Official Records Retention Schedules
Please Note: The UI Official Records Retention schedules are currently under revision. Updates will be posted periodically.
These retention schedules are designed to assist University departments in preserving Official Records appropriately while providing economy and efficiency in the creation, organization, maintenance, use, and disposition of records.
Search Criteria
Administrative Unit: represents either the administrative unit responsible for establishing the Official Record retention criteria OR the Administrative Unit responsible for maintaining the Official Records identified.
Confidential: indicates Official Records that contain information of various sorts that the University receives and holds confidential unless otherwise ordered by a court, by the lawful custodian of the records or by another person duly authorized to release such information. Examples include: student records, medical records, personnel records, etc.
Vital: indicates Official Records that contain information considered essential for the operations of a department (and/or the University) and includes information that may prevent a department from incurring serious liability or risk, or that would be extremely costly to replace. In the event of a disaster, this information, if destroyed, would make it difficult for a department to conduct normal business activities.
Export the full list of Official Record Retention Schedules available to date – or use the search criteria below for a more targeted search.
Issued Patents
Category: Inventions, Patents and Research Agreements
Description:
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) will send a limited number of marked or ribboned original patents upon issuance.
Official Files Maintained by:
UI Research Foundation
UI Retention Guidelines: Patent Term + 5 Years
Confidential: Yes
Vital: Yes
Land Transactions
Category: Contracts, Real Estate and Leasing
Description:
Purchase agreements; deeds; closing documents; land abstracts.
Official Files Maintained by:
UI Business Manager Office
UI Retention Guidelines: Permanent
Confidential: Yes
Vital: Yes
Leases
Category: Contracts, Real Estate and Leasing
Description:
Signed lease where UI is either the tenant or landlord; Including all ground and tenant leases at UI Research Park.
Official Files Maintained by:
UI Business Manager Office
UI Retention Guidelines: 10 Years from termination
Confidential: Yes
Vital: Yes
Letter of Credit
Category: Grants and Awards
Description:
Documentation of federal letter of credit funding requests, including monthly reports & reconciliations, quarterly reporting to agencies, and documentation of payments received.
Official Files Maintained by:
Grant Accounting Office
UI Retention Guidelines: 10 Years
Confidential: Yes
Vital: Yes
Liability Claims
Category: Risk Management, Insurance and Loss Prevention
Description:
Liability claims filed against the UI, other than tort, where commercial insurance coverage was purchased.
Official Files Maintained by:
UI Risk Management
UI Retention Guidelines: 10 Years
Confidential: Yes
Vital: Yes
Liability insurance policies
Category: Risk Management, Insurance and Loss Prevention
Description:
Liability insurance files including policy documents, applications, renewals, correspondence, and working files for various lines of coverage.
Official Files Maintained by:
UI Risk Management
UI Retention Guidelines: 10 Years (end of the tail/covered period +10 Years for claims-made policies)
Confidential: Yes
Vital: Yes
License/Option/3rd Party Revenue Sharing
Category: Inventions, Patents and Research Agreements
Description:
These are all agreements related to commercial availability and distribution of income related to inventions, patents and research agreements.
Official Files Maintained by:
UI Research Foundation
UI Retention Guidelines: Patent Term + 5 Years
Confidential: Yes
Vital: Yes
Litigation Records
Category: Audit & Legal
Description:
Pleadings/settlement agreements of any legal action or lawsuit brought against the University of Iowa.
Official Files Maintained by:
UI Office of the General Counsel
UI Retention Guidelines: 5 Years past the settlement date
Confidential: No
Vital: No
Long-distance Telephone Charges
Category: Administrative Records
Description:
Documentation of monthly long distance telephone charges.
Official Files Maintained by:
UI Telecommunication & Network Services
UI Retention Guidelines: 5 Years
Confidential: Yes
Vital: Yes
Maps
Category: Facilities Management
Description:
Campus maps including property, utilities, site surveys, soil borings. Plans/drawings and any items deemed confidential by legal counsel are considered confidential.
Official Files Maintained by:
UI Facilities Management
UI Retention Guidelines: Permanent
Confidential: Yes
Vital: Yes
Material Transfer Agreements (incoming)
Category: Grants and Awards
Description:
Agreement that governs the provision of materials from a provider organization to the University.
Official Files Maintained by:
Division of Sponsored Programs
UI Retention Guidelines: 5 Years
Confidential: Yes
Vital: Yes
Medical Personnel Records (Student, Staff and Faculty employees)
Category: Personnel, Human Resources and Recruitment
Description:
Medical Personnel files contain all forms related to the staff member's medical information related to their employment; i.e., FMLA letters and medical certifications, ADA accommodation information, catastrophic leave letters and documentation, worker's compensation records, documentation of medical leaves of absence, etc.
Official Files Maintained by:
Local Department responsible for creating or overseeing the record
UI Retention Guidelines: 5 Years following termination of employee
Confidential: Yes
Vital: Yes
Misadministration Reports
Category: Environmental Health & Safety
Description:
EHS reports of misadministration of radioactive materials
Official Files Maintained by:
UI Retention Guidelines: 10 Years
Confidential: Yes
Vital: Yes
Motor Vehicle Fuel Tax Refund Claim
Category: Tax Records
Description:
Monthly filing to Iowa Dept. of Revenue & Finance by Accounts Payable to obtain state motor fuel tax refund. Claim reference # and other info. maintained.
Official Files Maintained by:
UI Purchasing, Accounts Payable and Travel
UI Retention Guidelines: Permanent
Confidential: Yes
Vital: Yes
Multi-state quarterly unemployment tax returns
Category: Tax Records
Description:
State specific forms filed annually with State's Department of Revenue & Finance by UI Payroll.
Official Files Maintained by:
University Human Resources - Benefits Office
UI Retention Guidelines: 5 Years
Confidential: Yes
Vital: Yes
Non-Disclosure Agreements (also referred to as Confidential Disclosure Agreements)
Category: Personnel, Human Resources and Recruitment
Description:
Agreements executed whenever confidential information is disclosed, received, or exchanged by or within the University of Iowa. The purpose of the agreement is to protect the disclosing party’s information from being disclosed to third parties without the knowledge or prior approval of the disclosing party.
Official Files Maintained by:
Local Department responsible for creating or overseeing the record
UI Retention Guidelines: Life of the agreement + 10 years.
Confidential: Yes
Vital: Yes
Official Transcripts
Category: Academic/Student Records
Description:
A certified record of the academic work done at the University of Iowa. It includes classes taken, hours earned, grades received and degrees conferred.
Official Files Maintained by:
Office of the Registrar
UI Retention Guidelines: Permanent
Confidential: Yes
Vital: Yes
Operations Manual - University of Iowa
Category: Administrative Records
Description:
Current and prior published versions of the University of Iowa Operations Manual, including organizational charts documenting the governance structures in place at the time of publication. (Also maintained by University Archivist.)
Official Files Maintained by:
University Secretary - Finance and Operations
UI Retention Guidelines: Permanent
Confidential: Yes
Vital: Yes
Original supporting documentation for Evoucher, Travel Expense Vouchers and P-Card transactions
Category: Purchasing, Accounts Payable and Travel
Description:
Original supporting documentation for Evouchers, P-Card or Travel Expense Voucher payments. Typical original supporting documentation would be invoices, registration forms, membership agreements, proof of payment, receipts, airline itinerary, conference schedules, car rental receipt, hotel folio, etc.
Official Files Maintained by:
Local Department responsible for creating or overseeing the record
UI Retention Guidelines: Until the transaction has loaded to the General Ledger
Confidential: Yes
Vital: Yes
Outgoing Sub award Agreements
Category: Grants and Awards
Description:
Sub award agreements and supporting documentation.
Official Files Maintained by:
Division of Sponsored Programs
UI Retention Guidelines: 5 Years after award closeout
Confidential: Yes
Vital: Yes