Privacy Policy

Effective date: September 17, 2026

1. Introduction

Dormbound ("we," "our," or "us") operates dormbound.com and the Dormbound web application. This Privacy Policy explains what personal information we collect, how we use it, and your rights regarding that information. By using Dormbound you agree to the practices described here.

2. Information We Collect

Information you provide

  • Account details (name, email address) provided via Clerk authentication
  • Student profile information (graduation year, GPA, test scores, activities)
  • College list, application statuses, essays, and related content you create
  • Payment information processed by Stripe — we never see raw card numbers
  • Communications you send to us (support requests, feedback)

Information collected automatically

  • Usage data: which features you use and when
  • AI usage logs: token counts and estimated costs per feature (no prompt content is retained beyond what you save)
  • Error and performance telemetry via Sentry
  • Standard server logs (IP address, browser type, referring URL)

3. How We Use Your Information

  • To provide, operate, and improve the Dormbound service
  • To power AI-assisted features (essay coaching, school matching, interview prep) using Anthropic's Claude API — your content is sent to Anthropic subject to their data-use policies
  • To send transactional emails (welcome, password reset, deadline reminders) via Resend
  • To send optional SMS deadline alerts via Twilio, only if you opt in
  • To process payments and manage subscriptions via Stripe
  • To monitor application health and debug errors via Sentry
  • To comply with legal obligations

We do not sell your personal information to third parties. We do not use your essay content or profile data to train AI models.

4. Third-Party Service Providers

We share data with the following providers solely to deliver the service:

  • Clerk — authentication and user management (clerk.com)
  • Stripe — payment processing (stripe.com)
  • Anthropic — AI features (anthropic.com)
  • Resend — transactional email (resend.com)
  • Twilio — SMS notifications (twilio.com)
  • Sentry — error tracking (sentry.io)
  • Vercel — hosting and infrastructure (vercel.com)
  • Neon / PostgreSQL — database hosting

Each provider has its own privacy policy. We only share the minimum data necessary for each provider to perform its function.

5. Data Retention

We retain your account data for as long as your account is active. If you delete your account, we remove your personal information within 30 days, except where we are required to retain it for legal or financial compliance (for example, Stripe transaction records).

6. Cookies and Tracking

Dormbound uses cookies and similar technologies only for authentication session management (via Clerk) and to support core application functionality. We do not use third-party advertising cookies or cross-site tracking.

7. Children's Privacy

Dormbound is intended for use by high school students and their families. Users under 13 must have parental consent. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 without verifiable parental consent. If you believe we have collected information from a child under 13 without consent, contact us at the address below and we will delete it promptly.

8. Your Rights

You have the right to:

  • Access the personal information we hold about you
  • Correct inaccurate data
  • Request deletion of your data (subject to legal retention requirements)
  • Export your data in a portable format
  • Opt out of non-essential communications

To exercise any of these rights, email us at privacy@dormbound.com. We will respond within 30 days.

9. Security

We implement industry-standard safeguards including encrypted connections (TLS), encryption of sensitive fields at rest, and role-based access controls. No system is perfectly secure; if you discover a vulnerability, please disclose it responsibly to security@dormbound.com.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will revise the effective date at the top and, for material changes, notify you by email or in-app notice. Continued use of Dormbound after a policy update constitutes acceptance of the revised terms.

11. Contact

Questions about this policy? Reach us at privacy@dormbound.com.