Public Records Requests

Public records requests may be submitted via email to public.records@uc.edu or via mail  to: 

Public Records Manager
Office of General Counsel
University of Cincinnati
PO Box 210661
Cincinnati, Ohio 45221-0661

A public record means (1) any document, device, or item, regardless of physical form or characteristic, including electronic record, (2) created or received by or coming under the jurisdiction of the public office, (3) which serves to document the organization, functions, policies, decisions, procedures, operations, or other activities of the public office.  

If a document does not meet all three parts of the definition of “public record” above, then it is a non-record and is not subject to the Public Records Act. 

The Public Records Act governs the release of records, not answers to questions or requests for information.

Public records may documents such as personnel files, reports, contracts, and certain correspondence that documents University operations and that meets the three-part definition of a “public record.”

The Public Records Act protects certain records by either requiring or allowing a public office to withhold them from public release.  You may find those exemptions at O.R.C. 149.43 or by referring to the Ohio Sunshine Law Manual. 

Often, if only part of a record is protected by an exception, then the public office will redact or obscure only that part of the record and provide the remaining, unprotected portion, to the requester. 

Some examples of information that is likely to be redacted from records include personally identifiable information, such as social security numbers, drivers’ license numbers, and account numbers, as well as medical information, student education records, and trade secrets.  

Generally, a requester can seek emails to or from specific University employees for a certain defined period of time and noting specific key words in the emails. Note that the more specific the information provided in the request is, the more likely the request can be successfully fulfilled. 

The University maintains a directory of faculty, staff and departments, which is available at https://ucdirectory.uc.edu/. 

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act prohibits the disclosure of a student’s education records without the student’s written consent.   

Students may request their own education records through the Office of the Registrar.     

No. The medical facility is a separate entity and not part of the public institution.  You may reach out to the Office of General Counsel, UC Health, 3200 Burnet Avenue, 5th Floor, Room 5112, Cincinnati, Ohio 45229 for any records associated with UC Health and/or the University of Cincinnati Medical Center.