A charter for your privacy.

Who this charter applies to.

This Privacy Policy governs how USA OPEN UNIVERSITY -UOU collects, processes, and safeguards information about visitors to our public website, prospective applicants, enrolled students, alumni, faculty, and any party who interacts with our online services. Because our university operates entirely online, every interaction described below takes place through digital channels — there is no on-campus equivalent.

It does not apply to third-party websites, employer learning platforms, or partner institutions that integrate with our services. Those parties publish their own policies, which govern the data they collect on their surfaces.

What we collect, and why.

We collect only the information that is necessary to evaluate your application, deliver instruction, issue verifiable credentials, and operate the institution responsibly. The categories below are exhaustive — we do not maintain hidden collections.

• Identity & contact — legal name, date of birth, email, mailing address, phone number, government-issued identification when required for credential verification.
• Academic Record — prior transcripts, recommendation letters, applications, course enrolments, assignments, assessments, and grades.
• Financial — tuition payments, refunds, invoice history. Card and bank details are processed by our payment partners and are not stored on our systems.
• Technical — IP address, device and browser type, pages visited, session timestamps, and diagnostic logs collected to keep the platform secure and reliable.
• Communications — messages you send to admissions, advisors, faculty, or support staff, retained as part of your student record.

We do not buy personal data from data brokers, and we do not collect information about you from social networks except where you explicitly link an account.

How we use your information.

Your data is used strictly for the purposes described below. We do not repurpose information beyond these grounds without obtaining fresh consent.

• To process applications, evaluate candidates, and communicate admissions decisions.
• To deliver instruction across timezones, including live cohort sessions, recorded lectures, assignments, and assessments.
• To issue, verify, and reissue academic credentials, transcripts, and digital certificates.
• To operate, secure, and improve the student portal, applicant dashboard, and learning platform.
• To meet our legal, regulatory, and accreditation reporting obligations.
• To send service notices, important programme updates, and — only with consent — newsletters and event invitations.

When we share data with third parties.

We share information only when it is required to deliver education, comply with the law, or protect the safety of our community. We never sell personal data.

• Service providers — hosting infrastructure, email delivery, payment processing, video conferencing, and identity verification, each bound by written data-processing agreements.
• Accrediting and regulatory bodies — aggregated and individual records as required by accreditation reviews and lawful requests.
• Authorised partners — recruitment agencies and employer sponsors only with your explicit consent at the point of submission.
• Legal compliance — disclosures pursuant to court order, lawful subpoena, or to protect the rights, safety, or property of our community.

Cookies & similar technologies.

We use a small set of cookies and equivalent local-storage entries to keep the site functional, remember your preferences, and understand how visitors find our programmes.

• Strictly necessary — session, authentication, and CSRF protection. These cannot be disabled without breaking the site.
• Functional — language preference, dark/light mode, accessibility settings.
• Analytics — aggregated traffic measurement that does not identify individual visitors. You may opt out via your browser settings or our consent banner.

We do not use cross-site advertising trackers and we do not allow third parties to fingerprint you on our pages.

The rights you hold over your data.

Subject to local law, you have the right to access the information we hold about you and to correct inaccuracies. You may also request deletion, restrict or object to processing, and receive a copy in a portable format. Where processing rests on consent, you may withdraw it at any time without affecting prior lawful processing.

We respond to verified requests within 30 days. We may extend this period for complex matters and will tell you why. There is no charge for reasonable requests.

How we protect what we hold.

Information is encrypted in transit and at rest. Access is limited to authorised personnel on a need-to-know basis, logged, and reviewed periodically. Our payment partners are PCI-DSS certified; our hosting partners maintain SOC 2 controls.

No system is perfectly secure. If we detect a breach affecting your personal data, we will notify you and the relevant authorities within the timeframes our governing law requires.

How long we keep your records.

Academic records — transcripts, awarded credentials, and the data necessary to verify them — are retained permanently, in keeping with university practice and accreditor requirements.

Application data is retained for seven years from your last interaction. Marketing communications data is retained until you unsubscribe. Diagnostic and security logs are kept for up to 24 months.

Programmes for younger learners.

Our degree programmes are intended for adult learners 18 years of age or older. Where a continuing-education or pre-college offering is available to learners under 16, we collect only the minimum data required. We require verifiable parental or guardian consent before processing such records.

International transfers & storage.

Because we serve learners across many countries, your information may be transferred to and processed in jurisdictions whose data-protection laws differ from those of your country of residence. We rely on standard contractual clauses, adequacy decisions, or your explicit consent — whichever the applicable law requires — to keep these transfers lawful.

How we update this charter.

We review this policy at least once per academic year. When changes materially affect your rights, we will post the revised version with a new effective date and notify enrolled students by email at least 30 days in advance. The version history is available on request.

How to reach us about privacy.

Direct privacy questions, access requests, and complaints to Office of the Data Protection Officer:

• Email — info@usaou.us
• Phone — +13809997793 (staffed across timezones; voicemail returned within one business day)

If you are not satisfied with our response, you may also file a complaint with your local data-protection authority.