This Statement of Privacy applies to the Pitt Online website (online.pitt.edu), operated by the University of Pittsburgh’s Center for Excellence in Digital Education (Pitt EDGE), and governs data collection and usage across all Pitt Online digital properties, including program landing pages, request-for-information forms, and enrollment marketing touchpoints.
By using the Pitt Online website, you consent to the data practices described in this statement. This policy should be read in conjunction with the University of Pittsburgh Privacy Policy (online.pitt.edu).
1. Our Commitment to Privacy
The University of Pittsburgh is committed to protecting the privacy of prospective students, current students, alumni, and all visitors to its online properties. Pitt Online is dedicated to developing digital experiences that are both powerful and safe, and to being transparent about how information is collected and used on this site.
This policy applies to information collected through online.pitt.edu and associated Pitt Online digital marketing properties, including paid media landing pages and program inquiry forms. It does not apply to third-party websites linked from this site, or to data collected through individual school or department sites within the University of Pittsburgh system.
Pitt Online is committed to compliance with applicable data privacy regulations, including the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) where applicable, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) for users in the European Union or European Economic Area, and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) for California residents.
2. Collection of Personal Information
Pitt Online collects personally identifiable information when a visitor voluntarily chooses to provide it — for example, by completing a Request for Information (RFI) form, registering for a virtual event, submitting an application inquiry, or contacting our enrollment team. The types of personally identifiable information we may collect include:
- Full name
- Email address
- Phone number
- Home or mailing address
- Program(s) of interest and intended enrollment term
- Educational background (degree level, field of study)
- Professional background relevant to program eligibility
Pitt Online also collects anonymous demographic information that is not unique to individual users, such as general geographic region, age range, gender, and areas of academic interest. This information is used in aggregate to improve our communications and better serve prospective students.
Additionally, information about your computer hardware, software, and browsing behavior is automatically collected when you visit the Pitt Online website. This may include:
- Internet Protocol (IP) address
- Browser type and version
- Device type and operating system
- Domain names and referring website addresses
- Pages visited, time on page, and navigation paths
- Date and time of visit
- Session identifiers used for analytics and attribution
Note on Geographic Data: Pitt Online takes care in the handling of geographic data such as ZIP codes. While this information is collected in aggregate for analytics and marketing purposes, it is not used to identify individual users and is subject to FERPA considerations when associated with enrolled or admitted students.
3. Use of Personal Information
Pitt Online collects and uses personal information to operate this website, deliver services you have requested, and communicate with you about online graduate programs offered through the University of Pittsburgh. Specific uses include:
- Responding to requests for information about online programs
- Following up with prospective students via email, phone, or text message (where consent has been provided)
- Routing inquiry records to the appropriate school or academic department via Salesforce CRM
- Conducting research and surveys about prospective student interests and program fit
- Analyzing website usage to improve user experience and content relevance
- Measuring the effectiveness of digital marketing campaigns across paid and organic channels
- Supporting enrollment reporting and operational planning
Pitt Online does not sell, rent, or lease your personally identifiable information to third parties. When we communicate on behalf of external educational or business partners, your unique personally identifiable information (name, email, phone number) is not transferred to the third party.
Pitt Online does not use or disclose sensitive personal information — such as race, religion, national origin, or political affiliation — without your explicit consent.
Pitt Online tracks the pages and program areas visitors engage with on this website in order to customize content, deliver relevant program recommendations, and serve personalized advertising. This is done using aggregated analytics and, where applicable, hashed or anonymized identifiers consistent with applicable privacy regulations.
Pitt Online may share data with trusted partners — including analytics providers, email service providers, and CRM vendors — who assist in operating this website and delivering services. All such third parties are required to maintain the confidentiality of your information and are prohibited from using it for any purpose other than to provide services to Pitt Online.
Pitt Online may also disclose personal information to the University of Pittsburgh’s school- and department-level enrollment teams (including SHRS, School of Nursing, Katz, School of Education, Law, SCI, and Public Health) for the purpose of responding to your inquiry and supporting your enrollment process. This disclosure is consistent with the scope of use you consented to when submitting your information.
4. Cookies & Tracking Technologies
The Pitt Online website uses cookies and similar tracking technologies to personalize your experience, measure website performance, and support digital marketing attribution. A cookie is a small text file placed on your device by a web server. Cookies cannot run programs or deliver viruses to your device and are uniquely assigned to your browser.
Pitt Online may use the following categories of cookies and technologies:
- Functional cookies: Strictly necessary for the site to operate correctly.
- Analytics cookies: Used by Google Analytics 4 (GA4), Google Tag Manager, and similar tools to collect anonymized data on website usage, navigation, and user behavior.
- Marketing cookies: Used by advertising platforms including Google Ads, Meta (Facebook/Instagram), LinkedIn, and programmatic display partners to serve relevant ads and measure campaign performance.
- CRM tracking: Session identifiers may be passed to Salesforce to associate inquiry form submissions with website engagement data for attribution purposes.
Pitt Online uses server-side Google Tag Manager infrastructure to improve data accuracy and minimize direct browser-to-third-party data sharing. Analytics data is retained in Google Analytics 4 and, for internal reporting, in BigQuery. Attribution data spanning paid media platforms, form submissions, and CRM records is used solely for internal enrollment marketing analysis.
You may configure your browser to decline cookies, or use your device settings to manage tracking preferences. Please note that declining certain cookies may limit your ability to use some features of the Pitt Online website. For more information, see our Cookie Policy.
5. Third-Party Services & External Links
Pitt Online uses a number of third-party technology providers to operate and improve the website. These providers have their own privacy policies governing the data they collect. Key providers include:
- Salesforce / Salesforce Marketing Cloud: CRM and marketing automation for prospective student communications
- Google Analytics 4 / Google Ads: Website analytics and paid search advertising
- Meta Business Suite: Paid social advertising and engagement tracking on Facebook and Instagram
- FormAssembly: Secure web form processing and data collection
- Pantheon / WordPress: Website hosting and content management
- The Trade Desk: Programmatic display advertising
Pitt Online encourages you to review the privacy policies of any third-party websites you link to from this site. Pitt Online is not responsible for the privacy practices or content of external websites.
6. Security of Personal Information
Pitt Online secures your personal information from unauthorized access, use, or disclosure. Personally identifiable information is stored on controlled, secure servers maintained by the University of Pittsburgh and its vetted technology partners.
When personal information is transmitted — for example, when submitting an RFI form — it is protected through encrypted connections (HTTPS/SSL). All third-party vendors with whom we share data are required by contract to maintain appropriate security safeguards consistent with University of Pittsburgh data security policy.
In the event of a data security incident affecting your personal information, Pitt Online will notify affected individuals in accordance with applicable state and federal notification requirements and University policy. You may direct security-related concerns to compliance@pitt.edu.
7. FERPA & Student Records
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) governs the privacy of student education records at institutions receiving federal funding, including the University of Pittsburgh. Pitt Online is committed to full compliance with FERPA.
FERPA rights apply to currently enrolled and previously enrolled students. Prospective students who have not yet enrolled do not have FERPA rights, but their information is handled with the same care and security standards applied to enrolled student data.
Once an individual becomes an enrolled student at the University of Pittsburgh, their enrollment and academic records are governed by the University’s FERPA policies. More information is available through the University Registrar (registrar.pitt.edu/students/ferpa).
8. Your Privacy Rights
Depending on your location and applicable law, you may have certain rights regarding your personal information. These may include the right to:
- Access: Request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
- Correction: Request that inaccurate, incomplete, or outdated information be corrected.
- Deletion: Request that we delete your personal information, subject to applicable legal and operational constraints.
- Opt-out of marketing communications: Unsubscribe from Pitt Online email or SMS communications at any time using the unsubscribe link included in each message, or by contacting us directly.
- Data portability: Where required by applicable law, request a machine-readable copy of your data.
- Restriction or objection: Object to or request restriction of certain processing activities, where permitted by law.
EU/EEA Residents (GDPR): If you are located in or are a resident of the European Union or European Economic Area, local data protection laws may provide you with additional rights. Pitt Online will honor applicable GDPR rights to the extent required by law. Please contact compliance@pitt.edu to exercise your rights.
California Residents (CCPA): California residents may have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act, including the right to know, the right to delete, and the right to opt out of the sale of personal information. Pitt Online does not sell personal information. For more information, visit the California Attorney General’s CCPA page (oag.ca.gov/privacy/ccpa).
Pitt Online will use commercially reasonable efforts to promptly respond to privacy rights requests. Where applicable law limits our ability to honor a request, we will inform you of the limitation and the reason for it.
9. Changes to This Statement
Pitt Online will occasionally update this Statement of Privacy to reflect changes in technology, law, University policy, or user feedback. The “Last updated” date at the top of this page reflects when the policy was most recently revised.
We encourage you to periodically review this Statement to stay informed about how Pitt Online is protecting your information. Continued use of the Pitt Online website following any posted changes constitutes your acceptance of those changes.
10. Contact Us
Pitt Online welcomes questions and comments regarding this Statement of Privacy. If you believe Pitt Online has not adhered to this Statement, or if you wish to exercise your privacy rights, please contact us.
Pitt Online / Pitt EDGE — Digital Operations Email: privacy@online.pitt.edu (placeholder — update before publishing) University of Pittsburgh, Center for Excellence in Digital Education, Pittsburgh, PA 15260
University-level privacy inquiries: compliance@pitt.edu — Office of Compliance, Investigations and Ethics pitt.edu/compliance — Pitt Privacy Office
Updated April 2026