The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) of 1974 restricts access to and disclosure of information from students' education records without the written consent of the student, except in certain instances permitted under the Act. (This may include access to and disclosure of information to parents of dependent students.)

In accordance with provisions of the Act, Davidson provides directory information in various college publications including the Davidson College Directory, the Davidson College Official Record (commonly known as the catalogue), and various information publications of the Athletic Department. Directory information will be disclosed without the student's prior written consent unless the student has notified the Office of the Registrar to restrict release of that information.

Directory information is defined as: student name, home and local address, local telephone number, email address, eating house affiliation, photograph, date and place of birth, class, major field of study, dates of attendance, degrees and awards received, the most recent educational agency or institution attended by the student, participation in officially recognized activities and sports, and weight and height of members of athletic teams.

Please note that such information as parent's name and address, home telephone number, course schedule, grades, and grade-point average are not directory information and will not be released without the written consent of the student.

Students may withhold the release of directory information by notifying the Registrar in writing no later than seven days after the beginning of classes each semester. Following receipt of such notification, the college will not give the information to outside sources nor print it in its published directories unless they are already in the final stages of preparation. The information remains available for internal use within the faculty and administration. A request for non-disclosure of directory information will be honored for only one academic year or portion thereof. Therefore, authorization to withhold directory information must be filed annually.