Privacy Policy

1. Overview

This Privacy Policy explains what personal information AdmitShark ("we", "us", "our") collects when you use admitshark.ca, why we collect it, and how we protect it. That covers your account, the program and school catalog, the Eligibility Checker, Bill (our assistant), document uploads, and applications. Worth reading alongside our Terms of Service.

2. Who we are

AdmitShark is powered by Bronston Canadian Academy (BCA) and is responsible for the personal information described in this policy. You can reach our privacy team any time at info@bronston.ca.

3. Information we collect

Account information

When you register, we collect your name, email address, and a password, stored in encrypted form. We can't see or retrieve your actual password.

Profile information

To match you with programs and power the Eligibility Checker, we collect what you add to your AdmitShark profile: your citizenship and country of residence, current institution, highest level of education and your grades/GPA, target intake/level/field of study, preferred study destinations, English-language test type and score, budget range, career goals, and whether you need visa support.

Documents you upload

When you prepare an application, you may upload supporting documents such as a passport identity page, academic transcripts, English-test certificates, a statement of purpose, recommendation letters, or a CV. These sit behind access controls and are only reachable by you, the AdmitShark staff assisting your application, and the specific school(s) you choose to submit them to.

Application & payment information

When you apply to a program, we record your application details (program, school, status, and any offer or decision) and, where a fee applies, a payment record (amount, currency, status, and reference number). We don't store your full card number. Card payments are handled by a third-party payment processor, and we keep only the confirmation and reference details needed to reconcile your payment.

Eligibility Checker & Bill conversations

When you use the Eligibility Checker or chat with Bill, we collect the messages you send and the facts Bill picks up from them (like a target field, education level, or test score) so it can give you relevant answers without you repeating yourself. If you're signed in, this is linked to your account. If you're a guest, your conversation is linked to an anonymous session identified by a browser cookie (see Cookies below) rather than to your identity, unless you create an account or sign in.

Usage & device information

Like most websites, our servers automatically log things like your IP address, browser and device type, pages viewed, and searches or filters used on the Platform. We use this to keep the Platform running securely, fix problems, and understand how our catalog and tools get used.

Information from recruiters and schools

If you're referred to AdmitShark by an independent education recruiter, that recruiter may submit basic contact and application information on your behalf. If you apply to a school, that school may send us updates on your application status (received, under review, offer made, enrolled) so your dashboard stays current.

4. How we use your information

• To create and maintain your account, and sign you in.
• To match you with relevant programs and schools, and run the Eligibility Checker against your profile and a program's published requirements.
• To power Bill's conversational responses, personalized to what you've shared.
• To prepare, submit, and track your applications, including sharing the relevant details with the school(s) you apply to.
• To keep accurate records of any payment already made through the Platform. AdmitShark does not charge an application fee and does not collect card details.
• To communicate with you about your account, applications, and any updates from a school.
• To detect and prevent fraud, abuse, or security incidents.
• To meet our legal and regulatory obligations, including tax and record-keeping requirements.

5. How Bill works

The Eligibility Checker and Bill use automated technology, including one or more third-party processing providers, to generate their responses. When you use them, relevant profile facts and your messages are sent to that provider to produce a reply. The program and school details that get included come from our own catalog, not from the provider. These providers handle this information under confidentiality and data-protection agreements with us, and don't use it to train their own systems. Neither tool makes any final decision about your application. The school you apply to always makes the real admission decision.

6. How we share your information

We do not sell your personal information. We share it only in these situations:

• Schools you apply to: when you submit an application, we share the relevant profile details and documents with that school so they can assess it.
• Recruiters: if you're connected to a recruiter (because they referred or registered you), they can see the profile and application information relevant to the applications they support.
• Service providers: companies that host our servers, deliver email, process payments, or provide the automated processing described above, under agreements that limit them to using your information only to provide that service to us.
• Legal & safety reasons: where we believe it's necessary to comply with the law, respond to a lawful request, or protect the rights, property, or safety of AdmitShark, our users, or others.
• Business transfers: if AdmitShark is ever part of a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your information may transfer as part of that deal, under this policy (or one at least as protective).

7. Cookies

We use a small number of cookies, all functional rather than advertising-related:

You can block or delete cookies through your browser settings; doing so may stop some features (like staying signed in, or Bill remembering earlier messages) from working correctly.

8. How long we keep your information

We keep your account, profile, and application information as long as your account is active, plus a reasonable stretch afterward for legal, tax, and record-keeping reasons, and in case of any disputes. Guest Eligibility Checker/Bill sessions that never turn into an account stick around only for the length of that 90-day cookie, then get cleared out periodically. You can also ask us to delete your information sooner. See Your rights & choices.

9. How we protect your information

We take reasonable steps to protect your information: passwords are encrypted, uploaded documents sit behind access controls so only you or the school/staff handling your application can reach them, and internal access to personal information is limited to what's actually needed to run the service. That said, no system is 100% secure, and we can't guarantee perfect security for anything sent to us over the internet.

10. Your rights & choices

Depending on where you live, you may have the right to:

• get a copy of the personal information we hold about you;
• correct inaccurate or incomplete information (most profile fields can be edited directly from your dashboard);
• ask us to delete your information, subject to what we're legally required to keep;
• object to certain uses of your information, or ask us to limit them;
• withdraw consent at any time, without affecting anything we already did based on it; and
• get a copy of your information in a portable, reusable format.

To use any of these, email info@bronston.ca. We'll respond within a reasonable time and may need to verify your identity first. You can also delete individual uploaded documents yourself from your Documents page any time, and can stop using Bill or the Eligibility Checker whenever you like. Skipping them doesn't affect your ability to browse programs or apply directly.

11. Children's privacy

AdmitShark is meant for prospective students 16 and up, or younger students with a parent or guardian involved. That's common when researching secondary-school or pathway programs. We don't knowingly collect personal information directly from children under 13 without verified parental or guardian consent. If a parent or guardian submits information for a minor as part of an application, we treat that as done with their authority and consent. If you think a child has given us personal information without proper consent, let us know at info@bronston.ca and we'll remove it.

12. International data transfers

Since AdmitShark connects students with schools around the world, your information may end up stored or processed in other countries, including Canada, wherever your chosen school is based, and wherever our service providers (including automated processing providers) operate, which may include the United States. When we send information across borders, we take steps to keep it protected in line with this policy.

13. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy now and then, for example for a new feature or a change in the law. For any significant change, we'll update the date above and, where it matters, let you know by email or a notice on the site before it takes effect.

14. Contact us

Questions or requests about this Privacy Policy or your information can be sent to info@bronston.ca.