Solomon Amendment
Solomon Amendment
The Solomon Amendment is a federal law that permits military recruiters to access certain information about students age 17 and older.
The Solomon Amendment requires institutions that receive certain forms of federal funding—including Federal Direct Loans—to provide military recruiters with access to campus and, upon request, student recruitment information. This includes limited directory information that may otherwise be restricted under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).
The Department of Education has determined the Solomon Amendment supersedes most elements of FERPA. An institution is therefore obligated to release data included in the list of “student recruiting information,” which may or may not match Teachers College’s FERPA directory information list. For more information, please see AACRAO’s Solomon Amendment FAQs.
Procedure for Releasing Information Under the Solomon Amendment
- All requests for information must be submitted to the Office of the Registrar
- Military recruiters from the five major branches of the Armed Forces (Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard) may submit one written request per semester on official letterhead clearly identifying the requesting unit.
- The request must specify whether the request is for information pertaining to the current or immediately preceding semester.
- TC staff will verify that the request complies with legally releasable information requirements, excluding data protected by FERPA suppression.
- Data is transferred securely.
- Released information may be used solely for military recruitment purposes.
Information usually requested pursuant to the Solomon Amendment includes, but is not limited to:
- name
- mailing, campus, and permanent addresses
- local and permanent telephone numbers
- email address
- age or birth year
- degree program and major field of study
- degrees conferred and their dates