Privacy Policy

1. What We Collect

When you use CollegeConnect, we collect:

• Account information: your name, email address, and password (stored securely via Supabase Auth)
• Profile information: university, major, graduation year, bio, profile photo, and any other details you add to your profile
• Payment information: billing details are handled entirely by Stripe — we never see or store your full card number
• Session data: booking history, session timestamps, and duration
• Messages: in-app messages between Students and Mentors related to bookings
• Reviews: ratings and written feedback you submit
• Usage data: pages visited and actions taken on the Platform (used to improve the product)
• Anonymous quiz responses: if you complete the “Find My Match” quiz, we store your selected preferences (intended major, college priorities, help topics, and state) without any identifying information. This data is used solely to improve mentor matching and understand what students are looking for.

2. How We Use Your Information

• To operate the Platform and facilitate bookings between Students and Mentors
• To process payments and send payout to Mentors via Stripe
• To send transactional emails (booking confirmations, session reminders, messages)
• To display your public profile to other users on the Platform
• To review Mentor applications and manage the Platform
• To investigate abuse, fraud, or violations of our Terms of Service

We do not sell your personal information to third parties.

3. Third-Party Services

We use the following third-party services to operate the Platform:

• Supabase — database, authentication, and file storage. Data is stored in the US.
• Stripe — payment processing. Stripe has its own Privacy Policy.
• Daily.co — video sessions. Sessions are conducted over Daily's infrastructure.
• Resend — transactional email delivery.
• Vercel — website hosting and infrastructure.

4. Data Sharing

We share limited data with other users as necessary for the Platform to function:

• Your public profile (name, photo, university, bio, reviews) is visible to all users browsing the Platform
• When a booking is made, the Student and Mentor can see each other's names and can exchange messages through the Platform
• Reviews you leave may be displayed publicly on the Platform's homepage and mentor profiles. Your name will appear as your first name and last initial only (e.g., “Jane S.”)

We do not share your information with advertisers or data brokers.

5. Data Retention

We retain your account information for as long as your account is active. If you request account deletion, we will delete your personal information within 30 days, except where we are required to retain it by law (e.g., payment records).

To request deletion of your account, email support@getcollegeconnect.com.

6. Security

We use industry-standard security practices including encrypted connections (HTTPS), secure authentication, and access controls on our database. However, no system is perfectly secure — use a strong, unique password for your account.

7. Children's Privacy

CollegeConnect is not intended for children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child under 13 has created an account, contact us and we will delete it promptly.

8. Your Rights

Depending on your location, you may have the right to access, correct, or delete the personal information we hold about you. To exercise any of these rights, email us at support@getcollegeconnect.com.

9. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of significant changes by email or by a notice on the Platform. Continued use after changes are posted constitutes your acceptance.

10. Contact

Questions about this policy? Email us at support@getcollegeconnect.com.