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Privacy Policy

Our Privacy Policy was last updated and is effective as of September 10, 2026. 

Columbia College (“CC”, “College”, “we”, or “us”) has created this Privacy Policy to describe our practices regarding information we collect through our websites, www.ccis.edu as well as any information we collect offline and combine in our databases. Certain features discussed in this Privacy Policy may not be offered on each platform at any particular time. Note that we combine the information we collect from you through our website, and other platforms.

Note about Children: Our platforms and services are not intended for, marketed to, or available to individuals younger than the age of 13, and individuals younger than the age of 13 should not submit personal information to us or use any Service. We do not knowingly collect any information from children under the age of 13.  When we do receive such information, we delete it as soon as we discover it and do not use it or share it with third parties.

1. What Is This Policy?

We fully describe our privacy practices below in this privacy policy. This summary provides an overview of some important information regarding our use and sharing of your information, and third-parties who May serve advertisements and who May set cookies, web beacons, or similar tracking technologies when you use the plaforms. Please read the entire privacy policy very carefully. By using any service, you agree to be bound by this Privacy Policy in its entirety.

Note: This policy is intended for general website visitors (including prospective students).  If you are a student, please see our FERPA information regarding data privacy practices specific to students.

Information collection/How we use your information: We primarily use the information we collect when you use the platforms in connection with your relationship with Columbia College, your use of the platforms, and for sending you information from us or on behalf of certain third-parties. This may include linking you to other members of the Columbia College community. It also includes providing offers to you based on information you provide or we collect, or your use of the platforms. Please review the “What information does Columbia College Collect?" and “How does Columbia College use the information it collects?” sections of this Privacy Policy for a full description of the information we collect, including Personal Information (as defined below), and how we use that information.

Information Sharing: Remember that if you participate in community forums and similar features on the platforms, your information may be public. Note that we do not share your Personal Information with third parties for their marketing purposes without your consent; however, we may share your Personal Information under certain limited circumstances. For more details, please review the section below entitled “Will Columbia College share any of the information it collects?” 

Third-party networks and analytics providers: Columbia College does not currently host advertisements on the main ccis.edu platform but may on other college related platforms such as columbiacougars.com. We work with analytics service providers and other third-parties to provide us with information regarding traffic on the platforms, including the pages viewed and the actions users take when visiting the platforms; to serve our advertisements on other websites, within mobile apps, and elsewhere online; and to provide us with information regarding the use of the platforms and the effectiveness of our advertisements. For example, if you click on a Columbia College advertisement, our service provider(s) may be able to tell us the advertisement you clicked on and where you were viewing the advertisement.

Our analytics service providers and other vendors may set and access their own tracking devices (including cookies and web beacons) and they may otherwise collect or have access to information about you and your visits to and activity on the platforms, as well as on other websites or online platforms. Some of these parties may collect Personal Information when you visit the Platforms or other websites and platforms. Please review “Third-party Networks and Analytics Providers” for additional information.

Opting out: If you prefer to opt-out of Columbia College communications, including text messages, phone calls, bulk emails, or direct mail from Columbia College, please email privacy@ccis.edu with details about your request. Please note this does not opt you out of being served advertising. You will continue to receive generic ads while online. Please review the section entitled “How can I opt-out of sharing, providing, or receiving certain information?” for more details on opting out generally.

2. What Information Does Columbia College Collect?

Information Shared With Us

A. Online Form and Other Information You Provide

The platforms may collect “Personal Information” (which is information that can reasonably be used, alone or in combination with other reasonably available information, to identify or contact a specific individual). Personal Information includes, but is not limited to, your name, email address, phone number, physical address or zip code, account information (such as a password or other information that helps us confirm that it is you accessing your account) and demographic or other information (such as your gender, age, or birthdate), and information about your interests and preferences. Any information combined with Personal Information will be treated as Personal Information. Please note that if you access the platforms via Single Sign On through a college or other account, the Personal Information collected by Columbia College may vary.

More specifically, Columbia College collects the following information through its online inquiry form may include:
  • First Name
  • Last Name
  • Email Address
  • Mobile Phone Number
  • Zip Code
  • Birthdate
  • Start Year
  • Start Term
  • Student Type
  • Educational Setting
  • Academic Level
  • Program
  • Military Affiliation Status

Please note that this list does not include information collected during the application process. If you choose to submit an application at apply additional Personal Information, including your social security number, will be collected.

B. Third-party Platforms, Social Media Platforms, and Information Third-parties Provide About You

Third parties may provide us with information about you. For example, if you are on a third-party website, and you opt-in to receive information from us, that third party will forward information about you to us so that we may contact you as requested.

The platforms may permit interactions between the platforms and a third-party website or service, such as enabling you to “like” a product within our Platforms or “share” content to other websites. If you choose to “like” or “share” content or to otherwise post information from or via the platforms to a third-party website, feature, or application, that information may be publicly displayed, and the third-party website may have access to information about you and your use of our platforms. Similarly, if you publicly post information on a third-party platform that references Columbia College or one of the Platforms, your post may be published on our platforms in accordance with the terms of that third party. These features may collect your IP address or other Device Identifier, which page you are visiting on our website, and may set a cookie or pixel to enable the third-party feature to function properly. Third-party features and applications are either hosted by a third party or hosted directly on our platforms. Your interactions with these features are governed by the privacy policy(ies) of the company(ies) providing it.

To the extent permissible by law, we also may supplement the information we collect with outside records from third parties in order to provide you with information, platforms, or goods you have requested, to enhance our ability to serve you, to tailor our content to you, and to offer you opportunities to purchase products or platforms that we believe may be of interest to you. We may combine the information we receive from those other sources with information we collect through the platforms. In those cases, we will apply this Privacy Policy to the combined information.

Information We Collect Automatically

Like other websites and online platforms, we and our analytics providers, vendors, and other third-party service providers may automatically collect certain “Usage Information” whenever you access and use the platforms, including, without limitation, by viewing information about a course or department/school, exploring academic programs and co-curricular opportunities in a department/school, exploring career options, asking or answering questions, viewing another user’s Profile, sending a message, searching for a person or information, or by clicking on an advertisement.

Usage Information may include the browser and operating system you are using, the URL or advertisement that referred you to our platforms (if applicable), the search terms you entered into a search engine that lead you to our platforms (if applicable), all of the areas within our platforms that you visit (including information about any ads you may view), and the time of day you used the platforms, among other information. We may use Usage Information for a variety of purposes, including to tell you about people or events nearby, to provide special offers, to serve advertisements, to select appropriate content to display to you, and to enhance or otherwise improve the Platforms and our products.

In addition, we automatically collect your IP address or other unique identifier (“Device Identifier”) for any computer, mobile phone, or other device (any, a “Device”) you may use to access the platforms. A Device Identifier is a number that is automatically assigned to your Device used to access a Service, and our servers identify your Device by its Device Identifier. Some mobile service providers may also provide us or our third-party service providers with information regarding the physical location of the Device used to access a Service, internet service provider (ISP), date and time of your visit, browser language, browser type, referring and exit pages and URLs, amount of time spent on particular pages, which parts of our platforms you use, which links you click, search terms, operating system, traffic and related statistics, keywords, and/or other general browsing or usage data. Usage Information is generally non-identifying, but if we associate it with you as a specific and identifiable person, we treat it as Personal Information.

Usage Information Is Collected via Tracking Technologies, Including:

We and our service providers use cookies, pixels, tags, embedded scripts, local storage, and similar technologies to collect information about how visitors access, use, and interact with our website and online services. These technologies help us operate the website, understand performance, measure the effectiveness of our communications, and support recruitment and admissions activities. 
The information collected may include browser and device information, pages viewed, referring URLs, and campaign attribution information (such as UTM parameters).

Association with Personal Information If you submit a Request for Information (RFI), application, or other inquiry form, we may associate the information collected through these technologies—including campaign attribution data—with the personal information you provide and with your individual contact record. We use this to understand recruitment effectiveness and to personalize our communications with you.

Cookies Cookies are small text files stored on your browser. We use both session cookies (which expire when you close your browser) and persistent cookies (which remain until deleted). We use analytics tools like Google Analytics 4 and advertising tools like Google Ads to help us understand website traffic and measure campaign performance. You can control cookies through your browser settings; however, disabling them may affect website functionality.

Local Storage and HTML5 We use browser-based storage technologies, such as HTML5 local storage, to store information on your device. For example, we use local storage to remember campaign attribution information (UTM parameters) so we can identify which marketing effort led you to our site. Unlike cookies, local storage may remain on your device until you manually delete it.

Embedded Scripts and Pixels We use scripts (delivered via Google Tag Manager) and pixels to collect information about your interactions, such as links clicked and content effectiveness. These help us manage our analytics and advertising tools efficiently.

Third-Party Analytics and Advertising Third-party providers may collect information about your use of our website and your activity across other websites over time. This is used for analytics, campaign measurement, and to deliver relevant content. We do not control all third-party technologies and encourage you to review their respective privacy policies.

Your Choices and Opt-Outs Where required by law, we will obtain your consent before using non-essential tracking technologies. You may manage your preferences through your browser or via industry opt-out tools:
3. How Does Columbia College Use the Information It Collects?

We may use information about you, including Personal Information, that you provide in your Profile, User Content, and Usage Information to:
  1. To provide the services and access to platforms. We use your personal information to allow you to participate in educational features we offer, including to contact you with email, phone call, or text message regarding the programs offered at Columbia College.
  2. To operate the website. Your personal information may be used to tailor content, recommendations, and offers we display to you, both on the platforms and elsewhere online, as well as to maintain or improve our platforms.
  3. To create anonymous data for analytics. We may make information anonymous by excluding information that makes it personally identifiable to you and use that anonymous data for our lawful business purposes.
  4. For compliance, fraud prevention, and safety. We use your Personal Information as we believe is necessary or appropriate to (a) enforce our terms and conditions; (b) protect our rights, privacy, safety, or property, and that of you or others; and (c) protect, investigate, and deter against fraudulent, harmful, unauthorized, unethical, or illegal activity.
  5. To comply with law. We use your Personal Information as we believe necessary or appropriate to comply with applicable laws, lawful requests, and legal process, such as to respond to subpoenas or requests from government authorities.
  6. With your consent. In some cases, we may ask for your consent to collect, use, or share your personal information, such as when required by law or agreements with third parties.
Note that we may create, facilitate, or display social advertisements, whereby your name and photo may be used to advertise products and platforms to your network based on your use of the platforms and your interactions with Columbia College and third parties through the platforms (a “Social Ad”). If we are utilizing Social Ads on one of our platforms, you will be able to opt-out through your account settings for that Service.

Please note that information submitted on the platforms via a “Contact Us” or other similar function may not receive a response. We may use the information provided via these functions to contact you for marketing purposes unrelated to your request. 

4. Will Columbia College Share Any of the Information It Collects?

Except as set out in Section 5 (“How does Columbia College work with third parties?”), Columbia College does not share your Personal Information with third parties for their marketing purposes without your consent and in compliance with applicable laws. Columbia College may share non-Personal Information, such as aggregate or de-identified user statistics, demographic information, and Usage Information with third parties, including advertisers, content providers, and analytics providers; and third parties may collect non-Personal Information when you visit the platforms.

We also may share your Personal Information with third parties with your consent (if permissible under applicable law), as disclosed at the time you provide us with information, and as described below or otherwise in this Privacy Policy:

A. Other Educational Institutions
We work with other colleges, universities, scholarship providers, and educational institutions (“Educational Institutions”) to help guide students through the educational journey – exploring, learning, planning, and collaborating, as well as extract insights from across various siloes. We do not share your contact information (email address, full postal address, or phone number) with these Educational Institutions without your consent, but we may send you information on their behalf.

In addition, you may indicate that you would like to receive additional information from Educational Institutions or other third parties and we will then share your information with those parties so that they may contact you per your request. We are not responsible for the privacy policies and practices of third parties. If you later decide that you no longer want to receive communications from a third party, you will need to contact that party directly.

B. When You Request That We Share Your Information
In compliance with all applicable laws, we may offer opportunities and features through the platforms that are brought to you by a third-party or that otherwise involve sharing your information with a third-party. If you request or agree at that time to have your information shared, your information will be disclosed to that third-party (or parties) and will be subject to the privacy policy and practices of that third-party.

This includes, without limitation, instances in which you use our platforms to purchase products or platforms provided, in whole or part, by third parties. You also may request, sometimes through your use of an interactive feature, a widget or third-party application, that we share information about you with a third-party and we will typically do so under those circumstances.

C. Service Providers
We will share your Personal Information with third parties to provide platforms to us or you in connection with the platforms, but subject to confidentiality obligations which limit their use and disclosure of such information. For example, we may provide your Personal Information to companies that provide platforms to help us with our business activities, such as shipping your order, sending our emails, or offering customer service. If you purchase any products or platforms, our billing partner will receive billing and financial information (e.g., credit card numbers) necessary to process your charges, including your postal and e-mail addresses, depending on your payment method.

D. Administrative, Legal Reasons, & Academic Integrity Investigations
We may also disclose your information, including Personal Information, in response to a legal inquiry or case, subpoena, court order, request from an educational agency, or when otherwise required by law; in response to bankruptcy proceedings; to defend our rights; in response to a request from law enforcement; or to provide  information to a claimed owner of intellectual property who claims that content you have provided to us infringes on their rights; as necessary in connection with to an investigation into academic integrity; to protect and/or defend any applicable Terms of Use or other policies applicable to the platforms; or to protect the personal safety, rights, property, or security of any organization or individual.

We may also use Device Identifiers, including IP addresses, to identify users and may do so  in cooperation with copyright owners, Internet service providers, wireless service providers, or legal/ law enforcement agencies in our discretion. These disclosures may be carried out without your consent or without notice to you.

E. Business Transitions  
Columbia College may share Personal Information with its parent, subsidiaries and affiliates, and investors    primarily for business and operational purposes so long as any recipient agrees to comply with this Privacy Policy and applicable law with regard to such Personal Information. In the event that Columbia College goes through a business transition, such as a merger, acquisition by another company, sale of all or a portion of its assets, bankruptcy, or other corporate change, including, without limitation, during the course of any due diligence process, your information, including Personal Information, will likely be among the assets transferred.

5. How Does Columbia College Work With Third Parties?

Third-Party Networks and Analytics Providers

We work with analytics service providers and other vendors to provide us with information regarding traffic on the platforms, including the pages viewed and the actions users take when visiting the platforms; to serve our advertisements on other websites, within mobile apps, and elsewhere online; and to provide us with information regarding the use of the platforms and the effectiveness of our advertisements. For example, if you click on a Columbia College advertisement, our service provider(s) may be able to tell us the advertisement you clicked on and where you were viewing the advertisement. Further, to optimize these targeted ads on third party websites, Columbia College shares hashed and/or anonymized data with the third parties, including data on whether an advertisement generated an enrollment, to improve our advertisements, and to find students that would be a good fit for Columbia College’s programs. Columbia College provides aggregated anonymized data from our online forms with third party service providers in order to analyze the effectiveness of contacts generated through the online forms. Additionally, we may utilize third parties to analyze whether individuals that click on advertisements end up enrolling at Columbia College.

We may share Usage Information about visitors with analytics providers and other vendors. Our analytics service providers and other vendors may set and access their own tracking devices (including cookies and web beacons) and they may otherwise collect or have access to information about you and your online browsing activities. Some of these third parties may collect Personal Information over time when you visit the platforms or other websites and platforms. Your use of third-party websites is subject to the privacy practices of those parties. Columbia College is not responsible or liable for the privacy practices or business practices of any third party.


Third-Party Content, Links to Other Sites, and Columbia College Content Found Outside of the Platforms
Certain content provided through the Platforms may be hosted and served by third parties, which may include third-party widgets (such as those that allow you to “like” or “share” content with third-party websites and online platforms). In addition, the Platforms may link to third-party websites or content over which Columbia College has no control and which are governed by the privacy policies and business practices of those third- parties. In addition, third-party partners of Columbia College from whom your order through the Platforms may have different privacy policies which apply to such partners use of your information.

Please also note that Columbia College content and widgets may be included on web pages and websites that are not  associated with us and over which we have no control. These third parties may independently collect data. Columbia College is not responsible or liable for the privacy practices or business practices of any third party.

6. What Happens if I Access Columbia College’s Platforms Through a Mobile Device?

If you use the platforms through a mobile device, your mobile Device Identifier, your mobile carrier, and your physical location may be transmitted to Columbia College. You agree that Columbia College may store and use that information for security purposes. You may be able to opt-in to receiving text messages from Columbia College. You may always opt-out by replying “STOP” to one of the text messages received. You also acknowledge and agree that use of the platforms through a mobile device may cause data to be displayed on and through your mobile device which may be viewed by your mobile carrier or other access provider.

7. How Does Columbia College Protect and Store My Information?

Columbia College takes data security very seriously and takes commercially reasonable technical, physical, and administrative security measures designed to protect the Personal Information submitted to us, both during transmission and once we receive it. Such measures vary depending on the sensitivity of the information at issue.

Please note that no method of transmission over the Internet, or method of electronic storage, is 100% secure. Therefore, while we strive to use commercially reasonable means designed to protect your Personal Information, we cannot guarantee its absolute security.

8. How Can I Opt-Out of Sharing, Providing, or Receiving Certain Information?

Providing Personal Information: You can always decline to share personal information with us, or even block all cookies. However, it’s important to remember that many of Columbia College’s features may not be accessible, or may not function properly – for example, we may not be able to remember your language preferences.

Targeted Advertisements: Some of the companies who serve targeted ads participate in a self-regulatory program that allows you to opt-out of having information about you used for this purpose, and you may access that opt-out by clicking here. Please note this does not opt you out of being served advertising. You will continue to receive generic ads while online.

Social Advertisements: If we are utilizing Social Ads on one of our platforms, you will be able to opt-out through your account settings for that Service.

Mobile Use: You may always opt-out of receiving text messages by replying “STOP” to one of the text messages received. You may opt-out of receiving push notifications at any time by going to the phone settings and turning them off.

Email Communication: You can opt-out of receiving further communications by emailing privacy@ccis.edu and requesting to unsubscribe from emails.

9. How Can I Access and Manage My Personal Information?

You may be able to review the information you provided to us on a platform and make any desired changes to the information by contacting us at privacy@ccis.edu and requesting to access your personal information. Such requests will be handled in a timely manner.

10. What Communications Will I Receive From Columbia College and How Do I Limit Them?

Columbia College sends a variety of communications via email, text message, and push notification. Such messages include academic and administrative information, notices, and alerts, as well as communication about various campus events and admission-related information to prospective students.

You may be able to limit the information you receive from us using the unsubscribe button at the bottom of the Columbia College email. However, we reserve the right to send you information on our behalf regarding emergencies and on behalf of third parties in connection with providing information. If you no longer want to receive information from us, you will need to contact us by emailing privacy@ccis.edu.

11. How Long Does Columbia College Keep My Information?

Columbia College keeps information for a minimum of five years. You may request to have your information deleted from our live databases by emailing us at privacy@ccis.edu.  Upon receiving a request, Columbia College will take commercially reasonable steps to delete any Personal Information from our live databases in a reasonable amount of time not to exceed sixty (60) days.  You understand and agree that Columbia College may continue to have Personal Information in backup or archive records and we may retain certain data relevant to preventing fraud or future abuse, for legal reasons, or for legitimate business purposes, such as analysis of aggregated, non-personally-identifiable or de-identified data, or if required by law. All retained data will continue to be subject to this Privacy Policy.

12. How Will Columbia College Notify Me of Changes to This Policy?

We will notify you of material changes to the Privacy Policy on our Website.  
Columbia College may update this Privacy Policy at any time and any changes will be effective upon posting. Upon any update the “Last Updated” date at the top of this policy will be updated. In the event that there are material changes to the way we treat your Personal Information, you are responsible for regularly reviewing this Privacy Policy and your Columbia College account for notice of such modifications. Your continued use of the platforms following an update to this Privacy Policy will constitute your acceptance of the updated Privacy Policy.

Our Privacy Policy was last updated and is effective as of September 10, 2026.

13. What if I Am Not in the U.S.?

If you are located outside of the United States, please be aware that information we collect will be transferred to and processed in the United States. By using the platforms, or providing us with any information, you fully understand and unambiguously consent to this transfer, processing, and storage of your information in the United States, a jurisdiction in which the privacy laws may not be as comprehensive as those in the country where you reside and/or are a citizen.

14. How Can I Contact Columbia College With Questions?

If you have questions or comments about this Privacy Policy, please contact us via email at privacy@ccis.edu or contact us at:

Columbia College c/o Marketing  
1001 Rogers Street 
Columbia, MO 65216

because a future built by you is a future built for you.

Too many people have been made to feel that higher education isn’t a place for them — that it is someone else’s dream. But we change all that. With individualized attention and ongoing support, we help you write a new story for the future where you play the starring role.

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