The Catholic University of America Office of Graduate Admission is committed to safeguarding the privacy of individuals who apply for admission to the University. This Privacy Notice outlines the University’s collection, use, and disclosure of Information provided by prospective students and applicants or third parties in connection with applications for admission. You understand and agree that we may collect, use, and disclose Information as described in this Privacy Notice.
We may collect your personal data in a number of ways, for example:
When you interact with us before applying or enrolling, for example when you express your interest in studying at the University;
When you submit an application for admission to us, or otherwise provide us with Information in your application for admission,
When you complete enrollment forms with us;
When you communicate with us by telephone, email or use our websites and other services; and
From third parties, for example from your previous or current school, from testing agencies, or from employers or other individuals who may provide a reference about you.
As part of the application process, the University collects general Information from or about you such as:
As part of the application process, the University may also collect Sensitive Information from or about you. For purposes of this Privacy Notice, Sensitive Information is defined as race or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, union membership, data concerning health or sex life and sexual orientation, criminal convictions and genetic data or biometric data.
The Office of Graduate Admission will use Information that you provide to us and Information we collect about you to administer your application. In addition, we may use your Information to analyze and improve our admission process, for outreach efforts, and for other University processes and functions related to your admission as a student. We may also de-identify your Sensitive Information to use for research or statistical purposes. If you are enrolled as a student of the University, we may use and share your Information internally with other University offices and units to support your success as a student and to deliver education, advising, residence, athletic, student development, support services (e.g., health and careers), financial assistance, security, and for fundraising. Sensitive Information will only be used when needed, such as use of your health information to provide any necessary accommodations.
We may collect credit card Information from you for your application fee and enrollment deposit. A reputable third-party financial institution handles our credit card transactions.
We may disclose your Information to third parties as follows:
Consent. We may use and disclose your Information and Sensitive Information to third parties if we have your consent to do so.
Parents and Guardians. In some cases, we may share your Information with a parent or guardian if necessary to properly complete the admission process or in the event of an emergency.
Service Providers. We may use third parties to support our operations such as TargetX, Salesforce, and Education Dynamics. In such cases, we may share your Sensitive Information and Information with such third parties who are obligated to safeguard it from unauthorized disclosure.
Employment Necessity. We may share your Information and Sensitive Information when necessary if you are employed by the University, in accordance with applicable law subject to the imposition of appropriate safeguards to prevent further unauthorized disclosure.
School Counselors and Administrators. We may use your Information and share it with your school counselors and administrators who have a legitimate educational interest in the data.
Public Information. We may share your Information or Sensitive Information if you have manifestly made it public.
Archiving. We may share your Information and Sensitive Information for archiving purposes in the public interest, historical research, and statistical purposes.
Performance of a Contract. We may share your Information when necessary to administer a contract you have with the University.
University Affiliated Programs. We may share your Information with third parties that are affiliated with the University for the purpose of contacting you about goods, services, or experiences that may be of interest to you.
Research and Studies. We may share your Information with third parties that study admission or other topics related to higher education. We may also share your Information with third parties that conduct research or develop products or services designed to improve admission and other higher education functions.
Required by Law. We may share your Information with third parties to the extent we are required to do so by law, court order, or subpoena.
Emergency Circumstances. We may share your Information or Sensitive Information with third parties if, in our sole judgment, such disclosure is necessary to protect the health, safety, or property of any person.
De-Identified and Aggregate Information. We may collect, use and disclose Sensitive Information or other Information about our applicants in de-identified or aggregate form without limitation.
You must have a secure browser—one that supports secure transmission of data across the Internet—to apply online to the University. For more Information about your browser’s security features, use your browser’s help feature. We implement appropriate technical and organizational security measures to protect your Information when you transmit it to us and when we store it on our Information technology systems.
We process Information and Sensitive Information as it is necessary for the performance of the contract under which we provide services to students. Some of our processing activities may also be carried out under a legal obligation, where it is necessary to protect the vital interests of our students or another party, or for legitimate interests pursued by the University or a third party. We may also process Information or Sensitive Information on the basis of your consent.
Your Information will be retained by the University in accordance with applicable federal laws, and University record retention policies. Your Information will be destroyed upon your request or after the expiration of the applicable retention period required by law, whichever is later. The manner of destruction shall be appropriate to preserve and ensure the confidentiality of your Information given the level of sensitivity, value and criticality to the University.
You have the right to request access to, a copy of, rectification, restriction in the use of, or erasure of your Information. These rights differ depending upon the location within the world where Information and Sensitive Information was created or shared. You also have the right to withdraw consent to the use of your Sensitive Information, which will not affect the lawfulness of the University’s use prior to receipt of your request. Certain Information may be exempt from such requests in some circumstances, which may include if we need to keep processing your Information for our legitimate interests or to comply with a legal obligation. We may request you provide us with Information necessary to confirm your identity before responding to your request. You may exercise these rights by contacting The Office of Enrollment Services, at cua-enrollmenservices@cua.edu, 202-319-5300.
If your Information and Sensitive Information was created within or transferred from the European Union, you may also be able to file a complaint with the appropriate supervisory authority in the European Union.
We may update or change this policy at any time. Your continued use of this site after any such change indicates your acceptance of such changes.