Information Services
This Website and Data Privacy Policy Notice (“Policy”) describes the data privacy policies and collection practices of Liberty University, Inc. (“University,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) in connection with information collected through University websites and in the specific contexts described in the “Purpose” section below.
Depending on where you reside, you may have certain rights with respect to your personal information (subject to certain exceptions under applicable law). For individuals located in the European Economic Area, Switzerland, or the United Kingdom, please refer to our GDPR Privacy Notice for more information about how we process your personal information, including the rights you may have with respect to that information.
This Policy describes how we use, store, manage, and share the information that we collect when you visit www.liberty.edu or other University websites or mobile applications, or when you otherwise engage with us (or our affiliated organizations) in a context where we provide products or services to you or otherwise have a relationship with you as a student, prospective student, alumnus, donor, employee, contractor, or job applicant (collectively, the “Services”). This Policy also discusses certain rights and options you may have with respect to such practices.
Please note that some of our sites or Services may have their own privacy policies that may be provided to you separately, in which case those policies will govern our collection and use of your personal information.
Personal information is information about you through which you can be identified (including where you can be identified by combining the information with other information). We collect personal information using a variety of methods and sources, including directly from you, when we generate information based on our interactions with you, automatically from you when you access our websites or other online Services, and in some cases from third parties.
Personal Information We Collect Directly From You
We collect personal information directly from you, such as when you contact us, fill out an information request form, submit an admissions application, respond to a job listing, make a purchase or donate to the University, or otherwise directly interact with us. This may include collecting the following types of information:
· Personal details (e.g., your name, date of birth, place of birth)
· Contact details (e.g., email, phone number, postal address)
· Demographic details (e.g., age, gender, race, ethnic origin, languages spoken, nationality, status, military or veteran status, religious or philosophical beliefs or affiliations, political beliefs)
· Identification numbers (e.g., Social Security Number (SSN) or other government-issued ID number)
· Authenticating information (e.g., usernames, passwords, security questions and answers)
· Admissions information (e.g., personal essay, writing sample, transcripts, test scores, letters of recommendation, evaluations, employment history, disciplinary records)
· Financial aid and scholarship-related information (e.g., information collected via financial aid or scholarship applications, information about you or your family’s financial situation, payment information used for tuition)
· Donor-related information (e.g., gift transactions, philanthropic interests)
· Academic information (e.g., academic interests, preferences, course selections)
· Health and medical information (e.g., medical history, immunization records, disabilities and related accommodations, allergies, dietary restrictions, health insurance information)
· Employment and job application-related information (e.g., resume, CV, references, work history, education history, credentials and qualifications, industry information; information relating to employees and contractors including tax withholding information, employment eligibility, direct deposit details)
· Insurance information (e.g., information necessary to secure and facilitate the provision of insurance)
· Preferences and recreational affiliations (e.g., housing and roommate preferences; extracurricular interests; membership with Liberty-sponsored clubs, athletic teams, or affinity groups)
· Family information (e.g., marital status, names of relatives who attended Liberty or are otherwise affiliated with Liberty, emergency contacts, next of kin, names and birth dates of spouses, children, and other family members)
· Photographs and videos (e.g., uploaded during application or enrollment stages)
· Social media information (e.g., social media contact information)
· Information about unlawful activity (e.g., drug test results)
· Student conduct information (e.g., self-reports of violations of University policies and student codes of conduct; complaints brought by you)
· Communications you send us (e.g., emails, form feedback, or other communications you submit to us)
· Other information you may provide (e.g., volunteer interests; committee and board participation awards and honors; other organizational affiliations; how you heard about Liberty or the Services)
Personal Information We May Generate About You
Depending on the context of our relationship with you, we may generate the following categories of personal information about you:
· Student identification (ID) numbers (e.g., applicant number, myLU ID)
· Academic and financial aid-related information (e.g., information from the University’s institutional records; current degree program of interest, grades and test scores, credits earned or attempted, disciplinary records; transcripts; financial aid status, teacher feedback or recommendations)
· Housing details (e.g., on-campus housing assignments, roommate matches)
· Travel information (e.g., details about study abroad and Liberty-sponsored trips)
· Records of our interactions with you and internal notes (e.g., interview or meeting notes, information about your involvement with Liberty, philanthropic interests, volunteer efforts)
· Donor-related information (e.g., giving history, wealth assessment)
· Alumni-related information (e.g., alumni records, communication preferences)
· Employment-related information (e.g., information relating to employees, contractors, and volunteers, such as title, job or work location, accommodations, benefit elections, salary and payroll details, contract details, performance records)
· Photographs and videos (e.g., captured during participation in a Liberty-sponsored activity or via security cameras at Liberty facilities)
· Information about unlawful activity (e.g., employment-related background checks, details of incidents or allegations of unlawful activity)
· Information we generate as a result of your use of our websites or other online Services (e.g., our understanding of your interests and preferences, whether you are a regular or occasional user or visitor)
· Other information we may generate about you (e.g., event attendance records, student-athlete eligibility status)
Information Collected Automatically
When you visit University websites or other online Services, we may automatically collect certain personal information about your device or your use of the Services over time and across different websites, including through the use of “cookies” and similar technologies. Cookies are small text files that are saved onto your device using your web browser and which allow us to recognize your device when you return. We automatically collect the following types of information:
· Technical data collected from your computer or device (e.g., IP address, browser and device type, operating system, geographic location, internet service provider, profile demographics)
· Usage information (e.g., the websites you visit, search terms you enter, date and time of your visit, how often you visit our sites, URLs of sites you access before or after visiting our sites, the content you engage with on our sites, email clicks or other actions taken)
Information from Third Party Sources
We may obtain additional information about you from third party sources, including publicly available information (e.g., information from public databases, news services, and other public websites), web-based analytic services (e.g., Google Analytics), public social media profiles (e.g., LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter), and other third-party partners, academic institutions, and service providers. We may combine such information with information we collect automatically or that you voluntarily provide to us. These types of information may include:
· Personal, contact, or demographic details (as described above)
· Application or admissions-related information (e.g., application information as described above, transcripts, test scores, credential services, recommendations)
· Employment information (e.g., confirmation of prior employment, references)
· Financial information (e.g., financial aid eligibility, scholarship awards)
· Student-athlete eligibility status and related information
· Student conduct information (e.g., complaints brought against you, or those to which you may be a witness; related reports, information, or evidence)
· Feedback and other information from third parties (e.g., information from internships, homestay providers, partner institutions, and others)
We may use personal information for the following purposes:
· Identification and authentication (e.g., to verify your identity when you log into an account or access specific Services)
· Providing the Services (e.g., we process personal information in order to provide the Services you request, including the provision of websites, academic programs, online learning and other online services, products, events, study abroad programs, and other services)
· Improving the Services (e.g., we may analyze information about the use of our Services to provide an improved experience, develop new programs, improve learning opportunities, and other development purposes)
· Communicating with you (e.g., responding to your communications or questions, notifying you about changes to terms and conditions or policy updates, sending you newsletters or publications)
· Marketing and advertising (e.g., contacting you about academic, employment, fundraising, or other opportunities; sending you marketing communications or promotional materials; building a profile about you and placing you in marketing segments to better understand your preferences and personalize marketing; providing online behavioral advertising; sharing information with third parties for their marketing and promotional purposes, including in connection with affinity programs)
· Exercising or defending rights (e.g., to exercise or defend our rights or the rights of a third party; to detect, prevent, and respond to claims of fraud, intellectual property infringement claims, or violations of law or our standards of conduct, university policies, or our terms of use)
· Complying with our obligations (e.g., to comply with our legal and regulatory obligations, to carry out fraud prevention checks)
· Customizing your experience (e.g., improving your experience of the Services, providing interactive or personalized elements on websites or other digital Services, providing you with content based on your interests)
· Safety and security purposes (e.g., protecting the security of our facilities, websites, information, Services, and other property; protecting the safety of students, faculty, staff, and others when visiting our facilities or using our Services)
· University planning, development, and administration purposes
· Keeping our records accurate and up to date
· Research purposes (e.g., research relating to academic and learning outcomes and preferences; facilitating academic research and scholarship, including by third parties)
· Admissions purposes (e.g., evaluating candidates and application materials, making admissions decisions, conducting student interviews, administering wait lists)
· Academic program purposes (e.g., registration and enrollment in connection with academic programs; program management, planning, development, and administration)
· Financial aid and scholarship purposes (e.g., determining financial aid and scholarship awards, considering financial aid and scholarship application materials, administering financial aid and scholarships)
· Fundraising and donor relations (e.g., alumni and donor outreach and engagement, including marketing and promotion; wealth analysis and research on prospective donors to understand philanthropic interests and giving capacity, in order to tailor fundraising efforts; processing payment information in connection with donations or purchases; issuing receipts; event management
· Employment, hiring, and human resources purposes (e.g., provide services and carry out obligations to employees, contractors, and volunteers; perform obligations under employment and independent contractor agreements; exercise our rights under such agreements; administer payroll and benefits; consider candidates and job application materials; make hiring and staffing decisions; conduct background checks; evaluate performance and fitness for employment)
We may share your personal information in the following circumstances:
Liberty University Entities & Affiliates
We may share your information with our affiliates and other Liberty entities for the purposes described above.
Third-Party Business Partners and Service Providers
We may share your information with our third-party service providers and academic or business partners that perform services for us for the purposes set forth in this Policy. For example, we may engage or partner with third parties that process secure payments, promote other offerings, equip operations, or facilitate your use of our services; for network, security, communications, remarketing, and hosting services; to execute our programs abroad; and for other purposes, as described above.
Legal Compliance and Fraud Prevention
We may share your personal information with law enforcement agencies, regulators, courts, government authorities, or other third parties where we believe doing so is necessary to comply with our legal or regulatory obligations, or to otherwise protect our rights or the rights of any third party, or where we believe doing so is authorized by law. This includes exchanging information with other companies and organizations for fraud protection and credit risk reduction.
We may use cookies, web beacons, and similar technologies (collectively referred to as “cookies” in this section) in our emails and on our sites for the purposes set out above, including to understand how you interact with our sites and communications and to personalize our marketing communications and advertising to you. Cookies are small text files that are saved onto your device using your web browser and which allow us to recognize your device when you return. Some of our sites use Google cookies (including Google Analytics). For more information about how Google uses data collected when you visit our sites, please visit this site. Most browsers accept cookies by default. You may be able to change the settings to have your browser refuse certain cookies or notify you before accepting cookies.
Some of our sites may contain links to other websites or services not owned or controlled by the University, including links to websites of our education partners and other unaffiliated entities and business partners. This Policy only applies to information collected through our Services (as described above), and we have no control over these third-party websites. 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 or 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 to those websites.
We implement reasonable physical, technical, and organizational security measures designed to safeguard personal information. These measures are aimed to protect the personal information we collect from loss, misuse, and unauthorized disclosure, alteration, and destruction.
Prerecorded Voice Messages, Text Messages and Calls using an Autodialer
We may use an automatic telephone dialing system (auto-dialer), artificial, or prerecorded voice messages and text messages to communicate with you for the purposes described in this Policy in accordance with your opt-in and opt-out selections on record and rely upon your consent if required by applicable law.
You may also receive autodialed calls and automated text messages notifying you of emergency situations impacting the University, including, but not limited to, severe weather, delays, closures, and situations impacting health and safety.
University Marketing
Information you provide may be used by the University for the marketing purposes described in this Policy. We may from time to time communicate with you by telephone, text, email, or post for such purposes. We initiate communications in accordance with your opt-in and opt-out selections on record and rely upon your consent if required by applicable law.
You can request at any time that the University no longer use your information to contact you. 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 calling the University at (800) 424-9595.
Communication Preferences
You can update your preferences with respect to the University’s non-emergency communications by following the opt out instructions provided in the e-mail, voice/text message, or post. You can also update your preferences at any time by calling the University at (800) 424-9595. Reply “STOP” to unsubscribe from all non-emergency text notifications (you will receive one additional confirmation message stating that you have opted out). For additional help or support, text back “HELP” or call the University at (800) 424-9595.
We may update the information we maintain about you if we determine based on your interactions with the University that your information is no longer accurate. Our student and faculty services sites, including ASIST, provide you with the option of changing and modifying information you have previously provided to us. You may request that we update our records about you at any time by contacting the Registrar’s Office by telephone at (434) 592-5100 or by email at registrar@liberty.edu.
For students and former students, your personal and academic data is available via the University’s student record system managed by the Office of the Registrar
The University is subject to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), which sets forth requirements regarding the privacy of student records and provides certain rights with respect to personally identifiable information in such records. A guide to understanding FERPA is available in the office of the Registrar. The University's FERPA policy can be found at https://www.liberty.edu/registrar/ferpa/.
We may modify or update this Policy from time to time. If we make any revisions that materially alter the ways in which we process your personal information, we will take reasonable steps to notify you of such changes. You may always visit our website to view the most up-to-date version of this Policy.
This Policy supplements, but does not replace, other University policies impacting data collection, storage, use, and access. University faculty and staff must comply with all University policies.
Table 1. Changes
|
Date |
Reason |
|
2/4/2019 |
Original - signed and published to the IE Policy Directory |
|
9/20/2019 |
Updated to include a statement about individuals in the European Economic Area and a link to the GDPR Privacy Notice. |
2/04/2019
3/26/2024
3/26/2027