What compliance do colleges and universities need?
Higher education institutions face FERPA for student records, the GLBA Safeguards Rule for financial-aid data, HIPAA for campus health and clinical research, PCI DSS for tuition and payments, and NIST SP 800-171 / CMMC for federally funded research, plus state breach laws and GDPR for international students. Compyl maps one control library across all of them.
How does Compyl help with the GLBA Safeguards Rule for financial aid?
The Department of Education now requires institutions handling federal student-aid data to meet the GLBA Safeguards Rule. Compyl maps your controls to each Safeguards requirement and continuously collects the evidence, so financial-aid data protection is provable on demand rather than assembled before a review.
Does Compyl support NIST SP 800-171 and CMMC for research?
Yes. For federally funded and DoD-related research, Compyl helps you stand up, map, and continuously evidence the NIST SP 800-171 and CMMC controls a research enclave requires, so compliance protects rather than jeopardizes grant funding.
Can one control library cover a whole decentralized campus?
Yes. Compyl brings the registrar, financial aid, the health center, and research labs into one control library and evidence base. Because programs like FERPA, GLBA, HIPAA, and 800-171 share many underlying controls, evidence collected once satisfies multiple mandates across the institution.
Does Compyl cover campus vendors and research cloud enclaves?
Yes. Compyl continuously assesses and monitors the SIS and ERP vendors, EdTech SaaS, and cloud research enclaves that touch campus data, automates their security questionnaires, and quantifies exposure in dollars using the FAIR model.
Is CMMC Level 2 certification required by November 2026?
No. On July 13, 2026, DoD suspended CMMC Phase 2, which would have required C3PAO certification in new solicitations, pending a reform review. Phase 1 self-assessments, DFARS 252.204-7012, NIST SP 800-171 Rev 2 and annual affirmations remain mandatory.
Does NIH require NIST 800-171 for research data?
Yes, for controlled-access data. Since January 25, 2025, approved users of NIH controlled-access data must attest that their institution’s systems comply with NIST SP 800-171.
Will CIRCIA apply to universities?
CISA’s proposed rule would cover institutions that receive Title IV federal student aid, which is nearly all of higher education. Once the final rule takes effect, substantial cyber incidents must be reported within 72 hours and ransom payments within 24 hours.
