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Any personally identifying information or financial information related to an application for state financial aid is exempt from public inspection and copying under chapter 42.56 RCW.
Records of applicants to any alternative application for state financial aid for postsecondary education approved by the council, and related records, including student numbers assigned by the council, must be held for a period of no longer than one year following the end of a postsecondary institution's award year, absent an outstanding audit or appeal regarding the award of aid and unless otherwise required by law.
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No state agency may provide information described in subsection (1) of this section to any other entity, including the federal government, absent a court order.
The prohibition in (a) of this subsection does not apply to information described in subsection (1) of this section shared between the council and any other entity for the purpose of supporting or facilitating student enrollment, limited only to the information described in subsection (1) of this section that is necessary for that purpose. No information may be shared under this subsection without a binding data-sharing agreement that prohibits the other entity from sharing information to any third parties.
The council and institutions of higher education may not, absent a court order, disclose or reproduce records described in subsection (2) of this section to any other entity, including the federal government, unless required to comply with state or federal law, or in response to a lawfully issued court order.
For purposes of this section, "application for state financial aid" means any other alternative application for state financial aid for postsecondary education approved by the council, excluding the free application for federal student aid.