Privacy Policy

What Data We Collect

QollegeFinder collects only self-reported information that you voluntarily enter, such as GPA, test scores, home state, intended major, and family income range. We do not access, receive, or process education records from any educational institution.

Data Sources

All college data displayed on this platform comes from publicly available sources:

• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard — tuition, net price, acceptance rates, enrollment, median earnings, and program data.
• IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) — supplemental institutional statistics.

This data is aggregate and de-identified. It contains no individual student records.

FERPA Compliance

FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) protects education records maintained by educational institutions. QollegeFinder does not receive education records from any school, district, or institution. All student data on this platform is self-reported by users and is not subject to FERPA. We are not a “school official” under FERPA.

How We Use Your Data

• To generate personalized college match predictions based on your self-reported profile.
• To show estimated net prices based on the income range you provide.
• To display your saved college lists (stored locally in your browser).

We do not sell, share, or disclose your personal data to colleges, advertisers, data brokers, or any third parties.

Data Storage & Retention

Saved college lists and preferences are stored in your browser's local storage. Prediction inputs are stored in your browser's session storage and are cleared when you close the tab. No profile data (names, emails, exact GPAs, scholarship-profile fields) is stored on our servers.

Analytics & Beta Research

While QollegeFinder is in beta, we use anonymous, aggregated analytics to understand which features work and where users get stuck. We use three tools:

• PostHog — product-usage events (page views, clicks, funnel steps). Numeric fields like GPA and test scores are bucketed into ranges (e.g. “SAT 1300–1399”) before they leave your browser so that individual records cannot be linked back to you.
• Microsoft Clarity — aggregate heatmaps and anonymised session recordings of mouse movements and clicks. Recordings are auto-scrubbed of form-field values and do not capture any text you type.
• Sentry — error tracking only (e.g. a page failing to load). No profile data is sent; only the technical error and browser info.

We never send the following fields to any analytics tool: ethnicity, citizenship / DACA status, military affiliation, exact GPA / SAT / ACT numbers, high school name, or any free-text you enter. These stay in your browser only.

You can opt out of analytics at any time via the “Analytics settings” link in the page footer. Opting out stops all event collection immediately; previously-collected aggregate events cannot be linked back to you and are retained in anonymised form for product-improvement purposes.

Legal basis (GDPR): legitimate interest in improving the product during beta. CCPA / CPRA: analytics data is “pseudonymous” by design; opt-out available.

Your Rights

• Delete your data — Clear your browser's local storage at any time, or use the “Clear saved data” option in settings.
• Access your data — All data you enter is visible to you in the application.
• Portability — You can export your saved college list at any time.

Age Requirement

This platform is intended for users aged 13 and older. We do not knowingly collect information from children under 13 in compliance with COPPA (Children's Online Privacy Protection Act).

Disclaimers

Admission probability estimates are statistical approximations based on publicly available historical data. They are not guarantees of admission and are not affiliated with any educational institution. Actual admission decisions depend on many factors not captured by this tool, including essays, recommendations, interviews, and institutional priorities.

Cost estimates are based on published averages and may not reflect your actual cost of attendance. Contact each institution's financial aid office for personalized cost information.

Contact

For privacy-related questions, contact us at privacy@qollegefinder.app.