FERPA Parents

The ECU Parent and Family Portal is your one-stop shop for remaining informed and engaged with ECU!

Sending students to college can be difficult. Parent and family support is a huge part of student success, especially during the transitional first year. An important way families can support their student is familiarizing themselves with campus resources to help their student navigate the ECU experience.

The ECU Parent and Family Portal provides parents with an online experience they can personalize.

Automated and fully personalized newsletters
Email announcements from ECU
View your student’s information
Join communities based on your interests

Troubleshooting and Frequently Asked Questions

Do parents and guardians have access to their student’s educational records?

Although parents and guardians do not have automatic access to their student’s educational and financial records, the university is allowed to share these records with a parent or guardian if the student gives permission. This rule is set by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA). The act provides the right for a student to inspect and review educational records, the right to seek to amend those records, and to limit disclosure of information from those records.

ECU utilizes the ECU Parent and Family Portal to provide and manage FERPA access for students, parents, guardians, and family members.

Connect to Your Student (FERPA Permissions)

One of the greatest benefits to the Parent and Family Portal is the ability to connect to your student to access grades, schedule, bill, and more. To connect to your student, follow the instructions below:

Ensure you are logged into your ECU Parent and Family Portal account. To log in, visit  Portal Sign-in
Click the graduation cap in the top right corner.
Click “Go to my connections.”
Click “Add my first connection.”
Enter your student’s ECU email address, ________@students.ecu.edu.
Choose your relationship to your student.
Request access to which educational records you would like to see. Your student will receive an email to their ECU student email address to respond to the request.

Did you request a connection, but it hasn’t gone through? Try the following:

Double check to ensure you entered your student’s ECU email address correctly, using only Last Name, First Name Initial, Year of Admittance @students.ecu.edu. (Example: PeeDee Pirate, admitted Fall 2019. His ECU email: piratep19@students.ecu.edu)
Ensure you are using the correct ECU email address. You can do so by visiting the ECU Directory and typing in your student’s first and last name.
If the email address is correct, you should see your student’s name appear on the connection request rather than their email address.

If the email address is incorrect, simply cancel the request and re-submit with their correct ECU email. Scroll down on the request form and click “cancel this connection.”

If the email address is correct but the tiles still say “PENDING”, double check with your student to ensure they have fully responded to your connection request. Your student can log in to ECU Parent and Family Portal Sign_in by clicking “Are you a student? Log in here.” Using their ECU username and password, they will be directed to a specific page to adjust their permissions. Often students will approve the connection request but will forget to approve the specific FERPA-related fields. Once students have approved your connection request fully, the tiles will switch from “PENDING” to “LOADING”. Information is updated nightly.

Please note that your student must be registered for classes in order to complete a connection request. For new students, this will happen the day after registering for classes, for transfer students, this will happen when the semester changes over prior to their start date.

**Your FERPA permissions/connection request will expire after one year (365 days). After a year, you will receive an email notification to create a new connection.

Adding Multiple Students

Do you have multiple students at ECU? You can add each student in your Parent and Family Portal account by clicking the graduation cap icon and selecting “Go to my connections.” Once on the connections page, fill out a connection request for your first student. Once completed, click the “Add Connection” button to add your additional student’s connection request. Repeat this step for each ECU Student.

Updating Contact Information

Click the person icon on the top-right corner of the page. Select “Edit my Profile.” To add additional contact information, click “Edit my Contact Info” on the left-side menu.

Update Notification Preferences

Click the person icon on the top-right corner of the page. Select “Notifications” from the left-side menu.

Why should I use the ECU Parent and Family Portal?

The ECU Parent and Family Portal Sign_in is your one-stop shop for remaining informed and engaged with ECU! An important way families can support their student is familiarizing themselves with campus resources to help their student navigate the ECU experience.

Are tax forms available to print from the ECU Parent and Family Portal?

No, all tax forms can be found on your student’s PiratePort account. Instructions on how your student can access this information can be found at Electronic delivery of 1098-T Statements

How often are my student’s grades updated?

Only final course grades are shown in the ECU Parent and Family Portal. Faculty submit final grades to the Registrar’s Office by the date identified on the Academic Calendar. Grades/GPA are updated on the portal between 2 to 3 days after being submitted by faculty.

Where can I get more details on my student’s financial information listed on my ECU Parent and Family Portal account?

Account Balance

For more information on what is listed under Account Balance, call the Cashier’s Office at 252-737-6886. Please remember that in order to speak to the Cashier’s Office about your student’s information, you must be listed on their Buckley Form. Your student can access the Buckley Form on their PiratePort account.

You can also log on to TouchNet for more details on the financial information listed Account Balance. To access TouchNet, your student must grant you as an authorized user. As an authorized user, parents/family members will receive email notifications of new billing statements, view and print billing statements, make online payments, and gain access to the eBill system by logging into TouchNet. For more information about eBilling and TouchNet, please visit eBilling

Financial Aid

For more information on what is listed under the Financial Aid tiles, call the Financial Aid Office at 252-328-6610 or 252-737-6610. Please remember that in order to discuss your student’s financial aid information, you must be listed on their Buckley Form. Your student can access the Buckley Form on their PiratePort account.

What if I forget my password?

Need help? Feel free to contact us by phone or email. We have access to your account and can send a “reset password” email. This will give you the ability to reset your own password. Your password will not change until you access the link and create a new one. The link sent will expire after 48 hours.

Can I pay my student’s bill on the ECU Parent and Family Portal?

No, bills can only be paid online using the TouchNet, in-person at the Cashier’s Office, or by mail. For more information on paying for your student’s bill, please visit the ECU Cashier’s Office website.