University Policy on Collection and Use of Social Security Numbers
The background information solicited by the application for admission to Old Dominion University is necessary to determine the merits of applicants for admission and the applicable tuition rate. You are not legally required to furnish the information sought, but the consequence of not doing so is that your application may not be considered. If you do furnish the requested information, then it is subject to disclosure under the Virginia Open Records Act, unless you are accepted and attend Old Dominion University. At that time, personal information about you becomes protected under federal law and cannot be disclosed to anyone other than University officials without your permission, except as otherwise permitted by law, or by court order or search warrant.
The application for admission requests applicants' Social Security numbers (SSNs) for the convenience of both applicants and the University during the initial admission process, to identify applicants and to permit online application status checks (see inside front cover of the application booklet).
Old Dominion University is required by federal law to report to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) the name, address and SSN for persons from whom tuition and related expenses are received. Federal law also requires the University to obtain and report to the IRS the SSN for any person to whom compensation is paid. Failure to provide such information may delay or even prevent your enrollment. The University will not disclose a SSN for any purpose not required by law without the consent of the student. However, furnishing a SSN is voluntary and not required for enrollment.
If you attend Old Dominion University, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA) protects student SSNs in the same manner noted above, except disclosure of SSNs is then mandatory for reporting to state and federal agencies, e.g., the State Council for Higher Education in Virginia (SCHEV), the Internal Revenue Service, and in connection with financial aid.
