Student files that are created and maintained for departmental advising purposes are confidential and subject to the provisions of FERPA and Student Right To Know laws. Therefore, they should be stored in a secure environment, which is not subject to unwarranted access by non-academic personnel.

Upon transfer or completion of an academic career by graduation, the advising records should be retained in the department for no less than two years and for no more than four years and should then be shredded or incinerated. While in the department, they should continue to be treated as confidential material. Authorized departmental access to the official record of any UNCW student or former student may be obtained through the Registrar's Office via the World Wide Web.