Privacy Policy
SSA Education Abroad (“we,” “our,” or “us”) is committed to protecting your privacy. This privacy policy outlines how we collect, use, protect, and share your personal data when you visit our website or use our services, including sensitive student data handled through our portal and associated third-party vendors.
What Personal Information Do We Collect?
When you apply to one of our programs, participate in activities, or inquire about our services, we may collect personally identifiable information (PII), including:
- Name, email address, mailing address, and phone number
- Passport number and nationality (when necessary for logistical purposes)
- Health and academic information required for program participation
- Flight and travel details, and other logistical data
- Payment information (for processing transactions)
We may also collect personal data through forms, orders, subscription services, surveys, or specific actions that you take on our platform, such as interacting with content specific to your interests.
When Do We Collect Information?
We collect information when you:
- Register on our website or portal and create an account
- Complete forms or submit applications for programs
- Subscribe to our newsletter or enroll in email updates
- Provide additional information to support program participation or logistical coordination (travel, housing, etc.)
How Do We Use Your Information?
The information you provide is used to:
- Process your application and enrollment in study abroad programs
- Facilitate your program experience, including travel arrangements, housing, and logistics
- Secure necessary reservations or tickets with third-party vendors (e.g., hotels, monuments)
- Communicate with you regarding program updates, logistics, and operational matters
- Send periodic email updates related to program services (you can opt-out of marketing messages at any time)
- Monitor website traffic and improve your browsing experience through cookies and analytics
Please note: Opting out of marketing emails will not stop communication regarding your account or the essential logistics of your study abroad program.
Data Sharing with Third-Party Providers
To facilitate your study abroad experience, we may need to share limited personal data with third-party partners, including:
- Hotels and student residences for booking accommodations
- Monuments or event organizers to secure tickets or access to specific sites
- Travel logistics partners for flight or transportation arrangements
- Google Workspace services (Drive and Gmail) for document storage and communication
- Other reputable service providers in case-to-case situations necessary for program execution
We ensure that all third-party vendors uphold privacy safeguards and only use your data for operational purposes relative to your program participation.
Do We Use Cookies?
Yes, we use cookies to:
- Remember and process your account or application preferences
- Improve user experience by understanding your preferences for future visits
- Compile aggregate data about site traffic and site interactions to offer better experiences and tools in the future
We may also employ trusted third-party services like Google Analytics and Google AdSense to track user behavior and provide targeted advertising through the use of cookies. These cookies track your website activity and, if applicable, display ads reflecting your interests.
Google AdSense & Marketing Services
We use advertising programs like Google AdSense to serve ads to users based on prior visits to our website. Google uses the DART cookie, which enables ads tailored to your interests as you browse. The DART cookie follows Google’s advertising principles and allows you to opt out by visiting the Google Ad and Content Network privacy policy.
Additionally, we use:
- Remarketing with Google AdSense
- Google Display Network Impression Reporting
- Demographics and Interests Reporting
These tools allow us and our third-party vendors (e.g., Google) to use cookies to compile data related to ad interactions, and provide improvement insights for future marketing efforts.
Data Retention Policy
We retain personal data for as long as necessary to fulfill the operational purposes for which it was collected. While we are in the process of integrating automatic data expiration into our systems, users can request the deletion of their personal data at any time by emailing [email protected]. For compliance purposes, backup systems may retain copies of your data temporarily, but this data will be purged according to our backup cycle.
Data Security
We employ various measures to ensure your data is secure:
- SSL encryption for protecting data as it is transmitted over the internet.
- Restricted access to sensitive data, with internal access limited to authorized staff only.
- Secure storage as part of AWS Lightsail and Google Workspace, ensuring operational confidentiality based on industry standards.
Although personal data is encrypted in transit, some data may not be encrypted during storage, but efforts toward system improvements are continuously under review.
Data Usage for Marketing
We use data for marketing purposes but ensure that marketing emails are consent-based. We differentiate between marketing emails and operational emails related to your account or program logistics. Unsubscribing from marketing communications will not impact operational, user-triggered notifications (e.g., flight change updates, application status updates).
Data Portability and User Rights
You have the right to request that your data be deleted or corrected. Requests can be directed to [email protected]. We will assess and fulfill requests per applicable GDPR, FERPA, and other legal requirements. Please note that data removal requests are processed manually, and backups or legacy data in archive systems may remain until purged during normal backup cycles.
Privacy Policy Updates
We place the latest version of this privacy policy on our website. Regular policy updates will be published, but no notifications will be directly sent to users unless explicitly required by law. We encourage users to periodically review this page for updates.
California Online Privacy Protection Act (CalOPPA)
According to CalOPPA, users visiting our website can do so anonymously. When we collect personal information, we conspicuously disclose how it will be used. We agree to:
- Allow users to visit the site without revealing personal information.
- Utilize a dedicated privacy link on our homepage.
- Notify users of any privacy policy changes via our Privacy Policy page.
Children’s Online Privacy Protection (COPPA)
We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under the age of 13. Our services are directed to individuals over the age of 18, and parents or guardians are responsible for guiding children’s internet activity in compliance with COPPA guidelines.
How Does Our Site Handle Do Not Track Signals?
We do not honor Do Not Track (DNT) browser settings, as we have not yet implemented DNT capabilities. However, no advertising or data collection is carried out when a DNT signal is found.
Fair Information Practices
We adhere to the Fair Information Practices principles, which form the basis of privacy law in the U.S. If a data breach occurs, users will be:
- Notified via onsite alert within 1 business day.
- Given recourse options through dedicated communication channels to pursue their legal rights.
Contact Information
For questions or concerns regarding this privacy policy, please contact us at:
SSA Education Abroad
433 West Street, Suite 8
Amherst, MA 01002 USA
[email protected]
(413) 256-0011
