Privacy Policy

1. Who we are

GradeBucks is a student reward platform that connects college students with sponsor-funded rewards for verified academic achievement. We are currently operating in early access.

When this policy refers to "GradeBucks," "we," "us," or "our," it means GradeBucks LLC and the team operating the platform. When it refers to "you," it means any person using the GradeBucks website or services — whether you're a student, a sponsor, or simply a visitor.

2. What data we collect

We only collect data that is necessary to operate the platform. Here's exactly what we collect from each type of user:

From students

From sponsors

Automatically collected data

When you visit our website, we may automatically collect basic technical information including your browser type, device type, referring URL, and pages visited. This is used only for improving the website experience and is not linked to your personal profile.

3. How we use your data

We use the data we collect for the following purposes only:

• To operate the platform — processing signups, verifying achievements, matching students to campaigns, and issuing rewards
• To communicate with you — notifying students when GradeBucks launches at their school, when a campaign match is found, or when a submission is reviewed; reaching out to sponsors to schedule onboarding calls
• To verify academic achievements — reviewing grade documents submitted by students to confirm they meet campaign criteria
• To improve the platform — using anonymized, aggregated data to understand how the platform is used and improve the experience for everyone
• To provide sponsors with campaign reporting — sharing anonymized or aggregated student engagement data with the sponsor who funded a specific campaign

4. Academic data — special protections

We take academic data more seriously than any other category of information on this platform. When you submit a transcript, grade report, or any document showing your academic record, the following protections apply:

• Your document is transmitted using end-to-end encryption
• Access is strictly limited to GradeBucks review team members whose role requires it
• Documents are used only to verify your achievement against campaign criteria — for no other purpose
• Documents are never shared with sponsors in identifiable form. Sponsors only receive confirmation that a submission was approved and the reward amount issued — not the underlying document
• Grade documents are deleted from our systems within 90 days of submission review completion
• We do not build profiles, scores, or academic histories from your submissions beyond what is needed for campaign matching

5. Who we share data with

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal data. We share data only in the following limited circumstances:

With sponsors — anonymized only

Sponsors who fund a campaign receive reporting on that campaign's performance — including how many students qualified, what their academic profile looked like in aggregate (e.g. average GPA, major distribution), and the total rewards issued. Individual student identities are never shared with sponsors.

With service providers

We use a small number of third-party service providers to operate the platform (e.g. hosting, email delivery, file storage). These providers process data only on our behalf, under strict confidentiality agreements, and are not permitted to use your data for their own purposes.

If required by law

We may disclose information if required to do so by law, court order, or government authority. We will notify you where legally permitted to do so.

In a business transfer

If GradeBucks is acquired or merges with another company, your data may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will notify you before your data is transferred and becomes subject to a different privacy policy.

6. How we store and protect your data

We take reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorized access, loss, or misuse. These include:

• Encryption of data in transit (HTTPS/TLS) and at rest
• End-to-end encryption for all uploaded grade documents
• Access controls that limit which team members can access which data
• Regular review of our data handling practices

No system is completely secure. If you believe your account or data has been compromised, please contact us immediately at privacy@gradebucks.com.

7. How long we keep your data

8. Your rights

You have the following rights regarding your personal data. To exercise any of them, contact us at privacy@gradebucks.com.

• Access — You can request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
• Correction — You can ask us to correct any inaccurate or incomplete data
• Deletion — You can ask us to delete your account and personal data. We will comply within 30 days, except where we are legally required to retain certain records
• Withdrawal of consent — Where we rely on your consent to process data (e.g. grade document review), you may withdraw that consent at any time. This will not affect the lawfulness of processing already carried out
• Portability — You can request a copy of your data in a machine-readable format
• Opt-out of communications — You can unsubscribe from emails at any time using the link in any email we send

We will respond to all data requests within 30 days.

9. Cookies

GradeBucks uses a minimal number of cookies — only what is necessary to operate the website. We do not use tracking cookies, advertising cookies, or third-party analytics cookies that profile your behavior across the web.

• Session cookies — Used to keep you logged in during a session. These expire when you close your browser
• Preference cookies — Used to remember basic preferences like form progress. These expire after 30 days

We do not use Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel, or any third-party advertising trackers.

10. Contact us

If you have any questions about this privacy policy, want to exercise your data rights, or have a concern about how we've handled your information, please get in touch.