What Are Cookies?

Millions of sites use cookies. Learn what they are and how they are used to help sites like ours better understand and support you.

Last Modified: June 14, 2020  

Use of Cookies

We may use cookies and similar technologies to recognize you when you visit our Site.  

What are cookies?  

A cookie is a small file containing a string of characters that is sent to your computer when you visit a website. When you visit the site again, the cookie allows that site to recognize your browser. Cookies may store user preferences and other information.  

Cookies provide a convenience feature to save you time, or tell the Web server that you have returned to a specific page.  

Cookies set by the Site owner (in this case, CollegeTrackr Inc.) are called "first party cookies". Cookies set by parties other than the website owner are called "third party cookies". Third party cookies enable third party features or functionality to be provided on or through the website (e.g. like advertising, interactive content and analytics). The parties that set these third party cookies can recognize your computer both when it visits the website in question and also when it visits certain other websites. 

What types of cookies do we use and how do we use them?  

The specific types of first and third party cookies served through our Websites and the purposes they perform. These cookies may include:  

Performance and functionality cookies: These cookies are used to enhance the performance and functionality of our Websites but are non-essential to their use. However, without these cookies, certain functionality may become unavailable.  

Analytics and customization cookies: These cookies collect information that is used either in aggregate form to help us understand how our Site are being used or how effective our marketing campaigns are, or to help us customize our Site for you. 

Advertising cookies: These cookies are used to make advertising messages more relevant to you. They perform functions like preventing the same ad from continuously reappearing, ensuring that ads are properly displayed for advertisers, and in some cases selecting advertisements that are based on your interests. 

Social networking cookies: These cookies are used to enable you to share pages and content that you find interesting on our Site through third party social networking and other websites. These cookies may also be used for advertising purposes too.  

How can I control cookies?  

You have the right to decide whether to accept or reject cookies. You can exercise your cookie preferences by clicking on the appropriate opt-out links provided below.  

You can set or amend your web browser controls to accept or refuse cookies. If you choose to reject cookies, you may still use our website though your access to some functionality and areas of our website may be restricted. As the means by which you can refuse cookies through your web browser controls vary from browser-to-browser, you should visit your browser's help menu for more information.  

In addition, most advertising networks offer you a way to opt out of targeted advertising. If you would like to find out more information, please visit http://www.aboutads.info/choices/ or http://www.youronlinechoices.com. You may opt out by clicking here: http://preferences.truste.com/ (or if located in the European Union, by clicking here: http://www.youronlinechoices.eu/). Please note this does not opt you out of being served advertising. You will continue to receive generic advertisements.  

Essential website cookies: Because these cookies are strictly necessary to deliver the Websites to you, you cannot refuse them. You can block or delete them by changing your browser settings however, as described above.

Do you serve targeted advertising?  

Third parties may serve cookies on your computer or mobile device to serve advertising through our Site. These companies may use information about your visits to this and other websites in order to provide relevant advertisements about goods and services that you may be interested in. They may also employ technology that is used to measure the effectiveness of advertisements. This can be accomplished by them using cookies or web beacons to collect information about your visits to this and other sites in order to provide relevant advertisements about goods and services of potential interest to you. The information collected through this process does not enable us or them to identify your name, contact details or other personally identifying details unless you choose to provide these. 

For example, we use Facebook Pixels and Google Analytics software to track or website activity to improve user experience and our own marketing initiatives.