like surprises.</p>
<p>At both of my kids’ colleges, the student could agree to give access for parents to grades online…this was final course grades only, not grades for tests.</p>
<p>At DS’s school, his grades were actually mailed to us. Kids at that school had to opt OUT of having the grades sent to parents.</p>
<p>At DD’s school, she received all correspondences but we had permission to view her bursar’s account info…but not her grades.</p>
<p>Having said all of that, our agreement with our kids was that we needed to see their final grades or we would not continue to pay the bills. Both readily opened their student portals with us during school breaks to share their grades.</p>
<p>I think the only way to see your student’s semester grades is to tell him/her that you would like to, or expect to, see them. I’ve never seen any of my kids’ transcripts, but I would have had no problem asking to see them if I thought it was necessary. It helps some students stay on track to know their parents expect to see their transcripts each semester. I realize now that we could easily have been too trusting, but it worked out for us, thankfully.</p>
<p>Our kids always told us what their GPAs were, and they were confirmed by notifications from the school (Dean’s List, qualifying for certain programs, Latin honors on the diploma, etc.). I do believe that college grades belong to the student, but as your student’s source of support, you can apply any conditions that seem right to you.</p>
<p>We had a deal with all 3 of our kids. They could either go to the registrar’s office and fill out the form to have the grades sent home, or they could pay their tuition bills. Guess which option they chose? ;)</p>
<p>The point would be if they were not doing well, they would try to hide it from you hoping they could bring it up by semester end before you would see it, and often that’s too late. There have been many threads on CC that parents said their kids thought they had a C, but turned out to be D/F. If you could live with “it’s a lesson for him/her to learn,” then you don’t need to know. I do admire parents who could get to that state, more power to them.</p>
<p>I stopped checking up on D1 after a year, as soon as I knew she was on the right track.</p>
<p>There is actually a federal statute that now prevents colleges from disclosing certain information to anyone (including parents) about a student over the age of 18, without written permission by the student.
There’s a short explanation of FERPA at
[FERPA</a> - Federal Privacy Laws and FERPA](<a href=“http://youngadults.about.com/od/collegelife/g/ferpa.htm]FERPA”>http://youngadults.about.com/od/collegelife/g/ferpa.htm)
At my daughter’s college, they mailed parents the first quarter grades during her freshman year, but let everyone know this is the last grades we would see directly from the university unless she signed a FERPA waiver. </p>
<p>Like all the other posters, however, she’s very good about letting us know her grades, so it hasn’t been an issue. If it became one, I wouldn’t have any hesitation about asking her to sign a FERPA waiver in exchange for what we are paying for her education.</p>
<p>We have an agreement that our payment of tuition means we get the password/ferpa approval to see the grades. The one time I chose to let it go was the semester my son changed his pin and simultaneously got bad advice from his college advisor which caused him to have to take a post-commencement class (the advisor inaccurately claimed "history of rock ‘n’ roll counted for a history requirement).</p>
<p>We do not harass our children about grades even when those grades could be better. We do not contact the college or faculty members about grades.
For midsemester/weekly grades, the best source of information is the child - unless s/he is willing to give you the password for their email and blackboard/moodle account. But that would be creepy…</p>
<p>We have ID and PW to D’s student account. I checked a few times during the first quarter - mainly to see if I could figure out how to work the system. This access is also needed for FA details. As some of the other posters have stated…no ticky no laundry…no access no pay.</p>
We, as parents, do not have access to our son’s ID, password or grades. We rarely ask; he rarely shares. We do ask for his transcript annually to submit for the “good student” auto insurance discount. And I also saw his transcript this spring because I packaged a scholarship renewal application. But no discussion needed. He knows he has 4 years and it’s his future that he’s preparing for. Our commitment to pay is not contingent on seeing his grades.</p>
<p>It’s a misconception that FERPA prevents disclosure of students’ records to parents. If the student has been claimed as a dependent on either parent’s federal tax return, then the school may (but does not have to) disclose the information to either parent. Many schools apparently do not, by policy, do so - or they make it burdensome - but that’s the school’s policy, not the government’s. </p>
<p>For myself, I consider my D an adult and capable of taking responsibility for her own affairs. My role is to support her in every way I can, including financially. If she chooses to share her grades with me, that’s her call. I don’t intend to try to control her with the money card.</p>
<p>EDIT: cross-posted with archiesmom, who said it much better than I did.</p>
And my point is if they lie to you about their grades, what else are they lying to you about? I think I have a strong enough relationship with my children that they don’t feel the need to lie to me about their grades.</p>
<p>Oldest attended a school where you had to make an appt with your advisor to discuss your grades to know what they were.
I could have written to request them, but I didn’t.
Youngest has given me her password.</p>
<p>At my U, students have to give their parents access to their accounts. They get their own special log in after approval by the student. To be quite honest, I’ve never used it so I’m not sure what you can see and what you can’t. I think you can see grades, classes, FA, and the bill. Maybe more, maybe less. </p>
<p>As a student, my parents have never asked for my grades. I do always tell them because I’m generally quite happy with my grades. I’d be happy to turn over all of my login information to them if they ever asked, but they’ve never asked. They never wanted access to my high school grades and stuff either.</p>
<p>My boyfriend’s parents have the deal that they need to have access to his stuff or they won’t pay the tuition bill. He gave them the guest account and I guess it works out well for them.</p>
<p>DS has given us his ID and PW so whatever he can see online, we can see if we look. Of course he could change his PW at any time just like we can decide to stop paying his college expenses at any time.</p>
<p>I have had both daughters’ log-in information because we pay tuition monthlyand it has to be done through the portal. I could have accessed grade info but never did except the semester that D2 was worried sick about one grade and wanted me to warn her. (It was B+, which is fine)</p>
I suppose they could lie but what would be the point?</p>