Privacy Policy

Last updated: April 2026

1. Introduction

Welcome to GraduateHelper ("we", "us", "our"). We are committed to protecting your personal information and your right to privacy. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, and what rights you have in relation to it. By using GraduateHelper, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy.

2. Data Controller

The data controller responsible for your personal data is the operator of GraduateHelper. If you have any questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us at helpergraduate@gmail.com.

3. Information We Collect

We collect the following categories of information when you use our service:

  • Account Information: Your name and email address, provided during registration.
  • Academic Profile Data: Research interests, GPA, standardised test scores, university name, and any other information you enter into the search form.
  • CV Files: PDF documents you upload for analysis. These are stored locally on our servers.
  • Usage Data: The number of searches you perform each month, your search history, and technical information such as timestamps.

4. How We Use Your Information

Your data is used exclusively for the following purposes:

  • Provide the Service: Create and manage your account, process your CV, and generate personalised graduate program and supervisor recommendations.
  • AI-Powered Recommendations: Your academic data (research interests, CV content, GPA, test scores, university name) is sent to the AI Recommendation Engine to generate recommendations. Personal identification information such as your email address is not sent to the AI.
  • Communication: Send you search results, account-related notifications, password resets, and account deletion confirmations via email.
  • Quota Management: Track your monthly search usage to enforce the 10-search-per-month limit.
  • Error Monitoring: Diagnose and fix technical issues to improve service reliability.

5. Third-Party Services & Data Sharing

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal data. We share data only with the following third-party services that are essential for operating GraduateHelper:

  • AI Recommendation Engine: Your academic profile data and CV content are sent to a third-party AI service to generate personalised recommendations. Personal identification information (e.g., email) is not included in these requests. The provider's privacy policy applies to their processing of this data.
  • SendGrid: We use SendGrid to deliver transactional emails (verification, search results, account deletion). Your email address is processed by SendGrid for this purpose.
  • Sentry: We use Sentry for error tracking and monitoring. When an error occurs, Sentry may receive request metadata (such as the URL, browser type, and error details) to help us diagnose and fix issues. No CV content or academic data is intentionally sent to Sentry.
  • Stripe: If you make a payment, Stripe processes your payment information. We do not store your credit card details on our servers. Stripe's privacy policy governs how they handle your payment data.
  • Google Authentication: If you choose to sign in with Google, we receive your basic profile information (name and email) as per Google's authentication flow and privacy policy.

6. Data Storage & Security

Your data is stored in a PostgreSQL database on our servers. Uploaded CV files are stored locally on our server filesystem. We use industry-standard security measures to protect your data, including HTTPS encryption for all connections, secure password hashing, and restricted server access. While we take reasonable precautions, no method of electronic storage or transmission is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

7. Cookies

GraduateHelper uses only essential cookies required for the service to function:

  • sessionid: A Django session cookie that keeps you logged in.
  • csrftoken: A security cookie that protects against cross-site request forgery attacks.

We do not use any analytics, tracking, or advertising cookies. For more details, see our Cookie Policy.

8. Your Rights

Under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and Swiss data protection law, you have the following rights:

  • Right of Access: You may request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
  • Right to Rectification: You may request correction of any inaccurate personal data.
  • Right to Erasure: You may delete your account at any time using the "Delete Account" feature. This permanently removes all your personal data, uploaded files, and search history from our systems.
  • Right to Data Portability: You may request your data in a structured, machine-readable format.
  • Right to Object: You may object to the processing of your personal data.
  • Right to Lodge a Complaint: You have the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority if you believe your data rights have been violated.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at helpergraduate@gmail.com.

9. Data Retention

We retain your personal data for as long as your account is active. When you delete your account, all associated data — including your profile information, uploaded CV files, and search history — is permanently and irreversibly removed from our systems. We do not retain backups of deleted user data.

10. Children's Privacy

GraduateHelper is not intended for use by individuals under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If we become aware that we have collected data from a person under 18, we will take steps to delete that information promptly.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated "Last updated" date. We encourage you to review this page periodically. Continued use of the service after changes constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.

12. Governing Law

This Privacy Policy is governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of Switzerland, including the Swiss Federal Act on Data Protection (FADP), and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) where applicable.

13. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or wish to exercise your data rights, please contact us at helpergraduate@gmail.com.