Privacy Policy

1. Information We Collect

Account Information

When you create an account, we collect your name, email address, and password. Passwords are securely hashed and never stored in plain text.

Profile Information

To provide personalized scholarship matching, we collect information you voluntarily provide, including but not limited to: date of birth, gender, ethnicity, citizenship status, state of residence, education level, GPA, school name, expected graduation date, major, minor, standardized test scores, household income range, first-generation college student status, military affiliation, disability status, extracurricular activities, career goals, and scholarship preferences.

Application Data

If you use our application tracking features, we store essays, documents, and application status information that you submit.

Usage Data

We automatically collect information about how you interact with the Service, including pages visited, features used, search queries, device type, browser type, IP address, and referring URLs. This data helps us improve the platform and troubleshoot issues.

Payment Information

If you subscribe to ScholarMate Pro, payment processing is handled by Stripe. We do not store your full credit card number, CVV, or other sensitive payment details on our servers. Stripe's privacy practices are governed by their own privacy policy.

2. How We Use Your Information

• Scholarship Matching: We use your profile information to match you with scholarships you may be eligible for and to calculate match scores.
• Service Delivery: To operate, maintain, and improve the Service, including application tracking, deadline reminders, and personalized recommendations.
• Communications: To send service-related emails such as account verification, password resets, subscription confirmations, and important service updates. We do not send marketing emails without your opt-in consent.
• Analytics: To analyze usage patterns, measure feature adoption, and improve our matching algorithms and user experience.
• Security: To detect, prevent, and address fraud, abuse, and security issues.

3. How We Share Your Information

We do not sell your personal data to third parties.

We may share your information in the following circumstances:

• Service Providers: We use trusted third-party services to operate the platform, including Supabase (authentication and database hosting), Stripe (payment processing), and analytics providers. These providers only access data necessary to perform their functions and are contractually obligated to protect it.
• Scholarship Applications: If you apply to a scholarship through ScholarMate, the relevant application information you submit will be shared with the scholarship provider as part of your application.
• Aggregated Data: We may share aggregated, anonymized statistics (e.g., total users, average match scores) for research or marketing purposes. This data cannot be used to identify individual users.
• Legal Requirements: We may disclose your information if required by law, subpoena, court order, or governmental request, or to protect our rights, safety, or property.

4. Cookies and Tracking

We use the following types of cookies:

• Essential Cookies: Required for authentication, session management, and core functionality. These cannot be disabled.
• Analytics Cookies: Help us understand how users interact with the Service. You can opt out of analytics cookies through our cookie consent banner or your browser settings.

We do not use advertising or behavioral tracking cookies.

5. Children's Privacy (COPPA Compliance)

ScholarMate is not intended for children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we become aware that we have inadvertently collected personal information from a child under 13, we will take steps to delete that information as promptly as possible. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child under 13 has provided us with personal information, please contact us at hunter@greenlightsystems.io.

Users between 13 and 18 years old may use ScholarMate with parental or guardian consent.

6. Your Rights

All Users

• Access, update, or correct your personal information through your Profile settings.
• Delete your account and all associated data through your Profile settings.
• Export your data in a portable format.

California Residents (CCPA)

You have the right to: know what personal information is collected and how it is used; request deletion of your personal information; opt out of the sale of personal information (we do not sell personal data); and not be discriminated against for exercising your privacy rights.

EU/EEA Residents (GDPR)

You have the right to: access your data; rectify inaccurate data; request erasure; restrict processing; data portability; and object to processing. To exercise these rights, contact us at hunter@greenlightsystems.io.

7. Data Security

We implement industry-standard security measures to protect your personal information, including:

• Encrypted data transmission via HTTPS/TLS
• Secure password hashing
• Row-level security policies on our database
• JWT-based authentication with secure session management
• Regular security reviews and updates

While we strive to protect your data, no method of electronic transmission or storage is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security.

8. Data Retention

We retain your personal data for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide the Service. When you delete your account, all personal data is permanently removed within 30 days. We may retain anonymized, aggregated data indefinitely for analytics purposes.

9. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. If we make material changes, we will notify you by email or by posting a prominent notice on the Service prior to the changes taking effect. Your continued use of the Service after changes are posted constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.

10. Contact Us

If you have questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us: