What is the primary objective of **FERPA**?

**FERPA's primary objective is to protect the privacy of parents and students by regulating access to and disclosure of personally identifiable information (PII) in education records.** Enacted in 1974 as section 444 of the General Education Provisions Act (20 U.S.C. § 1232g), with regulations at 34 CFR Part 99, it grants rights to inspect records within 45 days (§99.10), seek amendments for inaccurate/misleading content (§99.20), and require signed consent for disclosures unless exceptions apply (§99.30).

Who is legally or professionally required to comply with **FERPA**?

**FERPA applies to educational agencies or institutions receiving funds under programs administered by the U.S. Secretary of Education.** This includes public K-12 districts, most postsecondary institutions via student aid like Pell Grants (§99.1(c)), and applies institution-wide to all components (§99.1(d)). Rights holders are parents of students under 18 or in K-12, transferring to "eligible students" (18+ or postsecondary) (§99.5).

Does **FERPA** require an external audit or third-party certification?

**FERPA does not require external audits or third-party certification.** Compliance is demonstrated through internal policies, annual notifications (§99.7), disclosure recordkeeping (§99.32), and response to Department of Education investigations by the Family Policy Compliance Office (§99.60). Vendors treated as school officials must meet direct control and redisclosure limits (§99.31(a)(1)(i)(B)).

How often should an assessment for **FERPA** be performed?

**FERPA requires annual notification of rights to parents/eligible students (§99.7(a)), but does not mandate periodic assessments.** Institutions should conduct ongoing data inventories, access reviews, and disclosure log audits aligned with record retention; best practices include semi-annual internal audits of policies, training, and vendor compliance to ensure adherence to §99.32 recordkeeping.

What are the consequences of non-compliance with **FERPA**?

**Non-compliance with FERPA can result in withholding of federal funds, cease-and-desist orders, or termination of funding eligibility by the Secretary (§99.67(a)).** The Family Policy Compliance Office investigates complaints filed within 180 days (§99.63-64); third-party violators face five-year PII access bans (§99.67(c)-(e)). No private right of action exists.

Can **FERPA** be mapped to other international frameworks?

**FERPA's structure of rights, consent, and exceptions can align with elements of other privacy frameworks, but no formal mapping is prescribed in 34 CFR Part 99.** Its PII definition (§99.3), access timelines, and disclosure logging share concepts with regimes emphasizing data minimization and purpose limitation, enabling gap analyses for multi-jurisdictional compliance.

What is the first step to begin implementing **FERPA**?

**The first step to implement FERPA is publishing an annual notification of rights compliant with 34 CFR §99.7.** This must detail inspection/amendment procedures, consent rules, complaint filing, and—if used—criteria for school officials and legitimate educational interests (§99.7(a)(3)), delivered via means reasonably likely to inform parents/eligible students.

What is the primary objective of **COBIT**?

**COBIT's primary objective is to help organizations create value from I&T, manage risk, and optimize resources through a tailored governance system.** COBIT 2019 defines 40 governance and management objectives across five domains—**EDM** (Evaluate, Direct, Monitor), **APO** (Align, Plan, Organize), **BAI** (Build, Acquire, Implement), **DSS** (Deliver, Service, Support), and **MEA** (Monitor, Evaluate, Assess)—translating stakeholder needs via the goals cascade into actionable practices and **CMMI-based performance management** (levels 0-5).

Who is legally or professionally required to comply with **COBIT**?

**No organizations are legally required to comply with COBIT, as it is a voluntary framework maintained by ISACA.** Professionally, it is adopted by enterprises relying on I&T for value creation, particularly in regulated sectors like finance and utilities, where boards and executives use it for **EGIT** (enterprise governance of I&T) to meet internal controls and demonstrate accountability through **design factors** and **components**.

Does **COBIT** require an external audit or third-party certification?

**COBIT does not require external audits or third-party certification.** Assessments use **COBIT Performance Management** (CPM) with capability levels 0-5, enabling internal evaluations or optional ISACA-aligned assurance via **MEA04 Managed Assurance**. Organizations may engage accredited assessors for credibility, but COBIT emphasizes self-managed maturity via practices and metrics.

How often should an assessment for **COBIT** be performed?

**COBIT assessments should be performed annually or upon significant changes in enterprise context.** **COBIT 2019** guidance via **MEA** domain and **CMMI-inspired CPM** recommends regular capability reviews (e.g., quarterly for high-priority objectives) to baseline, target levels, and track improvements, using design factors like strategy shifts or threat landscape updates to trigger re-assessments.

What are the consequences of non-compliance with **COBIT**?

**Non-compliance with COBIT carries no direct legal penalties, as it is not a regulation.** Indirect consequences include heightened enterprise risk, suboptimal I&T value, audit deficiencies in aligned controls, and failure to meet stakeholder expectations, potentially amplifying regulatory exposures in **EDM** oversight or **MEA** conformance monitoring.

Can **COBIT** be mapped to other international frameworks?

**Yes, COBIT 2019 explicitly supports mapping to other frameworks via its governance framework principles.** It aligns objectives and components (e.g., processes, structures) to standards through **design factors** and openness, enabling integration as an umbrella model for enterprise-wide consistency without replacing operational specifics.

What is the first step to begin implementing **COBIT**?

**The first step to implement COBIT is to evaluate enterprise context using design factors and the goals cascade.** Per **COBIT 2019 Design Guide**, assess **11 design factors** (e.g., strategy, risk profile, compliance requirements) to scope objectives, baseline capabilities via **CPM** (levels 0-5), and produce an initial governance system roadmap.

FERPA vs COBIT

Standards Comparison

FERPA

Mandatory

1974

U.S. federal regulation protecting student education records privacy

COBIT

Voluntary

2019

Global framework for enterprise IT governance and management

Quick Verdict

FERPA mandates student record privacy for US schools via access, consent, and disclosure rules, enforced by funding cuts. COBIT provides voluntary IT governance framework for enterprises to align tech with business goals through objectives and maturity assessments.

Student Privacy

FERPA

Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)

Cost

€€€

Complexity

Medium

Implementation Time

6-12 months

Key Features

45-day right to inspect and review education records
Consent required for PII disclosures with exceptions
Expansive PII definition including linkable indirect identifiers
School officials access via legitimate educational interest
Mandatory annual notifications and disclosure recordkeeping

IT Governance

COBIT

COBIT 2019: Control Objectives for Information and Related Technologies

Cost

€€€€

Complexity

High

Implementation Time

12-18 months

Key Features

40 objectives across 5 domains (EDM, APO, BAI, DSS, MEA)
11 design factors for tailored governance systems
CMMI-based capability levels 0-5 for performance management
Goals cascade linking stakeholder needs to IT outcomes
Explicit separation of governance from management roles

Detailed Analysis

A comprehensive look at the specific requirements, scope, and impact of each standard.

FERPA Details

What It Is

Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), enacted 1974 as 20 U.S.C. §1232g with regulations at 34 CFR Part 99, is a U.S. federal regulation safeguarding student education records and PII. It grants rights to parents/eligible students at federally funded institutions, using a consent-based model with exceptions for operational needs and risk-based PII definitions.

Key Components

Core rights: inspect/review (45 days), amend inaccurate records, consent to disclosures
Definitions: broad education records, expansive PII (direct/indirect/linkable), directory information
15+ disclosure exceptions (school officials, emergencies, audits)
Obligations: annual notices, disclosure logs (§99.32), hearings Compliance via policies/practices; enforced by Dept. of Education.

Why Organizations Use It

Mandatory for federal fund recipients to avoid penalties/funding loss
Reduces breach risks, lawsuits, reputational harm
Builds stakeholder trust, enables edtech/vendor use
Supports data-driven education while managing privacy

Implementation Overview

Phased: governance, data inventory/classification, RBAC/training, vendor DPAs, logging/incident response. For K-12/postsecondary; scales by size. No certification; complaint-driven audits.

COBIT Details

What It Is

COBIT 2019, or Control Objectives for Information and Related Technologies, is an ISACA-owned governance framework for enterprise IT (I&T). It helps organizations create value from I&T, manage risks, and optimize resources by translating stakeholder needs into 40 governance and management objectives across five domains using a tailored, design-factor-driven approach.

Key Components

**Five domainsEDM (governance), APO (strategy), BAI (delivery), DSS (operations), MEA (assurance).
40 objectives with practices and metrics.
Six governance principles and seven components (processes, structures, etc.).
CMMI-based performance management (levels 0-5); no formal certification, but capability assessments.

Why Organizations Use It

Aligns I&T with business goals via goals cascade.
Supports compliance (SOX, GDPR) and risk optimization.
Enhances auditability, digital transformation, and stakeholder trust.
Provides competitive edge through measurable governance.

Implementation Overview

Phased: assess, design (11 factors), pilot, operate, improve.
Involves training, RACI, MEA dashboards.
Suits enterprises any size/industry; voluntary, audit-aligned.

Key Differences

Aspect	FERPA	COBIT
Scope	Student education records privacy	Enterprise IT governance/management
Industry	US education institutions	All industries worldwide
Nature	Mandatory US federal regulation	Voluntary governance framework
Testing	Complaint investigations, audits	Capability/maturity assessments
Penalties	Federal funding withholding	No legal penalties

Scope

FERPA

Student education records privacy

COBIT

Enterprise IT governance/management

Industry

FERPA

US education institutions

COBIT

All industries worldwide

Nature

FERPA

Mandatory US federal regulation

COBIT

Voluntary governance framework

Testing

FERPA

Complaint investigations, audits

COBIT

Capability/maturity assessments

Penalties

FERPA

Federal funding withholding

COBIT

No legal penalties

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about FERPA and COBIT

FERPA FAQ

COBIT FAQ

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FERPA

COBIT

Quick Verdict

FERPA

Key Features

COBIT

Key Features

Detailed Analysis

FERPA Details

What It Is

Key Components

Why Organizations Use It

Implementation Overview

COBIT Details

What It Is

Key Components

Why Organizations Use It

Implementation Overview

Key Differences

Scope

Industry

Nature

Testing

Penalties

Frequently Asked Questions

FERPA FAQ

What is the primary objective of FERPA?

Who is legally or professionally required to comply with FERPA?

Does FERPA require an external audit or third-party certification?

How often should an assessment for FERPA be performed?

What are the consequences of non-compliance with FERPA?

Can FERPA be mapped to other international frameworks?

What is the first step to begin implementing FERPA?

COBIT FAQ

What is the primary objective of COBIT?

Who is legally or professionally required to comply with COBIT?

Does COBIT require an external audit or third-party certification?

How often should an assessment for COBIT be performed?

What are the consequences of non-compliance with COBIT?

Can COBIT be mapped to other international frameworks?

What is the first step to begin implementing COBIT?

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Decoding Tomorrow's Regulations: How Advanced Compliance Tools Predict and Prepare for Future Shifts

Run Maturity Assessments with GRADUM

Check out these other Gradum.io Standards Comparison Pages

PRINCE2 vs FDA 21 CFR Part 11

CSL (Cyber Security Law of China) vs FedRAMP

ISO 13485 vs MAS TRM