Dallas College

Privacy and Security Commitment

Our Promise to You

Dallas College's Privacy Commitment is based on two principles. We promise to:

  • Comply with all the applicable local, state and federal laws and regulations; and
  • Protect your privacy while still offering relevant, personalized service.

Dallas College is bound by the Texas Public Information Act and the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). Continue reading for more detailed information about Dallas College's Privacy and Security Commitment.

Page Contents

Texas Public Information Act

The Texas Public Information Act (TPIA) requires disclosure of information by a public body -- unless the law specifically protects the information. Most information kept by a public body is public under the Act. The State Attorney General enforces this Act. View additional information about the Texas Public Information Act. This is also in conjunction with the Freedom of Information Act.

Calculation of Business Days

The Texas Attorney General's Office (AG) has provided all governmental bodies clarification regarding the calculation of business days. Dallas College will respond to public information requests and provide the documents responsive as long as it is able to access the records requested.

The AG states that all governmental bodies should consider the following guidelines when calculating business days:

  • Holidays observed by the governmental body are not business days.
  • Weekends are not business days.
  • Skeleton crew days are not business days.
  • A day on which a governmental body’s administrative offices are closed is not a business day.
  • If a governmental body has closed its physical offices for purposes of a public health or epidemic response or if a governmental body is unable to access its records on a calendar day, then such day is not a business day, even if staff continues to work remotely or staff is present but involved directly in the public health or epidemic response.

Requests for police and other public records will need to be submitted by completing the Texas Public Information Act Request Form.

For questions or concerns, contact the Legal Department:

Dallas College Administrative Office
Attn: Luz Aguilar, Legal Department
1601 Botham Jean Boulevard
Dallas, Texas, 75215-1816

OpenRecords@DallasCollege.edu
Phone: 214-378-1703
Fax: 214-378-1730

Family Education Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA)

FERPA protects educational records of a student from public disclosure without written permission of the student. Although many exceptions to the Act exist, the exceptions are very limited. The Department of Education enforces this Act. View additional information about FERPA.

Download the FERPA Release/Proxy Authorization Form (PDF - 212KB)

Directory Information

Unless you ask for us to keep your information private, to comply with FERPA, Dallas College may release information classified as "directory information" to third parties without the written consent of the student.

Directory information includes:

  • Your name
  • Home address
  • Date and place of birth
  • Phone number
  • Email addresses
  • Your field of study
  • Photograph
  • Dates you attended Dallas College
  • Your enrollment status (such as full-time, part-time, undergraduate, or graduate)
  • Degrees, certificates, honors, and awards you've received
  • The type of award (academic, technical, tech-prep, or continuing education)
  • Your participation in officially recognized activities
  • Weight and height (for athletic team members only)
  • Student classification
  • The name of the most recent school you attended before Dallas College

The primary purpose of directory information is to allow the college to disclose this information, without a student's written permission, to the public and/or anyone inquiring in person, by phone, or in writing, and to use this information within the college without a student's written permission.

For example, the college may use the information in college publications, such as the honor roll or other recognition lists; graduation programs; and sports activity sheets, showing weight and height of team members. 

Directory information may be provided to outside organizations which include, but are not limited to, companies that manufacture class rings or publish yearbooks, Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, National Society of Collegiate Scholars, and other academic honor societies for students who are eligible to be considered for membership.

The college may disclose directory information unless the student provides written notice to the college to protect it from disclosure. 

This notice is available at the Admissions/Registrar's Office upon request. 

This notification authorizes the college not to list directory information in its publications or to disclose it to the public. This notice will remain in effect until the student withdraws it. 

No telephone requests for directory information will be accepted. 

If a student chooses to withhold any or all directory information, that information cannot be released any other party, including, but not limited to, another institution of education, prospective employer, family, friends, the news media, advisors, student activities, and honors societies. 

Therefore, if another party seeks confirmation of status as a student, the college will not be able to provide that information without written consent from the student. 

The college is not responsible for anything that may or may not occur as a result of honoring your request to withhold directory information. 

Transcripts or academic records are not released without a student's written consent except as allowed by law.

Students may request that all or any part of the directory information be withheld from the public by giving written notice to the Registrar's Office during the first 12 class days of a fall or spring semester or the first 4 class days of a summer session. 

Students may protect their directory information at any time during the academic year if they are unable to provide written notice within these time frames.

Information Collected by Dallas College

Basic Information We Collect

When you visit our website, our web servers automatically record information about your visit. This includes:

  • Your IP address (a unique number assigned to your computer by your internet service provider)
  • The date and time of your visit
  • The type of browser and device you're using
  • Which pages you visited on our site
  • The page you came from before arriving at our site

Additional Services for Improvement and Marketing

We use additional services to collect more detailed information about how visitors use our website. This helps us improve your experience, enhance our services, and measure how well our advertising is working.

Want to opt out? You can use a web browser or browser plugin that blocks advertising and tracking services or opt-out of individual services.

Services We Use:

Cookies and How They Are Used

Cookies are small files that websites store on your device to remember information about your visit. We use cookies to:

  • Save your preferences so you don't have to reset them each time you visit
  • Keep track of your session while you're browsing our site
  • Record which pages you visit to better understand how people use our website
  • Adjust the content you see based on your browser type and device
  • Show Dallas College advertisements to people who have previously visited our website

How to View Your Information

Currently enrolled (or recently enrolled) credit students who are registered at one of Dallas College's nine locations can obtain access to their personal information through eConnect, a secure web interface that requires you to enter your student identification number and a password. The following information is available to registered students:

  • Class schedule information
  • Email address
  • Financial Aid information
  • Grades
  • Payment information
  • Student ID number
  • Student Information Profile
  • Registration summary/fee receipts that contain:
    • Address
    • Class schedule information
    • Student ID number

How to Update or Correct Your Student Record

Currently enrolled (or recently enrolled students) credit students can correct their Student Information Profile and email address online through eConnect.

If any of the remaining personal information in your student record contains an error, please visit the Registrar's Office and request that the error be corrected. Make sure you take a photo identification card with you.

Security

Dallas College has carefully implemented the information technology industry's best practices in security measures to ensure that:

  1. the information you entrust to us is not intercepted or abused; and
  2. to protect against the loss, misuse and alteration of the information under our control.

Industry standard technologies like Secure Socket Layers (SSL) and Transport Security Layer (TSL) are used to protect your credit card information, email address, social security number and other private information so it cannot be read as it travels on the Internet. Digicert, the leading provider of digital trust services, provides secure certificates for encrypting transactions with Dallas College's secure systems, including eConnect. For Digicert's security information please visit their website at digicert.com.

TouchNet Information Systems, the leading provider of secure commerce for colleges and universities, provides secure payment processing for your online transactions with Dallas College. For TouchNet Information Systems' security information, please visit their website at touchnet.com.

Questions or Comments

Please send comments or questions to Dallas College's chief risk officer.

David Williams

David Williams

  • Chief Risk Officer
  • Legal
Updated January 23, 2026