Cookie Statement

The University of San Francisco uses cookies and web beacons to collect non-personally identifiable information when you access the Site. The purpose of this Cookie Statement is to explain how we collect, process, and share that information.

This Cookie 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 cookie statements on those other websites when you visit them. Because we may update this Cookie Statement at any time and for any reason, we encourage you to review it each time you visit the Site.

What is a Cookie?

A cookie is a small text file or piece of code that's saved to your device when you visit a website. It typically stores information about your visit that may be useful to the website owner and to you. For example, when shopping online, a cookie can be used to retain the list of items you placed in a shopping cart if you exited the site before purchasing them so you don't have to re-pick them next time you visit. You can read more about cookies and how to manage them at allaboutcookies.org.

What Sort of Cookies Do We Use?

We use two different types of cookies to collect information about how you access the Site: session cookies and persistent cookies. A session cookie is valid for the duration of your visit to the Site. It helps us see where you visit within the Site and is deleted when you close the browser. A persistent cookie is valid for longer and helps us remember and recognize you when you return to the Site. We also use web beacons to track which web page you visit.

What Data We Collect

When you access the Site, and when you use certain functions and features, we collect non-personally identifiable information so that we can understand how you interact with and use the Site. That collection occurs automatically through our use of cookies and web beacons. These tools track your activity on the Site for analytical purposes by recording the web browser you use, the operating system of your device and its internet address, your internet service provider, the date, time, and duration of your visit, which pages you visit on the Site, the referring and exiting websites, and whether you are a first time or repeat visitor. Advertising cookies will also be placed on your device so we can understand what you are interested in.

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 collect. Please remember that when you use a link to leave our Site, this Cookie Statement will not apply to the sites you visit. Your browsing and interaction on any other website, including those that have a link on the Site, are subject to those sites' own rules and policies. We encourage you to review their cookie statements to understand how they collect and use the information they collect.

How We Use Your Data

We use non-personally identifiable information to analyze and monitor web traffic and Site performance, inform us if you have visited the Site before, help us improve your browsing experience and navigation, develop statistics about how the Site is being used, and gather data for our promotional marketing, advertising, and communications activities to help us personalize content that you may be interested in.

Only information required for the purposes described in this Cookie 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 may share your non-personally identifiable information with third parties to help us analyze the information collected, such as identifying the most common websites used to get to the Site, the numbers of unique and repeat visitors, and the types of requests visitors make while on the Site, for example. We do not share personally identifiable information with these third parties.

Our display advertising partner, AdRoll, enables us to present you with retargeting advertising on other sites based on your previous interaction with the Site. The techniques our partners use do not collect personally identifiable information. You can opt-out of AdRoll and their partners’ targeted advertising.

How We Protect Your Data

We use reasonable technical, physical, and organizational measures to protect and safeguard your information against unauthorized access and illegal use or disclosure. For example, we limit access to that information to trained staff whose work requires such access. Although the security of your 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 the Site.

Your Access and Choice

By accessing the Site you consent to the collection of non-personally identifiable information and its use as described in this Cookie Statement. You can configure your browser settings to reject our cookies if you do not want us to collect non-personally identifiable information but bear in mind: Doing so may impact your experience when using the Site.

California Do Not Track Disclosure

Some browsers can be configured to send "do not track" (“DNT”) signals to a website you visit. We do not currently respond to DNT signals. You can read more about DNT at allaboutdnt.com.