Guest Access Portal (GAP) FAQs

• Personnel within the University that have a legitimate educational interest.
• School officials at other institutions where the student is seeking to enroll.
• Personnel or organizations determining financial aid decisions or providing financial aid to the student.
• Accrediting organizations in the performance of their accrediting duties.
• Persons in compliance with a judicial order or lawfully issued subpoena. The institution shall first make reasonable attempt to notify the student, unless the subpoena is issued from a federal grand jury, or issued for a law-enforcement purpose, and orders the University not to notify the student.
• Persons in an emergency, if the knowledge or information is necessary to protect the health or safety of the student or person

• Direct discussion of non-directory information (grades, academic performance or standing) is not permissible under FERPA without written permission or in verified and consenting presence.
• Students may create a guest access account and assign access to specific pieces of information to anyone they choose. In the Guest Access Portal, guests can potentially view items such as a student’s class schedule, mid-term and final grades, unofficial academic transcript, financial aid, and student account activity.
• The Guest Access Portal does not change the fact that the student is responsible for his or her educational success. As a family member/guest, if you have questions about your student that cannot be answered by viewing the Guest Access Portal, you are encouraged to direct those questions to your student. Faculty/staff have the right to abstain from answering any question or arrange a three-way conversation with the student playing a lead role if necessary.

• The Guest Access Portal (GAP) allows students to grant access to a parent and/or guest to view their education records in My UNC Charlotte/Banner Self-Service. UNC Charlotte students can do so via a separate and unique login per guest established by the student.
• Students dictate who may view their information, and what pieces of information each guest may view. 
• In addition to student account access, students can also choose to grant access for their guest to view class registration status, student class schedule, holds, mid-term and final grades, transcripts, and financial aid. 

• Due to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), only directory information can be released to other parties without the student’s written consent. This means that specific account information such as a student’s ID number, a balance owed, late fees or financial holds, or other related information cannot be disclosed to anyone other than the student.
• The Guest Access Portal allows students to grant guest access of their education records to designated guests and specify what pieces of information each guest may view.  By granting guest access, the student is also giving UNC Charlotte permission to share the selected information with that individual.  This permission is necessary to comply with the federal law.

• The guest/student relationship is controlled by the student. The student can create guest user accounts and assign access to specific pieces of information.
• Guest users can potentially view items such as a student’s class schedule, mid-term and final grades, unofficial academic transcript, financial aid, and student account activity. The student can change access for his/her guest and can also choose to stop guest access to his/her information at any time in Banner Self-Service.
• Requests to access student information and to become a guest should be made directly to the student.

Only students can create guest access accounts in Banner Self Service.  Below are the instructions on how to set up a guest and select the information you allow that person to access:

1. Log in to MyCharlotte
2. Click Student Self Service
3. Click the Guest Access Portal link
4. Click Add New
5. Set up a Guest Profile for the person you want to grant access by entering the following information:
   1. Name and email of the person
   2. Select Guest in the Relationship box
   3. Start/Stop date for access
   4. Description
   5. Passphrase*
   6. Select Authorizations, check the boxes for the specific pages you want your guest to have access
6.   Click Submit. An email will be sent to your guest to verify their identity, create a PIN and login and set up the relationship profile.

Creating a Passphrase

• In addition to providing information about your guest, you have the option to create a unique verbal “passphrase” for each guest.
• If your guest calls to speak to any university faculty/staff about your records, the faculty/staff member will require the passphrase to validate the guest’s identity before providing authorized information over the phone.  
• * Be sure to tell this passphrase to your guest!  The passphrase only helps confirm the identity of the person on the phone. After confirming the passphrase, university staff will also check the specific information to which the student has given access for that specific guest.

• If you are meeting with the guest in person, you may verify his/her identity using any form of photo identification.
• If you are talking with them on the phone, you need a passphrase to make sure the person on the phone is who they say they are.  If they don’t have a passphrase, have the student create one in the guest access portal, or resend their current passphrase to the parent/guest via email.

• Adding: Students may add new guests at any time in Banner Self-Service. 
• Updating: Students may update or change which information their guest has access to at any time in Banner Self-Service. 
• Deleting: The university does not allow students to delete a guest. However, to stop access for a guest, you can change the ending access date.
• University staff cannot add or change guest access.

• University faculty/staff have two options to check each student’s guest access names and the Banner screen for which they have been provided access.
  • In Banner Self Service, use the Guest Access Authorizations link.
  • In Banner Admin Pages, use GPAPRXY. 
• In addition to providing a login to the guest, the student will designate a unique verbal passphrase per guest. Therefore, as a second layer of security, staff must validate the guest’s passphrase before providing authorized information over the phone.  The passphrase only helps confirm the identity of the person on the phone. After confirming the passphrase, staff must also check the specific information the student has given access for that specific guest.
• The GAP does not change the fact that the student is responsible for his or her educational success.  Family members/guests who have been given access to a student’s academic record may have questions, but please encourage them to direct those questions to the student so that the student takes ownership. Faculty/staff have the right to abstain from answering any question or arrange a three-way conversation with the student playing a lead role if necessary.  If you are contacted by someone to whom a student has given Guest Access privilege, and you have questions on how best to proceed, consult with your department chair or dean’s office.

• Use this link that was sent to you via email by the student when your access was set up.
• View these step-by-step instructions for setting up your guest access.

The email sent by your student contains the Guest Login link.  You may use this link to access the Guest Access Portal login page.

• While the Guest Access Portal allows parents/guests to view the student’s selected education records, it doesn’t allow guests to make any changes to the student’s account. 
• On the other hand, Authorized Payers are granted access to the student’s account. Authorized Payers are permitted to view student account information and make payments on the student’s behalf. 
• Authorized payers DO NOT have access to stored payment methods, academic records, or other personal information.