Privacy Policy

Because of our architectural choices, we minimize data handling to what is strictly necessary to display the web application:

• Calculator Inputs: Numerical data you enter into the calculator (such as tuition, room & board, scholarships, loan terms, and interest rate) are processed temporarily in your browser's volatile memory. This data is never sent to our servers or saved in any database.
• URL State (Share Links): When you click "Copy link", the calculator encodes your current scenario into the URL query string. Anyone with whom you share this link can view the same scenario. The data travels in the link itself and is not logged or cataloged on a server.
• Browser Storage (Theme): We store a single key in your browser's localStorage named theme to preserve whether you prefer dark mode or light mode across visits.
• Standard Server Logs: When you access our website, our hosting infrastructure automatically receives and logs standard technical information, including your IP address, browser type, operating system, referring URL, and page request timestamps. These logs are used solely for network routing, security defense, and server health.

First-Party Cookies: CollegeROICalc does not set first-party tracking cookies.

<strong>Display Advertising:</strong> We may display advertising through Google AdSense or certified third-party ad networks to keep this service free. When advertising is active, third-party vendors including Google use cookies to serve ads based on your prior visits to this website or other sites on the Internet.

You can opt out of personalized advertising by visiting:

• Google Ads Settings
• Digital Advertising Alliance Consumer Choice Tool (aboutads.info)
• Network Advertising Initiative (NAI) Opt-Out

We may use privacy-first, aggregate analytics software (such as Plausible Analytics). Plausible does not use cookies, does not collect personal data, does not generate persistent user identifiers, and operates in full alignment with global privacy regulations. We use aggregate analytics solely to monitor total site traffic, popular majors evaluated, and overall platform reliability.

Certain external links on our website (such as "Compare Refinancing Rates" or "Find Scholarships") are sponsored affiliate links marked with rel="sponsored". If you click on an affiliate partner link and open an account or apply for a product, we may receive compensation at no cost to you.

When you click an outbound affiliate link, you leave CollegeROICalc and enter the partner's platform. We do not transmit your calculator inputs to affiliate partners. Any information you provide on an external website is governed by that third party's independent privacy policy and terms.

Because we do not store calculator data or maintain user account profiles, there is no personal financial data stored on our servers. Standard server access logs are retained only as long as necessary for security auditing and traffic diagnostics before being routinely purged. All network traffic between your device and CollegeROICalc is encrypted using Transport Layer Security (TLS/HTTPS).

CollegeROICalc is intended for high school students, college applicants, undergraduate/graduate students, and parents planning higher education financing. We do not knowingly collect or solicit personal information from children under the age of 13 in compliance with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).

Depending on your jurisdiction (including the European Economic Area under GDPR and California under CCPA/CPRA), you may have rights to access, delete, or restrict processing of personal information. Because we do not collect personal identifiers or maintain user databases, we generally have no personal data to link to you.

You can clear your local theme preference at any time by clearing your browser's local storage or cache. For any privacy-related questions, data inquiries, or notices, contact our privacy coordinator: