Privacy Policy

Unlike many online services, GradeWise is designed with privacy as a core principle. We explicitly DO NOT collect, store, or process the following:

• Your Grades: We never see, store, or transmit your grade data to our servers
• Personal Information: No names, email addresses, student IDs, or school information
• User Accounts: No registration, login, or account creation required
• IP Addresses: We do not log or track your IP address
• Course Information: No data about your classes, assignments, or academic history
• School Affiliation: We don't know or record which school or university you attend
• Behavioral Tracking: No tracking pixels, user profiling, or behavioral analytics

Why this matters: Your academic performance is private and personal. We believe you should be able to use grade calculators without worrying about who has access to your data.

While we don't collect personal data or grades, we do collect minimal, non-personal technical information to improve our service and monitor performance:

Analytics Data (Vercel Analytics)

We use Vercel Analytics, a privacy-friendly analytics service, which collects:

• Page Views: Which pages you visit (e.g., "/grade-calculator", "/gpa-calculator")
• Performance Metrics: Page load times and site performance data
• Device Type: Whether you're using mobile, tablet, or desktop (general category only)
• Browser Type: Which web browser you're using (e.g., Chrome, Safari, Firefox)
• Referrer Information: What website you came from (if any)
• Geographic Region: General location (country/region level only, not precise location)

What We Do With This Data

We use this non-personal technical data to:

• Understand which calculators are most popular
• Monitor and improve website performance
• Ensure the site works well on all devices and browsers
• Fix technical issues and bugs
• Make informed decisions about new features

GradeWise stores your calculator data in your browser's local storage. This is a standard web technology that allows websites to save data directly on your device.

What Gets Stored Locally

• Your grade entries and calculations (assignments, exams, courses)
• Calculator settings and preferences
• Saved calculator states (so you can return later and continue)

Key Points About Local Storage

How to Clear Your Local Data

You can clear your GradeWise data at any time:

• Within GradeWise: Most calculators have a "Clear" or "Reset" button
• Browser Settings: Clear site data in your browser's privacy/settings menu
• Incognito/Private Mode: Use private browsing to prevent any data from being saved

GradeWise uses minimal cookies for essential functionality and analytics.

Essential Cookies

We may use essential cookies required for the website to function properly. These cannot be disabled without breaking core functionality.

Analytics Cookies

Vercel Analytics may use cookies to track basic site usage. These cookies:

• Do NOT track personal information
• Do NOT follow you across websites
• Are used solely for aggregate analytics
• Comply with privacy regulations (GDPR, CCPA)

We Do NOT Use

• Advertising cookies
• Tracking cookies for marketing purposes
• Third-party cookies for profiling

Managing Cookies

You can control cookies through your browser settings:

• Most browsers allow you to refuse cookies or alert you when cookies are being sent
• You can delete cookies that have already been set
• Note: Disabling cookies may affect website functionality

GradeWise uses the following third-party services:

Important: We carefully select third-party services that respect user privacy. We do NOT use tracking services like Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel, or other invasive analytics platforms.

How We Protect Your Privacy

• Client-Side Processing: All calculations happen in your browser
• HTTPS Encryption: Our website uses HTTPS to encrypt data in transit
• No Server-Side Storage: We don't store grades, so they can't be leaked
• Regular Security Updates: We keep our platform and dependencies up to date
• Minimal Data Collection: We only collect what's necessary for basic analytics

Your Responsibility

While we provide a secure platform, you are responsible for:

• Keeping your device secure (lock screen, antivirus, etc.)
• Managing your browser's local storage and cookies
• Using private/incognito mode on shared devices
• Clearing calculator data after use on public computers

GradeWise is designed to be used by students of all ages, including children under 13.

COPPA Compliance

The Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) requires websites to obtain parental consent before collecting personal information from children under 13.

Safe for Educational Use

• No registration or personal information required
• No chat features or user-generated content
• No advertisements or third-party marketing
• No collection of location data or contact information
• All content is age-appropriate and educational

Parents and educators can confidently recommend GradeWise to students knowing that privacy and safety are built into the platform.

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or for legal, operational, or regulatory reasons.

How We Notify You

• Last Updated Date: We update the "Last Updated" date at the top of this page
• Material Changes: For significant changes, we'll add a notice on our homepage
• Your Responsibility: We encourage you to review this policy periodically

Our Commitment

We will never change our core privacy principle: GradeWise will never collect, store, or sell your grades or personal information. Any policy updates will maintain or strengthen our privacy protections.

If you have questions, concerns, or feedback about this Privacy Policy or our privacy practices, we want to hear from you.

Your Rights

While we don't collect personal data, you still have rights:

• Right to Know: You can ask what data we collect (hint: no personal data!)
• Right to Access: You can request a copy of any data we have (we have none)
• Right to Delete: You can clear your local browser data anytime
• Right to Object: You can disable cookies or analytics in your browser