Privacy Policy
Rutgers University is committed to respecting users of RU’s websites. For that purpose, this policy has been adopted to address the collection and use of information from RU’s websites. In order to maintain effective privacy practices, RU retains the right to update this policy without notice.
Information Gathering
RU collects two types of information from users: (1) Information provided by the user in order to receive requested information and/or services, and (2) Information anonymously collected upon a user’s visit to RU’s websites.
Information Provided by the User
Users may provide RU with non-personally and personally identifiable information in order to utilize certain services and retrieve information. Such instances may not be noticeable to the user and include, but are not limited to: filling out surveys, purchasing goods and services, submitting tests, registering for courses, and submitting certain online forms.
Should the user choose to provide RU with any personal information, RU will use such information only to conduct official university business and will disclose it only when such disclosure may be appropriate to comply with applicable law, to enforce RU’s Web Legal Policies, or to protect the rights, property or the safety of visitors to RU’s websites, the university community or the public. RU does not sell, trade, or rent users’ personal information to others.
RU maintains information collection procedures that comply with The Child Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998. If you believe that RU has collected personally identifiable information about your child, please contact RU immediately online or at 732-445-4636 so that if such information has been collected, RU can take appropriate action.
Anonymously Collected Information
When a user visits one of RU’s websites, some information such as the visitor’s Internet protocol (IP) address, Internet service provider, operating system, the site from which the visitor arrived, the time and date of the user’s visit, and demographic and interest data of users may be collected automatically by RU and third party vendors as part of the software operation of the website. This intake of information is not personally identifiable. RU uses this information solely for internal purposes, such as, to see what pages are most frequently visited, in order to improve the site. Additionally, RU is currently using Google’s Universal Analytics, a web metrics service, to collect certain information automatically upon a user’s visit. For more information regarding Universal Analytics, see Google’s privacy policy.
Distribution Of Collected Information
In certain instances, in order to provide information and services, or as required by law, RU may disseminate non-personally and personally identifiable information to third parties and officials/departments within RU. In these instances, the information provided to the third-party or RU entity shall be limited to the extent necessary to provide the user-requested information and/or services, or as required by applicable law enforcement agencies.
Third Party Websites and Content
RU websites may contain links to other websites owned by third parties as a convenience to the user. If a user decides to use these links, he or she will leave the RU website. RU is not responsible for the privacy practices or the content of such websites, and does not make any representations or endorsements about them. If a user decides to leave the website and access any third party site, it will be at the user’s own risk, and users should be aware that RU’s policies will no longer govern. Users should review the applicable terms and policies, including privacy and data gathering practices, of any site to which the user navigates away from RU’s websites.
Technologies We and Our Third Party Advertising Vendors Use
RU uses tools such as Google AdWords and Google Display to remarket to individuals who visit program pages or other web pages relevant to our users. We, and our third party vendors, use pixel tags, small strings of code that provide a method for delivering a graphic image on a web page, to obtain information about the computer being used to view a webpage, including the time spent on the site, the user’s operating system and browser type, demographic data, and similar information.
RU’s websites make use of “cookies,” which are small text files placed on the user’s computer to keep track of information about the user’s browsing on this site. The utilization of cookies allows RU to enhance a user’s experience by allowing RU to create tailored web applications. A user’s decision to set his or her web browser to accept or disable cookies is a personal choice. However, some of RU’s websites may not function properly if cookies are disabled.
Pixel tags and cookies may be used by RU and our third party vendors to show advertisements on non-RU websites and digital properties based on a user’s prior visits to RU websites. RU and third party vendors may also use pixel tags and cookies to collect demographic data on website users through Google advertising features, including demographic and interest reports, in order to serve users more appropriate advertising and to assess the effectiveness of advertising. Visitors who would like to opt out of these Google advertising features may do so with one of Google’s currently available opt-outs for the web.
Security
While the security of users’ personal information is of the utmost importance to RU, RU cannot guarantee the security of any information the user chooses to disclose online. Any information the user chooses to disclose to RU is done at his or her own risk.
Policies
Additional University policies may be found at https://grad.admissions.rutgers.edu/InfoRequest/PrivacyPolicy.Aspx.
Contact
If you have any questions regarding this policy or RU’s websites generally, please contact us online or call 732-445-4636.