Office of General Counsel

Solomon Amendment

The Solomon Amendment was enacted into federal law in 1994. This amendment allows military recruiters to access specific student information about students who are at least  17 years of age and older. Under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) student education records are generally considered private, except for information designated by the institution as Directory Information. However, the U.S. Department of Education has determined that the Solomon Amendment supersedes many of the privacy elements of FERPA. This means that an institution of higher education like Portland State University (the University) is obligated to release specific information to military recruiters about students defined in the Solomon Amendment’s list of “Student Recruiting Infor­mation.” The student’s consent to release this information is not required, even though the list of Student Recruiting Information under the Solomon Amendment is broader than the University’s definition of Directory Information under FERPA. For example, Student Recruiting Information includes a student’s address and phone number, which are not identified as Directory Information at Portland State University under FERPA.  

Below is a list of Student Recruitment Information that the University is obligated to release to military recruiters, along with an outline of the process the University uses to release the information.  The American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO) has a resource page about the Solomon Amendment with more extensive information that you may find helpful.

If a student has submitted a Student Records Privacy Request form through the University Registrar to restrict the release of Directory Information, then no information from the student's education record will be released to military recruiters under the Solomon Amendment. Detailed information on the implications of withholding Directory Information can be found on the Office of the Registrar webpage. The process includes completing the Student Records Privacy Request form and returning it to the Office of the Registrar. You will be asked to show a photo ID with the form when it is submitted.

Definition of  "Student Recruitment Information" or "Solomon Information"

  • Name
  • Mailing address
  • Email address
  • Telephone number
  • Age, place, and date of birth
  • Level of education
  • Academic major
  • Degrees awarded
  • Educational institution in which the student was most recently enrolled

Portland State University’s Procedure for Releasing Student Recruitment Information to Military Recruiters:

  1. Solomon Amendment requests should be submitted to and processed by the University’s Public Records Officer.  Requests should be made via email to publicrecords@pdx.edu. 

  2. Under the Solomon Amendment, Student Recruitment Information will be released to the authorized branches of the military, which are permitted to use the information for military recruitment purposes only.

  3. The military recruiters may request Student Recruitment Information one time each term within the five branches of the service:

    1. Army: Army, Army Reserve, Army National Guard

    2. Navy: Navy, Navy Reserve

    3. Marine Corps: Marine Corps, Marine Corps Reserve

    4. Air Force: Air Force, Air Force Reserve, Air Force National Guard

    5. Coast Guard: Coast Guard, Coast Guard Reserve

  4. The request should be submitted in writing on letterhead clearly identifying the unit of service requesting the Student Recruitment Information.

  5. The request should list what specific Student Recruitment Information is being requested.

  6. The request should specify whether the Student Recruitment Information needed is for the current or previous term.

 

The following statement is included alerting the recruiter to our data requirements: The University expects military recruiters receiving this information to ensure all transmission, receipt, storage, use, and disposal of student information provided pursuant to the Solomon Amendment is handled in a secure manner to prevent unauthorized third-party access. Specifically, a student's address, phone, and age are not considered Directory Information at our institution and must not be redisclosed except as may be expressly permitted by law.