Website Privacy Statement

The University of San Francisco is committed to protecting the privacy of confidential information that we collect when you access this website. The purpose of this Privacy Statement is to explain how we collect, process, and share that information.

This Privacy Statement pertains only to the www.usfca.edu website and its related digital properties (“Site”). It does not apply to other websites operated on our behalf by third parties. You should review the privacy statements on those other websites when you visit them. Because we may update this Privacy Statement at any time and for any reason, we encourage you to review this Privacy Statement each time you visit the Site.

What Data We Collect

We collect personal information when you access the Site, use certain functions and features of the Site, and that is relevant to a particular request or inquiry. Depending on the nature of the request, inquiry, or use, that information may include "personally identifiable information" that you voluntarily enter into our Site such as your name, address, phone number, email address, date of birth, gender, education and academic background, parent and guardian information, credit card information, and social network handle, for example.

We also collect non-personally identifiable information so that we can understand how you interact with and use the Site. That collection occurs automatically through, for example, our use of "cookies" and web beacons. These tools track your activity on the Site for analytical purposes by recording the make and version of your web browser, the operating system of your device and its internet address, your internet service provider, the date, time, and duration of your visit, the referring and exiting website, the pages you visit on the Site, and the search terms you enter. These analytics help us personalize content that you may be interested in and are also used by us for marketing and advertising.

The Site also contains links to third-party social media sites. Those links are provided for convenience only and the linked sites are not under our operation or control. We are not responsible for practices employed by those sites nor for the information or content they contain. Please remember that when you use a link to leave our Site, this Privacy Statement will not apply to the sites you visit. Your browsing and interaction on any other website, including those that have a link on our Site, are subject to those sites' own rules and policies. We encourage you to review their privacy statements to understand how they collect and use your personal information. You can read more about our use of cookies.

How We Use Your Data

Our use of your personally identifiable information can depend on what service or resource you request when using the Site, including our use of that information to, for example, provide you with material about our academic programs, add you to one or more of our mailing lists, process application, registration, or enrollment requests, respond to requests and comments, and otherwise communicate with you as necessary or in any other way we may describe when you provide the information during your visit to the Site.

We also use the non-personally identifiable information that we collect to analyze and monitor web traffic and Site performance, help us improve your browsing experience and navigation when using our Site, and support our marketing and advertising activities. Your personal information may be used for other operational purposes, such as security, fraud detection and prevention, and legal compliance.

Only information required for the purposes described in this Privacy Statement is collected and processed. Without that information you may not be able to access or use the features of the Site and we may not be able to provide our web-based services to you.

Who We Share Your Data With

We share your personal information internally to facilitate and manage our ability to provide you with the services or information that you request. We also share it with third parties that we engage to assist with information processing and storage. These include, for example, third parties that provide services such as data and web-hosting, data analytics, application processing, financial aid, payment processing, event planning, and marketing services. We may also share your personal information with government and law enforcement agencies to comply with a legal process (such as a subpoena), or other legal or regulatory requirements applicable to us, or to pursue or defend against legal claims.

Other than as described in this Privacy Statement, your personal information will not be shared by us. We will not, for example, sell your personal information or otherwise disclose it to third parties (other than for the limited purposes described above).

How We Protect Your Data

We use reasonable technical, physical, and organizational measures to protect and safeguard your personal information against unauthorized access and illegal use or disclosure. For example, we store collected information in secure locations and limit access to that information to trained staff whose work requires such access. For third-party vendors that we use, we require that they agree to maintain acceptable privacy and information security practices and only provide them with the data and information they need to perform their contracted services.

Although the security of your personal information is important to us, we cannot guarantee that security given the nature of electronic transmissions and data storage. Please keep that in mind when you use this Site.

Your Access and Choice

By accessing and using our Site you consent to the data collection and use described in this Privacy Statement. You may withdraw your consent to receive online services that you request by unsubscribing to our communications, or by writing to us at the address in the "How to contact USF" section of this Privacy Statement. You can also configure your browser settings to reject our cookies if you do not want us to collect non-personally identifiable information from your Site visit: Doing so may impact your user experience when visiting the Site. If you choose not to utilize the Site or wish to decline providing information about yourself online, you may use other methods to communicate with us, such as U.S. mail. To withdraw your consent to receive online services and communications provided by the third parties we use, you should contact them directly.

We comply with all applicable regulations regarding data retention and deletion of personal data and retain personal information only for as long as necessary to, for example, fulfill the purpose for which it was collected, for strategic planning and operational purposes, and to comply with applicable laws and retention requirements. You can ask to review, update, or make changes to the personal information we maintain about you, or exercise your option of having your personal information discarded without reuse or distribution, by sending a written request to the address included in the "How to contact USF" section below. We will respond within a reasonable period of time. If you request the deactivation or change of information on our systems, such information may be retained in our backup systems for a period of time subject to technology restrictions, or as a precaution against systems failures before it is deleted or changed. Some information may be retained for longer periods as required by law, contract, or auditing requirements.

EEA DATA RIGHTS

If you are an individual located in the European Economic Area ("EEA") you have certain rights with regard to your personal data collected while you are in the EEA. These rights may include right of access, right of correction, right to be forgotten, right to restrict processing of your identifiable personal information, right to notice related to changes/deletion/processing limits, right to data portability, right to objection, right not to be subject to decisions based solely on automated processing, and right to withdraw consent. Some of these rights are restricted by law to information that was collected on the basis of explicit consent, or are restricted by other conditions (such as necessity for contract or to comply with the law). You have the right to contact us in connection with the exercise of your rights under applicable EEA law, which you can do by writing to us at the address in the "How to contact USF" section of this Privacy Statement. We will respond to your written request within one month, but if your request is complex or we receive multiple requests from you, our response may be extended by an additional two months (or sooner if required by law). Unless we notify you at the time of your request, we will not charge you any fee in connection with the exercise of your rights. If you are not satisfied with our response, you have the right to complain to or seek advice from a supervisory authority and/or bring a claim against us in any court of competent jurisdiction.

How to Contact USF

For any comments or concerns about this Privacy Statement or your privacy rights, please contact USF's Office of Marketing Communications by emailing webservices@usfca.edu or by writing to the University of San Francisco, Attention: Office of Marketing and Communications, 2130 Fulton Street, San Francisco, CA 94117-1080, United States of America.