This California Privacy Notice supplements the Grad Central Station Privacy Policy and applies solely to residents of the State of California. It is provided pursuant to the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA).
Unless otherwise defined in this Notice, terms have the same meaning as those used in our Privacy Policy.
Microsoft Clarity and Site Disclosure
We improve our products and advertising by using Microsoft Clarity to see how you use our website. By using our site, you agree that we and Microsoft can collect and use this data. Our Privacy Policy has more details.
Microsoft Clarity is a web analytics service provided by Microsoft Corporation. It may collect information such as pages visited, links clicked, scrolls, mouse movements, session recordings, heatmaps, session duration, device and browser information, and IP address (which may be used to derive approximate location). This data is processed by Microsoft in accordance with the Microsoft Privacy Statement. For more information about Clarity, please visit Microsoft Clarity Data Privacy and Security.
Your California Privacy Rights
If you are a California resident, you may have the following rights regarding your personal information, subject to certain legal exceptions:
- Right to Know – Request information about the categories of personal information we collect, the sources of that information, the purposes for collecting it, and the categories of third parties with whom we disclose or share it.
- Right to Access – Request a copy of the specific personal information we maintain about you.
- Right to Correct – Request correction of inaccurate personal information.
- Right to Delete – Request deletion of personal information that we have collected from you, subject to applicable legal exceptions.
- Right to Opt Out of Sharing – Direct us not to share your personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising.
- Right to Limit the Use of Sensitive Personal Information – Request limitations on certain uses of sensitive personal information when required by California law.
- Right to Non-Discrimination – We will not discriminate against you for exercising your privacy rights.
Categories of Personal Information We Collect
During the preceding twelve (12) months, we may have collected the following categories of personal information:
| Category | Examples |
|---|---|
| Identifiers | Name, postal address, email address, telephone number, IP address, online identifiers |
| Customer Records | Contact information, payment records, service history |
| Internet or Network Activity | Website visits, pages viewed, browser information, referral sources, device identifiers, cookies, mouse movements, scrolls, clicks, session recordings, heatmaps, and interaction data collected via Microsoft Clarity |
| Geolocation Data | Approximate location derived from IP address |
| Professional or Educational Information | High school, graduation year, academic interests, intended major, educational planning information voluntarily provided |
| Commercial Information | Services purchased, consultation history, transactions |
| Inferences | General interests, communication preferences, marketing segments generated through analytics or data enrichment |
We collect only the information reasonably necessary to provide our services, improve our website, communicate with prospective and current clients, and conduct our business.
Sources of Personal Information
We collect personal information from:
- You and your family members
- Forms completed on our website
- Consultation requests
- Event registrations
- Email communications
- Educational questionnaires
- Publicly available sources
- Analytics providers
- Advertising platforms
- Trusted marketing partners
- Data enrichment providers
- Microsoft Clarity (website analytics, session recordings, and heatmaps)
Business Purposes for Collection
We collect and use personal information for purposes including:
- Providing educational consulting services
- Responding to inquiries
- Scheduling appointments
- Communicating with students and families
- Delivering educational resources
- Personalizing services
- Operating and improving our website
- Conducting analytics
- Measuring advertising effectiveness
- Detecting security incidents
- Preventing fraud
- Complying with legal obligations
Categories of Third Parties with Whom We May Disclose Information
We may disclose personal information to:
- Cloud hosting providers
- Website service providers
- Customer relationship management (CRM) providers
- Email service providers
- Appointment scheduling providers
- Payment processors
- Analytics providers
- Advertising platforms
- Microsoft Clarity (Microsoft Corporation)
- Technology consultants
- Professional advisors, including legal and accounting firms
- Government authorities when required by law
These parties are permitted to use personal information only for authorized business purposes or as otherwise permitted by law.
Microsoft Corporation receives website usage and interaction data collected through Microsoft Clarity as a service provider. For more information, please review Microsoft Clarity Data Privacy and Security.
Sale or Sharing of Personal Information
Grad Central Station does not sell personal information for monetary compensation.
However, we may use cookies, pixels, and similar technologies provided by advertising partners to support interest-based advertising and remarketing. Under California law, certain disclosures to advertising platforms for cross-context behavioral advertising may be considered "sharing" of personal information.
You may request to opt out of this sharing by:
- Using any cookie preference tools available on our website;
- Enabling browser privacy controls where supported; or
- Contacting us using the information below.
Sensitive Personal Information
In providing educational consulting services, we may receive information relating to a student's educational background, academic interests, financial aid goals, or other information voluntarily provided by students or parents.
We use this information solely to provide educational consulting services, communicate with our clients, and improve our services. We do not use or disclose sensitive personal information to infer characteristics about individuals beyond what is necessary to provide our services.
Data Retention
We retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary to:
- Provide requested services;
- Maintain appropriate business records;
- Comply with legal obligations;
- Resolve disputes;
- Enforce our agreements; and
- Protect our legal interests.
Retention periods vary depending on the nature of the information and applicable legal requirements.
Exercising Your Rights
To submit a privacy request, please contact us using one of the methods below.
Please specify whether you are requesting to:
- Know
- Access
- Correct
- Delete
- Opt Out of Sharing
We may need to verify your identity before processing your request.
Authorized agents may submit requests on behalf of California residents as permitted by law.
Contact Information
Updates to This Notice
We may update this California Privacy Notice from time to time. Any changes will become effective when the revised notice is posted on this page with an updated Effective Date.