TL;DR: Your data stays on your device. We only send chat messages to OpenAI when you use the AI Advisor. No tracking, no analytics, and no account required.
AI Advisor Feature - Data Sharing Notice
Before using the AI Advisor, you will be asked for explicit permission.
When you use the AI Advisor feature, the following data is sent to OpenAI (a third-party service):
- Your questions and messages to the advisor
- Your selected community college and target university
- Your selected major
- Information about your completed or planned courses (when relevant to your question)
You must give explicit consent before using this feature. You can decline and still use all other features of TransferUp.
OpenAI processes this data according to their privacy policy. See the "Third-Party Services" section below for more details.
Our Commitment to Your Privacy
TransferUp is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we handle your information when you use our mobile application.
Information Stored on Your Device
TransferUp stores the following information locally on your device only using secure device storage (AsyncStorage):
- Your name (collected during onboarding)
- Your selected community college and target universities
- Your selected majors for each university
- Your course roadmap (courses you've planned, are taking, or have completed)
- Grades you enter for completed courses
- Cached institution data from ASSIST.org (public articulation information)
Important: This data remains on your device and is never uploaded to our servers. We cannot access this information.
What We Do NOT Collect
TransferUp does not collect or store on our servers:
- Email addresses or login credentials (no account required)
- Location data
- Device identifiers or advertising IDs
- Usage analytics or tracking data
- Contacts or photos
- Any data beyond what's listed above
Data That Leaves Your Device
The only data that is transmitted from your device is when you use the AI Advisor feature:
- Chat messages: Questions and messages you send to the AI Advisor are sent to OpenAI's servers for processing
- Context information: To provide better answers, we include your selected schools and major in the conversation context sent to OpenAI
- Roadmap data (optional): If you ask questions about your progress, we may include information about your completed courses in the API request
These messages are processed temporarily to generate responses and are handled according to OpenAI's data retention policies.
Third-Party Services
TransferUp uses the following third-party services to provide functionality. These services may process data as described in their own privacy policies:
ASSIST.org API
We retrieve official course articulation data from ASSIST.org, California's official transfer planning database. When you view transfer requirements, the app queries ASSIST.org's public database. This does not require or transmit any of your personal information.
ASSIST.org Privacy Policy: https://assist.org/privacy
OpenAI API (AI Advisor)
IMPORTANT: You must give explicit permission before using the AI Advisor.
When you use the AI Advisor feature, your messages and relevant context are sent to OpenAI Inc., a third-party artificial intelligence service provider. This includes:
- Your messages: The questions you ask the advisor
- School information: Your selected community college, target university, and major (to provide personalized advice)
- Course data: Information about your completed or planned courses (only when relevant to your question)
Before any data is sent to OpenAI:
- The app will show you a consent dialog explaining what data is sent
- You must explicitly accept to enable the AI Advisor
- You can decline and still use all other TransferUp features
- You can disable the AI Advisor at any time in Settings
How OpenAI handles your data:
- OpenAI processes messages to generate helpful responses
- As of our last update, OpenAI states that API data is not used to train their models
- Messages are retained for a limited time (30 days) for abuse and misuse monitoring, then deleted
- OpenAI's use of data is governed by their privacy policy and API terms
Your control: You can avoid sending any personal data to OpenAI by not using the AI Advisor feature, or by asking general questions without specific course details. All other TransferUp features work without sending any data to third parties.
Third-party privacy policies:
• OpenAI Privacy Policy: https://openai.com/privacy
• OpenAI API Data Usage: https://openai.com/enterprise-privacy
• OpenAI Terms of Use: https://openai.com/policies/terms-of-use
Your Control Over Your Data
You have complete control over your data:
- Delete all data: Use the "Clear All Data" button in Settings to erase all information from your device
- Delete specific courses: Remove individual courses from your roadmap at any time
- Clear chat history: Delete your AI Advisor conversation history in the Advisor screen
- Uninstall: Deleting the app removes all local data from your device
- No account needed: TransferUp doesn't require creating an account, logging in, or providing an email address
Data Security
Your data is protected by your device's built-in security features. We do not transmit your data over the internet except when you actively use features that require it (like the AI Advisor).
Children's Privacy
TransferUp is intended for college students (typically ages 17 and older). We do not knowingly collect information from children under 13. Since we don't collect any personal information, this policy applies to all users.
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. Continued use of the app after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.
California Privacy Rights
Since TransferUp does not collect any personal information, California privacy laws (including CCPA) do not apply. We have no personal data to disclose, delete, or manage.
Contact Us
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or TransferUp's privacy practices, please contact us:
Email: transferupapp@gmail.com
Summary
TransferUp is designed with privacy in mind:
- All your transfer planning data is stored locally on your device
- We don't have servers storing your personal information
- The only data sent externally is chat messages to OpenAI when you use the AI Advisor
- No tracking, no analytics, no ads, no data selling
- You have complete control - delete your data anytime