In compliance with Florida Statute 119.071(5) (a) as amended by 2009 House Bill 7051, the college collects your Social Security Number for use in the performance of duties and responsibilities required in the Chipola College Testing Office. The Chipola CollegeTesting Center uses your Social Security Number to match your educational record withyour standardized test scores and to meet state and federal reporting guidelines. TheCollege will not disclose your Social Security Number for any purpose not required by law without your consent.

Students may request a unique student identification number which will be used for educational purposes, including access of your college records. Federal Legislation relating to the Hope Tax Credit requires that all postsecondary institutions report the Social Security Number of all postsecondary students to the Internal Revenue Service.This IRS requirement makes it necessary for community colleges to collect the Social Security Number of every student. A student may refuse to disclose his/her Social Security Number to MDC, but refusing to comply with the federal requirement may result in fines established by the Internal Revenue Service.

In addition to the federal reporting requirements, the public school system in Florida uses SSNs as a student identifier (Section 1008.386, Florida Statutes). In a seamless K-20 system, it is beneficial for postsecondary institutions to have access to the same information for purposes of tracking and assisting students in the smooth transition from one education level to the next. Student Social Security numbers are included in all Florida Department of Education required reporting. All SSNs are protected by federal regulations under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and are NEVER released to unauthorized parties.