About Identification Numbers

• The Privacy Act of 1974 (U.S. Public Law 93-579, Sect. 7) requires that the university notify students that disclosure of a Social Security number is voluntary.
• Pursuant to the 2003 State Code of the Commonwealth of Virginia, no student identification card may display the social security number as an identifier.
• Effective for students entering Fall 1976 and beyond, a generated identification number is utilized as the default unique identifier.
• This generated number is nine digits in length and begins with the number, "9" (nine).
• The generated student identification is defined as personally identifiable information by federal legislation, FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) (U.S. Public Law 93-579, Sect. 7), and is prohibited from disclosure except to education officials with legitimate educational interest.