Privacy Policy

Vaughn College Privacy Policy

Last updated June 4, 2025

Vaughn College of Aeronautics and Technology (“Vaughn,” “College,” “we,” “our,” or “us”) is an institution of higher education. If you visit our websites (e.g. https://www.vaughn.edu/) (hereinafter “Website(s)”), apply to or attend Vaughn (as a student, employee, or faculty member), make online donations, use any of the systems or services Vaughn provides, complete any associated online forms, or otherwise interact with Vaughn, you should be aware that we may be collecting certain Personal Data from you.

The protection and privacy of your data is among our highest priorities. This notice is provided to inform you about our privacy practices and data privacy compliance efforts. If you are located in a country outside of the United States which has enacted a personal data protection law, please see our Vaughn International Privacy Policy, below, for additional privacy disclosures that may apply to you.

Please read this policy carefully to understand our policies and practices regarding your information and how we will treat it. If you do not agree with our policies and practices, your choice is not to use our Website or Services (defined below).

By accessing or using this Website, you agree to this Privacy Notice. This policy may change from time to time (see Changes to Our Privacy Notice). Your continued use of this Website after we make changes is deemed to be acceptance of those changes, so please check the policy periodically for updates.

Children Under the Age of 13

Our Website is not intended for children under 13 years of age. No one under age 13 may directly provide any personal data to or on the Website. We do not knowingly collect personal data directly from children under 13. If you are under 13, do not use or provide any information on this Website or through any of its features, or provide any information about yourself to us, including your name, address, telephone number, or email address.

If we learn we have collected or received personal data from a child under 13 without verification of parental consent, we will delete that information.

If you believe we might have any information from or about a child under 13, please contact us at or write to:

Data Compliance Officer
Vaughn College
86-01 23rd Avenue
Flushing, New York 11369

Information We Collect and How We Collect It

Depending on the nature of our relationship with you and your interactions with us, we may collect and process certain information and data from you. We collect your information to perform many institutional and educational activities. We collect your information for and/or through: the Website; admissions and financial aid; alumni and donors; various educational and other opportunities including on campus services, online and hybrid education; research; or employment purposes (collectively the “Services”).

Specifically, we may collect the following information through providing the Services (collectively “Your Information”):

  • Personal Data: We collect information by which you could be personally identified. The information that we may collect includes, but is not limited to: your contact information (name, address, email address, phone number, etc.); demographic information (gender, age, racial or ethnic origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, religious beliefs, and other information you may volunteer, such as through your admissions essay, etc.); education history (prior schools, transcripts, school activities, disciplinary records, testing history and scores, etc.); your photo; personal and health history (immunization records, or other information you may volunteer during admissions or to receive accommodations or other services, etc.); employment history; financial information (government identification number, tax numbers, bank statements, scholarships, etc.); family information (family members name, ages, education, occupations, wages and savings, etc.); any other information you may provide in any fillable forms throughout our webpages; personal data that may automatically be collected including cookies and log files (please see Technologies Used for Automatic Data Collection below); along with other technical information (all the above collectively referred to as “Personal Data”).
  • Usage Data: Data may be collected from you automatically when you access our Website about how you access and use the Website (“Usage Data”). Usage Data may include information such as your device’s Internet Protocol address (e.g., IP address), internet domain, browser type, browser version, referring page, time of visit, browser plug-in types and versions, browser history, operating system, analytic data, and other diagnostic data.
  • Aggregate Data: We may collect data that is about you but individually does not identify you, such as statistical information and analytic data relating to Website usage.

We collect this information:

Directly from you when you provide it to us including but not limited to:

  • Your application to Vaughn
  • Through an online donation
  • Through an interactive form on our Website
  • Correspondence with Vaughn
  • Through your enrollment at Vaughn and/or receiving Services from Vaughn
  • Through event registration
  • Automatically as you navigate through the Website
  • From third parties and service providers, such as admission application administrators, analytics providers and payment processors.

When you donate online through our Website, we use a third-party service provider to process payments on our behalf. You must submit your name, your credit card number, bank account number, or other payment information, and billing information for payment verification purposes. This information allows our payment processor to process and fulfill your payment. Vaughn does not have access to your credit card number or other payment information when you donate through our Website. Your sharing of such information is governed by our payment processors’ applicable privacy policy and terms of use. We also use third party service providers to provide a number of services to Vaughn, including, but not limited to, admissions collection, financial aid processing, event registration, alumni and donor relations, etc.

Technologies Used for Automatic Data Collection

Cookies

We may use “cookies” to collect certain information to ensure that you get the most out of the Website. A cookie is a file stored on your computer or device to uniquely identify your browser or to store information or settings on your computer or device. When you visit the Website again, the cookie allows the Website to recognize your browser. Cookies allow us to improve the Website’s usability and to personalize the content for you. For more information, please visit our cookie policy.

Third Party Use of Cookies and Other Tracking Technologies

Some content or applications on the Website may be served by third parties, including advertisers, ad networks and servers, content providers, and application providers. These third parties may use cookies alone or in conjunction with other tracking technologies to collect information about you when you use our Website. The information they collect may be associated with your Information or they may collect information, including Personal Data, about your online activities over time and across different websites and other online services. They may use this information to provide you with interest-based (behavioral) advertising or other targeted content. These third parties include, but are not limited to, Google Analytics.

Google Analytics is a web analytics website offered by Google that tracks and reports website traffic. Google uses the data collected to track and monitor the use of our Website. This data is shared with other Google websites. Google may use the collected data to contextualize and personalize the ads of its own advertising network.

You can set preferences for how Google advertises to you using the Google Ad Preferences page. You can also opt-out of having made your activity on the Website available to Google Analytics by installing the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on. The add-on prevents the Google Analytics JavaScript (ga.js, analytics.js and dc.js) from sharing information with Google Analytics about visit activity. For more information on the privacy practices of Google, please visit the Google Privacy Terms web page. You can opt out of the collection and use of this information through tools like the Network Advertising Initiative opt-out page.

Third Party Links and Social Media Platforms

The Website may contain links to other websites or access to applications, including social media platforms, which are operated by us or third parties. For example, our donation page is operated by a third party on our behalf. Please be aware that Vaughn is not responsible for the privacy practices of any third party, including any third party with whom it has an affiliation or business relationship. Once you enter those websites from a link from our Website, our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use do not apply. We do not control and accept no liability or responsibility for those websites and this Privacy Policy does not apply to those websites. Please consult the terms and conditions and privacy policies of those third-party websites to find out how they collect and use your information and to establish whether they use cookies and what they use them for.

Vaughn has several active communities online, including, but not limited to, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram, and TikTok (collectively, “Social Media Platforms”). We encourage you to review our Social Media Platform pages and get involved. We appreciate dialog and discussion via Social Media Platforms, and look forward to your comments and experiences. However, such use of Social Media Platforms, including the use of direct or personal messages, are not governed by our Privacy Policy and are governed by the applicable Social Media Platform privacy policy and terms of use. Please remember that social media posts are often viewable publicly and are not private. We do not control and accept no liability or responsibility for such Social Media Platforms or your use of such platforms.

We may receive some information that you submit to a third-party website or application that you access through the Website, including, but not limited to, information from your social media profile if you connect with Us on Social Media Platforms.

Purposes of Processing and How We Use Your Personal Data

We may use Your Information, including your Personal Data, for several purposes, including but not limited to:

  • Improving the Services Vaughn may provide to you and to enhance your experience;
  • To contact you, including for educational and/or research purposes;
  • Alumni and donor outreach and engagement;
  • Marketing and analytics;
  • Event registration and coordination;
  • Enrollment verification;
  • Educational operations and collaborations;
  • Providing course platforms or tools that enable or enhance our Services;
  • Course registration and administration;
  • Course evaluations and assessments;
  • Workplace administration and operations;
  • Feedback purposes;
  • Promotional and recruiting purposes, including soliciting financial contributions and contacting prospective students;
  • Statistical and behavioral analysis of online behavior for development purposes;
  • Content improvement;
  • Content customization;
  • To detect, prevent, and address technical issues;
  • To prevent and detect criminal and/or fraudulent activity that would be damaging to you and us; and
  • Legal compliance.

Disclosure of Your Personal Data

We may disclose aggregated information and information that does not identify any individual without restriction.

We may disclose Your Information, including Personal Data, as described in this Privacy Policy:

  • To our subsidiaries and affiliates;
  • To contractors, service providers, and other third parties we use to support us and who are bound by contractual obligations to keep Personal Data confidential and use it only for the purposes for which we disclose it to them;
  • We may share your Personal Data with other institutions or partners, such as for cross registration for courses, events, etc.; online education offerings through online platforms; and events and activities of Vaughn-affiliated clubs and shared interest groups.
  • To a buyer or other successor in the event of a merger, divestiture, restructuring, reorganization, dissolution, or other sale or transfer of some or all of Vaughn’s assets, whether as a going concern or as part of bankruptcy, liquidation, or similar proceeding, in which Personal Data held by Vaughn or others is among the assets transferred;
  • To fulfill the purpose for which you provided it. For example, if you leave us feedback with contact information to contact you, we may use such information for that purpose;
  • For any other purpose disclosed by us when you provide the information; and To other parties with your consent.

We may also disclose Your Information:

  • To comply with any court order, law, or legal process, including to respond to any government or regulatory request;
  • To enforce or apply agreements or polices between you and Vaughn;
  • If we believe disclosure is necessary or appropriate to protect the rights, property, or safety of Vaughn, our students, faculty, employees, alumni, or others.

Data Security

We have implemented measures designed to secure Your Information from accidental loss and from unauthorized access, use, alteration, and disclosure. However, the safety and security of your information also depends on you.

Unfortunately, the transmission of information via the internet is not completely secure. Although we do our best to protect your Personal Data, we cannot guarantee the security of your Personal Data transmitted to our Website. Any transmission of Personal Data is at your own risk. We are not responsible for circumvention of any privacy settings or security measures contained on the Website.

User Generated Content

Some of our online activities, such as course websites, listservs, and academic bulletin boards, enable users to submit their own content. You understand and agree that Vaughn may not review, audit, or otherwise verify the accuracy of your data. Please remember that any Personal Data you submit or post as user-generated content in these circumstances could in some cases be seen by others or become public. If you submit such information, you are solely responsible for any information uploaded or entered. You should exercise caution when deciding to disclose your Personal Data in such submissions or posts. We cannot prevent others from using that information in a manner that may violate this Policy or the law. Vaughn is not responsible or liable for any issues that may arise with respect to information provided by you or the results of such posting. You shall not provide any information other than your own or of others without their express consent.

Choices About How We Use and Disclose Your Information

We strive to provide you with choices regarding Your Information. We have created mechanisms to provide you with the following control over your information:

Tracking Technologies and Advertising: You can set your browser to refuse all or some browser cookies, or to alert you when cookies are being sent. If you disable or refuse cookies, please note that some parts of this Website may then be inaccessible or not function properly.

Promotional Communications from Vaughn: We may use your Personal Data to provide you with newsletters, marketing, or promotion materials. If you do not wish to have your email address used by Vaughn, you can opt-out by clicking the “unsubscribe” link at the bottom of an email or by sending us an email stating your request to .

Users Located Internationally: If you are located in a country outside of the United States which has enacted a personal data protection law, please see below for additional privacy disclosures that may apply to you and your rights concerning Your Information.

FERPA: Vaughn protects the privacy of current and past students in compliance with FERPA (the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act), a federal law designed to protect the privacy of education records.  For more information, please click here.

Changes to Notices and Policies

We may update our Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page.

We will let you know via email and/or a prominent notice on our Website, prior to any material change becoming effective and update the “Last updated” date at the top of this Privacy Policy.

You are advised to review this Privacy Policy periodically for any changes. Changes to this Privacy Policy are effective when they are posted on this page.

Contact Information

If you have any questions concerning these policies, please contact us at: .

 

Vaughn International Privacy Policy

Introduction

This policy (“International Policy”) is for individuals located outside of the United States concerning the processing of Your Information, and supplements the information contained in Vaughn’s Privacy Policy. This International Policy is adopted to provide additional information concerning applicable privacy laws, such as the European General Data Protection Regulation (“EU GDPR”), the United Kingdom General Data Protection Regulation (“UK GDPR”) (together referred to herein as “GDPR”), and the China Personal Information Protection Law (“PIPL”) (all applicable international privacy laws together referred to as “Data Protection Laws”). Capitalized terms not otherwise defined herein shall have the same meaning as those designated in the Privacy Policy or under applicable Data Protection Law. This policy explains how Vaughn College of Aeronautics and Technology (“Vaughn,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) collect, use, disclose and retain Personal Data and how data subjects may exercise their rights under applicable Data Protection Laws.

The International Policy does not cover the processing of your information when you are located in the United States, regardless of your citizenship. For example, if you are an international student at Vaughn, the International Policy does not apply to most processing related to your time on the Vaughn campus. Generally, this policy will apply to a prospective student, an applicant to Vaughn, alumni, or an applicant for a job at Vaughn.

How We Collect and Use Your Information

We collect and use your Personal Data as described in the Vaughn Privacy Policy.

Special Category Data or Sensitive Personal Information

In order to fulfill certain purposes, Vaughn may need to request “Special Category Data” or “Sensitive Personal Information” (together referred to as “Sensitive Information”). This type of data is a special type of Personal Data that, if used illegally, could create more significant risks to an individual’s fundamental rights and freedoms or cause harm to personal security. For example, an unauthorized disclosure of Sensitive Information may put individuals at risk of unlawful discrimination. We do collect limited Sensitive Information, which may include information about your racial or ethnic origin; religion or similar beliefs; sexual orientation or gender identity; financial data; medical health-related information; and specific identity. This information may be collected during the admissions process, and otherwise to provide our Services to you. This information will not be collected unless you specifically disclose the information and will not be collected without your consent. Vaughn will only process Sensitive Information when necessary for a specific purpose and will take strict protective measures to ensure the security of such information.

How We Share and Disclose Personal Data

We share your Personal Data with third parties in the ways described in the Vaughn Privacy Policy.

Legal Basis for Processing

We process your Personal Data for the purposes outlined in the Privacy Policy. We also process your Personal Data in line with the legal bases recognized under applicable Data Protection Laws. For each of the categories mentioned in the Privacy Policy, we rely on the following legal bases for processing (if applicable and considered a legal basis under the applicable Data Protection Law): to pursue our legitimate interests (for example, website analytics, conducting research on admissions, requesting gifts from donors, etc.), to process transactions requested by you to meet our contractual obligations (for example, registering you for online courses or events, to process your application for admissions, etc.), as necessary for compliance with a legal obligations or to fulfill statutory duties or obligations (for example financial aid and tax reporting obligations, etc.), or on the basis of your consent, where applicable.

We may rely on different legal bases for individuals located in different places depending on the requirements outlined in the applicable Data Protection Law.

Automated Decision-Making

Vaughn may use automated decision-making, including profiling, to assist in providing our Services to you. For the purposes of the PIPL, “automated decision-making” refers to the use of computer programs to automatically analyze or assess individuals’ behaviors, habits, interests, or hobbies, or individuals’ financial, health, or credit status, etc. and then to make decisions based on the analysis of such information.

You will not be subject to a decision having a major influence on your rights and interests based solely on automated processing, including profiling, unless you explicitly consent.

Your Data Protection Rights

In certain circumstances, you have the following data protection rights with respect to the Personal Data that we collect and process, depending on the rights granted to you under applicable Data Protection Laws:

  • The Right to be Informed. You have the right to be informed of our processing or handling activities.
  • The Right to Request Access. You have the right to access, update, or delete the information we have about you.
  • The Right of Rectification/Correction. You have the right to have any incomplete or inaccurate information we hold about you corrected.
  • The Right to Object. You have the right to object to our processing of your Personal Data.
  • The Right to Restrict Processing. You have the right to request that we restrict the processing of your Personal Data.
  • The Right of Erasure. In certain circumstances, you have the right to ask us to remove or delete your Personal Data.
  • The Right to be Forgotten. You have the right to request that we delete your Personal Data, in certain situations.
  • The Right to Transfer/Data Portability. Upon request we will provide you (or a third-party you have chosen) the Personal Data we have collected about you. Your Personal Data will be provided in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format. Please note that this right only applies to automated information which you initially provided consent for us to use or where we used the Personal Data to perform a contract with you.
  • The Right Relating to Automated Decision. You have the right to request an explanation concerning Personal Data used for automated decisions that may cause material impact to your personal rights and interests. You may refuse to accept or allow such handling in certain circumstances as well.
  • Withdraw Your Consent. You have the right to withdraw your consent at any time where we relied on your consent to process your Personal Data.

Vaughn will comply with all such requests, provided there is not a legal exception to the request, we do not have a legitimate business interest for processing such Personal Data, or are not required to retain any such Personal Data pursuant to applicable law.

International Data Transfers

We are based in the United States of America. We may process, store, and transfer the Personal Data, in and to a country outside your own, with different privacy laws that may or may not be as comprehensive as your own, including the United States of America. In the event we transfer your Personal Data outside your country as part of our processing, we rely where required on appropriate or suitable safeguards or specific legal provisions permitting such transfers under applicable Data Protection Laws.

When transferring Personal Data from a country in the European Economic Area (EEA) or from the United Kingdom (UK) to a country outside such areas, we may base such transfers on contracts containing legally authorized data protection provisions under GDPR called Standard Contractual Clauses.

Data Retention

We will retain Your Data as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, and to satisfy Vaughn’s legal, accounting, and reporting obligations, and as otherwise in compliance with applicable law. Personal data is deleted according to our record and data retention policies.

Exercising Your Rights

You may exercise any of the rights enumerated above by contacting us at . Please note that we may ask you to verify your identity before responding to such requests.

You also have the right to complain to a Data Protection Authority about our collection and use of your Personal Data.  For more information, please contact your local data protection authority.

Changes to Notices and Policies

We may update our Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page.

We will let you know via email and/or a prominent notice on our Website, prior to any material change becoming effective and update the “Last updated” date at the top of this Privacy Policy.

You are advised to review this Privacy Policy periodically for any changes. Changes to this Privacy Policy are effective when they are posted on this page.

Contact Information

If you have any questions, or would like to submit a request, please contact us at: or write to:

Data Compliance Officer
Vaughn College
86-01 23rd Avenue
Flushing, New York 11369