Website Privacy Policy

ISSUING OFFICE

Information Services

POLICY

Liberty University collects various types of information through our sites and other websites where you express interest in our services, as well as through our mobile applications, via email, Live Chat over the phone, via printed forms and in person. Some information is collected automatically through various web and Internet technologies including social networking tools used by the University. Other information is collected when provided to us voluntarily.

We may also obtain information from education partners, business associates, and unrelated entities and combine it with information we collect.

For individuals located in the European Economic Area, please refer to the GDPR Privacy Notice.

Standards

Information Collected Automatically

The University collects limited, non-personal identifying information your browser makes available when visiting websites. We may aggregate this non-identifying information for reporting purposes to access the effectiveness of our websites without disclosing specific information that would link to any individual. This includes:

1. Your Internet Protocol address
2. The Browser type (Chrome, Firefox, etc.)
3. Your computer’s operating system (Windows, Macintosh, etc.)
4. Your Internet domain
5. Your device (iPhone, Tablet, etc.)
6. URLs of the websites you came to our websites from
7. Cookie information described below
8. The pages on our website that you visit including date and time of access
9. Geographic vicinity and other demographic and interests information
10. Collection date
11. Day of week, time of day (hour)
12. Language setting
13. Country, state, designated market area (OMA), city (relating to IP address, if available)
14. Web pages visited
15. E-mail clicks or other actions taken
16. Publisher name

Use of Cookies

In some instances, our websites use cookies that uniquely identify your browser so that we may provide content most relevant to your needs. A cookie allows the University website to customize what you see in relation to the way you entered the website and content that you most recently viewed (i.e., if you logged into your student account, the website may be personalized for student viewing in subsequent visits).

Information You Provide to Us

In addition to the web analytical information collected when you visit our sites, or business associate site, Liberty University also collects, uses, and discloses personal information that you provide to us voluntarily online or off-line when you respond to an advertisement, a survey or request information, register for classes, apply for financial aid, order educational or other products and services, set up a social network or other site profile, or use on one of our career resources, learning assessments or other interactive tool.

Inquiry and Application Forms

Information that you choose to complete, which may include your name, email address, phone number, and content of the e-mail, are used in order to provide information about the University.

If you do not wish to provide your contact information online, you may call the University and request that information be sent through the mail.

Purchasing Merchandise or Donating to the University

Information that you choose to complete, which may be your name, e-mail address, phone number, mailing and/or billing address, credit or debit card information are used to send merchandise to you, and to contact you if necessary.

Your financial information is used for billing.

Any information about a third party that you wish to include as a beneficiary.

If you do not wish to provide your contact or financial information online, you may call the University to place an order or donate.

Login Sites and Services

Various websites and web services of Liberty University require users to log in and gain access to information and tools reserved for students, faculty, and staff.

Creation of a login account requires you to provide your student or faculty/ staff ID number.

Web Engagement Data

Your engagement data (e.g., analytical info, referral data, form data, etc.) may be used to personalize our communications with you.

SPECIFIC CONCERNS

Website Security

Liberty University websites have standard security measures in place to protect against the loss, misuse, or alteration of the information under our control. For example, we utilize standard SSL encryption when accepting your credit card information during the online ordering process, as well as whenever we ask you to log in to any of the University’s online student and faculty services.

How Information is Used

Liberty University will not sell, rent, or lease your personal information to others except in accordance with this policy. We may collect, use, and disclose personal information for the following purposes:

1. Determine admissibility and register for selected educational purpose
2. Contact you regarding your status within the University
3. Provide requested products and services
4. Respond to inquiries and provide customer support
5. Administer promotions in which you have indicated an interest
6. For internal marketing purposes, which include, but are not limited to, sending you material about products, services, updates, etc. that we think will be of interest to you
7. Fostering communication and collaboration among members of your University community
8. Sharing with our education partners or business associates who may contact you with respect to their educational or other services requested by you
9. Analyze how sites and services are being accessed an used
10. Investigation of information security and information asset protection-related incidents
11. Test, correct, and improve our content, applications, and services
12. Develop new applications, products, and services
13. Online behavioral advertising purposes
14. Improve student retention, site and service performance, user experience and delivery
15. Prevent potentially illegal activities (including illegal downloading of copy righted materials in accordance with our copyright policy)
16. Investigate suspicious information that denotes illegal activity such as financial aid fraud
17. Analyze academic and learning outcomes and preferences
18. External academic research and scholarship done by business associates or unrelated entities
19. Analyze risk and business results
20. Obtain payment for services that we provide to you
21. Provide you with information concerning arrangements and other options for the repayment of funds loaded to you for your education
22. Maintain educational and business records for reasonable periods
23. Communicate to education partners, business associates, or unrelated entities in connection with the contemplated or actual reorganization, merger, acquisition, financing, securitization, insuring, sale, or other disposal of all or part of our business or assets, including for the purposes of determining whether to proceed with such transaction or fulfilling any records or other reporting requirements to such parties. In the event of any actual reorganization, merger, or acquisition, such information may be transferred as part of the transaction to the acquirer.

Internet Technologies Used

Cookies, web beacons, and other relevant Internet technologies are used in our emails and on our sites to allow us to accomplish the uses set out above as well as to deliver sites messaging and to keep track of your information. These small pieces of program code reside in your computer and browser and can be removed. If you desire to remove such technologies you may do so, but this may render our sites unusable to you. You can opt out of cookies or other Internet technologies used by disabling these features in your browser program. Please note that this deletion of certain opt out cookies may require you to renew your online behavioral advertising opt outs periodically. Consult your browsers Help menu for assistance in changing cookie settings or removing cookie files.

Sites Hosting and Links from Our Sites to Other Websites

Some of our sites may contain links to websites hosted by education partners, unrelated entities, and business associates operating websites on their own behalf or on behalf of multiple entities. Some of these websites may collect your personal information and may apply their own policies on how your personal information is used. In addition, some of our Sites may have additional policies that apply to the use of personal information collected on that site. Please make sure to read the policies of any websites you visit on the Internet carefully. Please be aware that we are not responsible for the privacy practices of the content of any websites that are not operated by or exclusively for us, and the collection, use, and disclosure of information about you will be subject to the policies applicable on those websites.

Liberty University Online Academy and Liberty Christian Academy

The Liberty University Online Academy (www.libertyonlineacademy.com) offers programs for students in grades K-12. It collects personal identifying information through its inquiry and application forms. Although the forms ask for the personal information of the parent or guardian, not the child, Liberty University upholds the confidentiality of any and all information obtained from parents in the course of gaining parental consent or providing parental access.

Parents may ask to have the child’s personal identifying information deleted by using the contact information below:

Website operator:

Liberty University Online Academy
1971 University Boulevard
Lynchburg, VA 24515
(866) 418-8741

Personal information collected on the Liberty University Online Academy website is not shared with third parties.

Liberty Christian Academy (www.lcabulldogs.com) is an affiliated traditional private grade school whose website resides on Liberty University’s domain. Liberty Christian Academy does not collect personal identifying information online but only provides printable forms to submit offline.

Liberty University limits the collection or use of non-personal information your browser makes available when vising the websites of our affiliated K-12 grade schools by restricting reporting features that can be applied to these sites. Guardians are encouraged to visit Google’s Online Safety Center to learn more about further provisions they can employ to restrict the collection of data on minors.

YOUR RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Express Consent to Receive Prerecorded Voice Messages, Text Messages and Calls using an Autodialer

If you have provided prior express written consent in the process of requesting information from the University about its educational offerings or services, or if you have provided express consent after becoming a student to receive communications related to purposes other than marketing, we may use an automatic telephone dialing system (auto-dialer), artificial, or prerecorded voice messages and text messages to communicate with you.

In the case of text communications, you may receive text messages periodically regarding Liberty University. Message and data rates may apply. You may opt out at any time by texting STOPLUO to cancel future text messages. By sending STOPLUO, you agree to one additional confirmation message stating that you have opted out and will no longer receive text messages from Liberty University. To get help, text HELP. You may also get additional support or help by calling 800424-9595.

By consenting to receive texts you specifically authorize Liberty University to send text communications using an automatic dialing system or an artificial or prerecorded voice. Your participation and/or consent is not a condition of purchasing any goods or services. Your consent also provides authorization for the specific telephone number that may be contracted via this program.

Opt out - Liberty Marketing

Information you provide may be used by the University for marketing purposes. If at any point you wish to discontinue receiving marketing e-mails or phone calls, you may use the opt out feature on our e-mails or call the University at (800) 5435317 or (800) 424-9595. Liberty University never blends their collection data with Google. See below for information on Google’s Privacy and Terms or to opt out of their automatic data collection.

Opt out - Google and social media

Liberty University encourages its website visitors to learn more about how Google uses data and how you can control the information sent through your browser by viewing Google’s Privacy & Terms page. Users who wish to learn more about opting out of the automatic collection and use of data on the web should visit Google’s Consumer Ads Help Center or Opt Out here.

We may release personal information when necessary to comply with the law, respond to our judicial process, or provide information to law enforcement of regulatory agencies, enforce our conditions of use and other agreements, or protect the rights, property, or safety of Liberty University, our faculty, staff, users, or others. This includes exchanging information with other companies and organizations for fraud protection and credit risk reduction.

An Opt Out for social media is available from Webchoices and YourOnlineChoices.

How to Update Your Information

Our student and faculty services Sites, including ASIST, provide you with the option of changing and modifying information you have previously provided to us.

SCOPE

This privacy policy applies to all visitors, students, alumni, faculty, and staff who use the University website. This policy pertains to all information collected by or submitted to official Liberty University websites, including any and all domains owned and managed by the University, which are classified and identified as the official web pages of University schools, departments, and other divisions and entities.

PURPOSE

Liberty University is committed to protecting your privacy when you visit our websites. This privacy policy outlines how we collect information when you visit one of our sites, how we use that information, how the visitor can opt out of the use of non-personal information provided by your browser. Our privacy and public records responsibilities, requirement, and obligations are administered exclusively by applicable Virginia statutes, included, but not limited to, the Virginia Freedom of Information Act, the Virginia Privacy Protection Act of 1976, and by any applicable U.S. federal laws. This policy replaces previous policy PG0062, Website Privacy Policy.

CHANGES TO THIS POLICY

Liberty’s Privacy Policy attempts to maintain, but cannot guarantee, continued access to Google’s opt out feature and policy documentation. Access is available through Google’s site and users are encouraged to remain familiar with Google’s documentation of what opting out does and does not do.

The University reserves the right to append or otherwise modify its Privacy Policy at any time. We expect any such changes to be minor, and notification of any changes will be made on this page. You should check back at this site periodically to obtain a current copy of this Privacy Policy. We urge you to review this Privacy Policy frequently to obtain the current version. Your continued provision of personal information or use of our services following any changes to this Privacy Policy constitutes your acceptance of such changes if we intend to use information that personally identifies you.

REVISIONS

Table 1. Changes