Privacy Policy
Privacy Policy
Privacy Policy
Last Updated: April 7, 2026
Your Privacy Matters
At CollegeQuest, we are committed to protecting student privacy and personal information. This policy explains how we collect, use, and safeguard your data in compliance with FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act), COPPA (Children's Online Privacy Protection Act), CCPA (California Consumer Privacy Act), and applicable state student privacy laws.
Quick Summary
What We Collect
Academic records, application data, and usage information
How We Use It
To provide personalized recommendations and services
Your Rights
Access, export, and delete your data anytime
Data Sharing
California residents can opt-out of marketing data sales
1. Introduction
CollegeQuest ("we," "our," or "us") is an educational technology platform designed to help students navigate the college application process. We are deeply committed to protecting the privacy and security of our users, with particular care given to the sensitive nature of educational records and the fact that many of our users are minors.
This Privacy Policy describes how CollegeQuest collects, uses, discloses, and safeguards information about you when you use our website, mobile application, and related services (collectively, the "Service"). This policy applies to all users, including students, parents, guardians, and school counselors.
Legal Compliance Statement
CollegeQuest is committed to full compliance with applicable federal and state privacy laws, including:
- FERPA — Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (20 U.S.C. § 1232g)
- COPPA — Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (15 U.S.C. §§ 6501–6506)
- CCPA/CPRA — California Consumer Privacy Act and California Privacy Rights Act
- SOPIPA — Student Online Personal Information Protection Act (CA)
- GDPR — General Data Protection Regulation (for EEA users)
- Other applicable state student privacy laws
By using CollegeQuest, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy. If you do not agree, please discontinue use of the Service.
2. FERPA — Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act
What is FERPA?
FERPA (20 U.S.C. § 1232g) is a federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. It gives parents and eligible students (those who are 18 years of age or older, or who attend a postsecondary institution) certain rights with respect to their education records.
1CollegeQuest as a "School Official"
When CollegeQuest is used through a school or school district — such as when a counselor integrates CollegeQuest into their school's college advising program — CollegeQuest acts as a "school official"with a legitimate educational interest under FERPA (34 C.F.R. § 99.31(a)(1)).
In this capacity, CollegeQuest may access student education records shared by the school solely to provide the educational services for which we are engaged. We use such records for no other purpose and do not re-disclose them without appropriate authorization.
2Confidentiality of Education Records
We treat all information that qualifies as "education records" under FERPA — including GPA, test scores, transcripts, course information, and disciplinary records — with strict confidentiality.
- We maintain the confidentiality of education records and do not use them for advertising, marketing, or any non-educational purpose.
- Access to education records within our organization is limited to personnel with a documented legitimate educational interest.
- We do not disclose personally identifiable information (PII) from education records to third parties without appropriate FERPA authorization.
- When you voluntarily share your academic profile with colleges through our platform (e.g., via Direct Admissions or inquiry forms), you are providing explicit consent for that specific, limited disclosure.
3No Disclosure Without Consent
CollegeQuest does not disclose personally identifiable information from education records without the prior written consent of the parent or eligible student, except as specifically permitted by FERPA. FERPA-authorized exceptions include:
- Disclosure to school officials with a legitimate educational interest
- Disclosure in connection with a health or safety emergency
- Disclosure required by a judicial order or lawfully issued subpoena
- Disclosure of directory information (where applicable and where opt-out rights have been honored)
4FERPA Rights for Parents and Eligible Students
Right to Inspect and Review
Parents and eligible students (age 18+) have the right to inspect and review the education records that CollegeQuest maintains about the student. To submit an inspection request, contact us at privacy@collegequest.com with the subject "FERPA Request – Inspect Records."
Right to Request Amendment
Parents and eligible students may request that CollegeQuest amend education records they believe are inaccurate, misleading, or in violation of the student's privacy rights. We will review the request and either correct the record or notify you of your right to a hearing.
Right to Consent to Disclosures
Generally, CollegeQuest must have written permission from the parent or eligible student before releasing any information from a student's education records, except in the FERPA-authorized circumstances described above.
Right to File a Complaint
If you believe CollegeQuest has violated your FERPA rights, you may file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education's Student Privacy Policy Office (SPPO):
Family Policy Compliance Office
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, D.C. 20202
studentprivacy.ed.gov
FERPA Contact
To exercise your FERPA rights or ask questions about education records, contact us at: privacy@collegequest.com with the subject line "FERPA Request."
3. COPPA — Children's Online Privacy Protection Act
What is COPPA?
COPPA (15 U.S.C. §§ 6501–6506) is a federal law that imposes requirements on operators of websites and online services directed to children under the age of 13, or with actual knowledge that they are collecting personal information from children under 13. CollegeQuest complies fully with COPPA.
1Verifiable Parental Consent Required for Users Under 13
CollegeQuest does not knowingly collect personal information from children under the age of 13 without verifiable parental consent. If you are under 13, you may not create an account or use the Service unless a parent or legal guardian has reviewed this Privacy Policy and provided verifiable consent on your behalf.
- Before an account is created for a user under 13, we will notify the parent or guardian and obtain verifiable consent using an acceptable COPPA method.
- We will describe the specific types of personal information we intend to collect and explain how it will be used.
- We will give parents the opportunity to consent to collection and use without consenting to disclosure to third parties.
2We Collect Only What Is Reasonably Necessary
For users under 13, we collect only the personal information that is reasonably necessary to provide the educational Service. We do not condition a child's participation in any activity on the disclosure of more personal information than is reasonably necessary for that activity.
- We will not require a child to provide more information than is needed to use the core features of CollegeQuest.
- We do not use personal information from users under 13 for behavioral advertising, profiling, or any marketing purpose.
- We do not share or sell personal information from users under 13 to third parties for commercial purposes.
3Parental Rights Under COPPA
Right to Review
Parents may review the personal information we have collected from their child at any time. Contact us at privacy@collegequestapp.com with the subject "COPPA – Review Child's Information" and we will provide access within a reasonable timeframe.
Right to Request Deletion
Parents may request that we delete their child's personal information from our systems at any time. Upon verified request, we will delete the information and close the child's account, except where retention is required by law.
Right to Refuse Further Collection
Parents may refuse to permit further collection or use of their child's personal information. You may withdraw consent at any time by contacting us — this will result in deletion of the child's account. Note that some features of the Service may no longer be available after consent is withdrawn.
No Retaliation
We will not condition a child's use of the Service on providing more personal information than is reasonably necessary. Exercising any of these parental rights will not result in discrimination or denial of other features.
If We Discover Unauthorized Collection
If we discover that we have inadvertently collected personal information from a child under 13 without verifiable parental consent, we will promptly delete that information from our records and notify the parent if contact information is available. If you believe we may have collected information from a child under 13 without consent, please contact us immediately.
4Users Ages 13–17
CollegeQuest is designed primarily for high school students ages 13–18. For users in this age range:
- We encourage parental involvement and review of this Privacy Policy.
- We will not sell personal information of users under 16 without affirmative opt-in consent (per CCPA).
- We limit data sharing for users under 18 and do not use their data for behavioral advertising.
- Parents or guardians of minors may contact us to review, correct, or delete their child's information at any time.
Contact for Parental Requests (COPPA)
To review, delete, or refuse further collection of your child's information, contact our Privacy Team:
📧 privacy@collegequestapp.com
Subject line: "COPPA Request – [Review / Delete / Withdraw Consent]"
We will respond to all verifiable parental requests within 10 business days.
4. Student Data Protection Commitments
CollegeQuest makes the following binding commitments regarding student personal information. These commitments apply to all student data regardless of the user's age, state of residence, or whether the platform is accessed directly or through a school.
✕ We Will NEVER Sell Student Data
We will never sell, rent, trade, or otherwise transfer student personal information to any third party for monetary or other valuable consideration.
✕ No Targeted Advertising
We will never use student personal information to engage in targeted advertising — including behavioral, interest-based, or retargeted advertising — to students or others.
✕ No Advertising Profiles
We will never build advertising profiles about students using data collected through our platform, including AI conversations, essay drafts, or academic records.
✕ No Unauthorized Data Use
Student data is used solely for educational purposes authorized by the school, parent, or guardian — never for purposes outside the scope of providing our Service.
Data Used Solely for Educational Purposes
All student data collected by CollegeQuest is used exclusively for educational purposes authorized by the school, parent, or guardian. These authorized purposes include:
- Providing personalized college and scholarship recommendations
- Supporting the college application and financial aid process
- Delivering AI-assisted essay feedback and counseling through Quinn
- Tracking application deadlines and checklist progress
- Improving the quality and accuracy of our educational tools
We will not use student data for any purpose that the school, parent, or guardian has not authorized, either explicitly or implicitly through their use of our Service.
!No Material Changes Without Notice and Choice
We will not make material changes to our privacy practices regarding student data without first providing prominent notice and a meaningful opportunity to choose whether to accept those changes.
- Material changes will be communicated via email to registered users and/or their parents at least 30 days before taking effect.
- For changes that affect how we handle data for users under 13, we will obtain fresh verifiable parental consent before implementing the change.
- Schools that have integrated CollegeQuest will be notified directly of any changes that may affect their students' data.
- You may close your account at any time if you do not agree with updated practices.
Compliance with Student Privacy Laws
These commitments are consistent with the requirements of SOPIPA (CA Education Code § 49073.1), FERPA, COPPA, and similar student privacy laws in other states. They represent our baseline standard — not just our legal minimum.
5. Information We Collect
We collect the following categories of information to provide and improve our Service:
AAccount Information
Information you provide when creating or updating your account:
- Full name and email address
- Grade level and expected graduation year
- School name and location
- Account password (stored in encrypted/hashed form — never in plain text)
BAcademic Information
Information about your academic profile used to personalize recommendations:
- GPA (weighted and unweighted)
- Standardized test scores (SAT, ACT, AP, IB, etc.)
- Intended major(s) and areas of academic interest
- College preferences (size, location, type, campus setting)
- Extracurricular activities, awards, and honors
- Course history and academic achievements
CApplication Data
Data you enter to manage and track your college applications:
- College applications being tracked and their current status
- Application deadlines and milestones
- Documents uploaded to the platform (transcripts, recommendation letters, resumes, etc.)
- Scholarship applications and financial aid tracker entries
- College lists (reach, match, and safety schools)
DAI Interaction Data
Data generated when you interact with our AI-powered tools:
- Conversations with Quinn, our AI counselor (chat history and messages)
- Essay drafts and written content submitted for AI review or feedback
- Interview practice sessions and AI-generated feedback
- Prompts and responses from other AI-powered features
EUsage Data
Information automatically collected about how you use the platform:
- Pages visited and features used within the platform
- Session duration and frequency of use
- Browser type, operating system, and device type
- IP address and approximate geographic location
- Referral source (how you found CollegeQuest)
- Cookies and similar tracking technologies (see Section 9)
FPayment Information
Information related to subscription payments:
- Subscription plan and billing status
- Payment transaction IDs and timestamps
Data Minimization Principle
We only collect information that is necessary to provide our educational services. We do not collect sensitive categories of information (such as health data, racial or ethnic origin, or religious beliefs) unless you voluntarily provide such information in the context of your application materials.
6. How We Use Your Information
Educational Purposes Only
CollegeQuest uses your information exclusively to provide educational services that support your college journey. We do not use student data for advertising, behavioral targeting, or building marketing profiles.
We use your information to:
Personalized College Recommendations
Match you with colleges that fit your academic profile, interests, location preferences, and financial situation.
Scholarship Matching
Identify scholarships and financial aid opportunities relevant to your background, major, and eligibility criteria.
Essay Feedback & Writing Assistance
Provide AI-powered feedback on your application essays, personal statements, and supplemental writing through Quinn AI Counselor.
Application Tracking
Help you manage and track the status of your college applications, deadlines, required documents, and checklist items.
Financial Aid Guidance
Assist with understanding FAFSA, CSS Profile, financial aid award letters, and cost comparison between schools.
Platform Improvement
Analyze aggregated, anonymized usage data to improve the quality and accuracy of our recommendations and features.
Account & Security
Authenticate your identity, maintain account security, prevent fraud, and communicate important service updates.
Legal Compliance
Fulfill our obligations under FERPA, COPPA, CCPA, and other applicable laws.
We Will NEVER Use Your Data To:
- Serve you behavioral or targeted advertising based on your profile
- Build or sell marketing profiles about you to advertisers or data brokers
- Track your activity across third-party websites for advertising purposes
- Sell student personal information to colleges, employers, or commercial partners without your explicit consent
- Use your essay drafts or AI conversations to train external AI models
- Create consumer profiles for purposes unrelated to your education (consistent with SOPIPA and FERPA)
7. Data Sharing and Third Parties
Our Core Commitment
We do not share, sell, rent, or trade student personal information with third parties for their commercial purposes. Period. Any sharing of data is strictly limited to what is necessary to deliver our educational services to you.
Service Providers — Contractually Bound to Protect Your Data
We only share data with a limited set of service providers who are contractually bound to protect student data, use it solely to perform services on our behalf, and comply with applicable privacy laws including FERPA and COPPA. These providers may not use your data for their own commercial purposes.
Stripe — Payment Processing
We use Stripe to process subscription payments. When you purchase a plan, Stripe receives your payment card details directly and processes the transaction on our behalf. CollegeQuest never stores your full payment card number. Stripe is PCI-DSS Level 1 certified.
stripe.com/privacy →AI Model Providers — Quinn AI Counselor Feature
To power Quinn, our AI counselor, and other AI-assisted features (essay feedback, interview prep, scholarship matching), we send relevant conversation content to AI model providers. These providers process your content only to generate a response and are contractually prohibited from using it to train their models or for any other purpose. We use only providers whose data processing agreements meet our student privacy standards.
Cloud Hosting Provider — Infrastructure
Our platform and its data are hosted on a secure cloud infrastructure provider. The hosting provider stores and transmits your data on our behalf under strict confidentiality and data processing agreements, and does not access or use your data for any independent purpose.
Intentional Interactions with Colleges
When you take deliberate actions to interact with colleges or scholarship providers — such as using Direct Admissions, saving a college to request information, or submitting a scholarship application — we share the relevant profile information you have authorized with those institutions.
These institutions are contractually prohibited from using your information for any purpose other than responding to your educational inquiry. This sharing is a core part of the service you have requested and is not considered a "sale" of your data.
Other Permitted Disclosures
- Legal Requirements: We may disclose information if required by law, court order, or valid governmental request, and only to the extent required.
- Safety Emergencies: We may share information to protect the health or safety of a student or others, consistent with FERPA's emergency exception.
- Business Transfers: In the event of a merger or acquisition, your information may transfer to the successor entity under the same privacy protections. We will notify you before any such transfer takes effect.
We Will NEVER:
- Sell, rent, or trade student personal information to data brokers or marketing companies
- Share student data with advertisers or marketing partners for their commercial purposes
- Use student data to build behavioral advertising profiles
- Share education records in violation of FERPA
- Disclose personal information of users under 13 without verifiable parental consent
- Allow our service providers to use your data for their own commercial benefit
8. Data Security
We implement industry-standard security controls to protect student data at every layer of our platform.
🔒Encryption in Transit
All data transmitted between your device and our servers is protected using industry-standard TLS/SSL encryption. We do not transmit student data over unencrypted connections.
🗄️ Encryption at Rest
Sensitive data stored in our systems is encrypted at rest. Passwords are never stored in plain text — they are hashed using modern cryptographic algorithms.
👤 Access Controls
Access to student data is strictly restricted to authorized personnel who have a documented need. We apply the principle of least privilege and regularly review access permissions.
🔍 Security Assessments
We conduct regular security assessments, vulnerability scans, and code reviews to identify and remediate risks before they can affect student data.
Data Breach Notification — 72-Hour Commitment
In the event of a data breach that affects your personal information, we will notify affected users and relevant regulatory authorities within 72 hours of discovering the breach, in accordance with applicable law. Notifications will describe the nature of the breach, the data affected, and the steps we are taking to address it.
While we take security seriously, no method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your own account credentials.
9. AI-Specific Disclosures
CollegeQuest uses artificial intelligence to power several features, including our Quinn AI Counselor, essay feedback tools, and personalized recommendations. We are committed to transparent and responsible use of AI with respect to student data.
1Quinn AI Counselor Conversations
Conversations you have with Quinn are processed by our AI infrastructure to generate educational guidance responses. This processing occurs in real time and is used solely to provide the counseling service you have requested. Conversation history is stored in your account so you can reference past sessions.
2Essay Content Is Not Used to Train AI Models
Essay drafts, personal statements, and any written content you submit for AI review are not used to train AI models — either ours or those of our AI providers. Your creative work remains yours and is processed only to generate feedback for you.
3AI Recommendations Are Supplementary
All AI-generated recommendations, college matches, essay feedback, and counseling responses are supplementary tools to support your decision-making. They do not constitute professional counseling advice and do not replace the guidance of a qualified school counselor, educational consultant, or other professional advisor.
4Right to Delete AI Interaction History
You may request deletion of all AI interaction history — including Quinn conversations, essay feedback sessions, and interview practice logs — at any time. Submit a request via your Security & Privacy Settings or email privacy@collegequestapp.comwith the subject "Delete AI History."
10. Your Privacy Rights
You have the following rights regarding your personal information, regardless of where you live:
Right to Access
Request a copy of all personal data we hold about you. We will provide it in a portable, machine-readable format.
Right to Correct
Update or correct inaccurate personal information through your Profile Settings or by contacting us.
Right to Delete
Request permanent deletion of your account and all associated personal data. Processed within 30 days.
Right to Data Portability
Receive your data in a structured, commonly used format so you can transfer it to another service.
Right to Opt Out of Data Sales
California residents may opt out of any sale or sharing of personal information via our Do Not Sell page.
Right to Non-Discrimination
We will never deny you services, charge higher prices, or provide lower quality because you exercised a privacy right.
How to Exercise Your Rights
Visit your Security & Privacy Settings page within the app, or email us at privacy@collegequestapp.com. We respond to all verifiable requests within 45 days (or sooner where required by law).
11. Cookies and Tracking Technologies
We use cookies and similar technologies to:
- Keep you logged in to your account
- Remember your preferences and settings
- Analyze how you use our platform to improve our services
- Provide personalized recommendations
Types of Cookies:
- Essential Cookies: Required for the platform to function
- Analytics Cookies: Help us understand how users interact with our service
- Preference Cookies: Remember your settings and choices
You can control cookies through your browser settings. However, disabling certain cookies may affect functionality. We do not use tracking cookies to build behavioral advertising profiles for users under 18.
12. Data Retention and Deletion
We retain student data only as long as the account is active or as needed to provide our educational services. We do not retain personal data beyond what is necessary.
Retention Schedule
How to Request Data Deletion
Users, parents, and guardians can request data deletion at any time through either of the following:
- ①Email privacy@collegequestapp.com with the subject line "Delete My Account" — we will process your request within 30 days.
- ②Use the Security & Privacy Settings page within the app to submit a deletion request directly.
Legal Hold Exception
In limited circumstances, we may retain certain data beyond these periods where required by law (e.g., to comply with a legal obligation, resolve a dispute, or enforce our agreements). We will inform you if a legal hold prevents us from fulfilling a deletion request.
13. School and District Partnerships
CollegeQuest partners with K–12 schools and school districts to provide college counseling services to students. When we do so, we take on additional obligations to protect student data under applicable law.
1Student Data Privacy Agreements (SDPAs)
We enter into Student Data Privacy Agreements (SDPAs) with school districts before processing any student data on their behalf. These agreements define the scope of permitted data use, our security obligations, and the rights of the school and its students. We comply with state-specific SDPA requirements where applicable.
2Compliance with State Student Privacy Laws
In addition to FERPA and COPPA, we comply with applicable state student privacy laws, including California's SOPIPA (Education Code § 49073.1), and similar statutes in other states where we operate. Our baseline protections meet or exceed the requirements of these laws.
3School Audit Rights
Schools that have entered into a data partnership with CollegeQuest may audit our data practices upon reasonable notice. We will cooperate fully with any such audit and provide documentation of our security controls, data processing activities, and subprocessor agreements.
4Data Processing Agreement Available on Request
School districts, legal counsel, and other authorized parties may request a copy of our standard Data Processing Agreement (DPA) by contacting us at privacy@collegequestapp.com with the subject "Data Processing Agreement Request."
School Contract Termination
When a school contract ends, all associated student data is permanently deleted from our systems within 60 days, unless the student has created an independent account and consented to continued use.
14. Third-Party Services
Our platform integrates with third-party services:
- Payment Processing: Stripe (for subscription payments)
- Analytics: Usage tracking and performance monitoring
- AI Services: For personalized recommendations and content generation
- College Databases: For up-to-date college information
All third-party service providers are contractually required to handle data in compliance with applicable privacy laws, including FERPA and COPPA where applicable. These providers have their own privacy policies, and we encourage you to review them.
15. California Privacy Rights (CCPA/CPRA)
If you are a California resident, you have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA):
- Right to Know: Request information about what personal data we collect, use, and disclose
- Right to Delete: Request deletion of your personal information
- Right to Correct: Request correction of inaccurate personal information
- Right to Opt-Out: Opt-out of the "sale" or "sharing" of your personal information
- Right to Limit Use of Sensitive Personal Information: Restrict how we use sensitive data
- Right to Non-Discrimination: We will not discriminate against you for exercising your rights
Understanding "Sale" Under CCPA
When you interact with colleges through our platform by requesting information, we pass your data to these institutions. This is a core service we provide and you cannot opt-out of this intentional sharing. However, we may occasionally share your information with marketing partners in exchange for fees. You can opt-out of this type of sharing.
Note: If you are under 16 years of age, we will not sell your information unless you explicitly opt-in.
Exercise Your Rights
To opt-out of data sales or exercise other CCPA rights:
- • Visit our Do Not Sell My Personal Information page
- • Email us at privacy@collegequest.com with "CCPA Request" in the subject line
- • Use the privacy controls in your Security & Privacy Settings
16. European Privacy Rights (GDPR)
If you are in the European Economic Area (EEA), you have rights under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR):
- Right of access to your personal data
- Right to rectification of inaccurate data
- Right to erasure (right to be forgotten)
- Right to restrict processing
- Right to data portability
- Right to object to processing
- Right to withdraw consent
Our legal basis for processing personal data includes: contract performance, legitimate interests (such as improving our services), compliance with legal obligations, and consent where required.
17. International Data Transfers
CollegeQuest operates primarily in the United States. If you access our service from outside the U.S., your information may be transferred to, stored, and processed in the United States.
By using our service, you consent to the transfer of your information to the United States and other countries where our service providers operate. We take appropriate safeguards to protect your information during such transfers in accordance with applicable law.
18. Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. We will notify you of significant changes by:
- Posting the updated policy on our platform with a new "Last Updated" date
- Sending an email notification to your registered email address
- Displaying a prominent notice on our website
For material changes affecting how we handle children's data under COPPA, we will obtain fresh parental consent before implementing such changes. Your continued use of CollegeQuest after notification constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.
19. Contact Information
If you have questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy, our data practices, or wish to exercise any of your rights, please contact our Privacy Officer:
Privacy Officer
📧 privacy@collegequestapp.com
🏢 CollegeQuest
[Mailing address available upon request]
Policy Information
Effective Date: April 2026
Last Updated: April 7, 2026
Response Time: Within 45 days for formal rights requests; 48 hours for general inquiries
Use the correct subject line for faster handling:
Your trust is important to us. CollegeQuest is committed to being a responsible steward of student data — complying fully with FERPA, COPPA, CCPA, and all applicable privacy laws. We are transparent about how we collect, use, and protect your personal information. Thank you for choosing CollegeQuest!