Privacy Terms

Terms of Use and Online Privacy Statement

Last revised October 9, 2025

Welcome to the Site of www.mchs.edu (the “Site”).  This Site is owned by Mercy College of Health Sciences (“College”).  Your compliance with these Terms of Use and Online Privacy Statement (“Policy”) is a condition to your use of the Site.  If you do not agree to be bound by the Policy promptly exit this Site.

Please consult the Online Privacy portion of this Policy for information regarding our practices with respect to collection, use and sharing of personal information through this Site.

PART 1 – TERMS OF USE

Ownership of the Site

All pages within this Site and any material made available for download are owned or licensed by the College.  The Site is protected by United States and international copyright and trademark laws.  The Contents of the Site, including without limitation the files, documents, text, photographs, images, audio, and video, and any materials accessed through or made available for use or download through this Site (“Content”) may not be copied, distributed, modified, reproduced, published or used, in whole or in part, except for purposes authorized or approved by College, including the provision of services or products to College, or in connection with a business relationship with College.

You may not frame or utilize framing techniques to enclose, or deep linking to, any name, trademarks, service marks, logo, Content or other proprietary information (including; images, text, page layout, or form) of College without our express written consent.  If you have questions about the Site or any materials or would like more information or to request written consent please Contact Us or call us at 515-643-3180.

Site Security

You are prohibited from violating or attempting to violate the security of the Site, including, without limitation, (a) accessing data not intended for such user or logging onto a server or an account which the user is not authorized to access; (b) attempting to probe, scan or test the vulnerability of a system or network or to breach security or authentication measures without proper authorization; or (c) accessing or using the Site or any portion thereof without authorization, in violation of these Terms of Use or in violation of applicable law.

Violations of system or network security may result in civil or criminal liability. College will investigate occurrences that may involve such violations and may involve, and cooperate with, law enforcement authorities in prosecuting users who are involved in such violations. You agree not to use any device, software or routine to interfere or attempt to interfere with the proper working of this Site or any activity being conducted on this Site.

Access to Site; Indemnification

In the event access to the Site or a portion thereof is limited requiring a user ID and password (“Protected Areas”), you agree to access Protected Areas using only your user ID and password as provided to you by College.  You agree to protect the confidentiality of your user ID and password, and not to share or disclose your user ID or password to any third party.  You agree that you are fully responsible for all activity occurring under your user ID. Your access to the Site may be revoked by College at any time with or without cause.  You agree to defend, indemnify and hold College harmless from and against all third-party claims, damages and expenses (including reasonable attorneys fees) against or incurred by College arising out of your use or access of the Site, or access by anyone accessing the Site using your user ID and password.

Accuracy and Integrity of Information

Although College attempts to ensure the integrity and accurateness of the Site, it makes no representations, warranties or guarantees whatsoever as to the correctness or accuracy of the Site and Content thereon. It is possible that the Site could include typographical errors, inaccuracies or other errors, and that unauthorized additions, deletions and alterations could be made to the Site by third parties.

In the event that an inaccuracy arises, please inform College so that it can be corrected. Information contained on the Site may be changed or updated without notice. Additionally, College shall have no responsibility or liability for information or Content posted to the Site from any non-College affiliated third party.

Online Transactions

Students are able to pay online.  Our financial services provider manages and operates the online bill payment feature, including the processing of credit card, debit card and e-check bank accounting withdrawals.  Please consult the Site of our service providers for their terms of use and privacy practices.  There is a link on our Site to the Site of the service provider.

Visitors to our Site may be able to register or purchase products online; for example visitors may be able to register for classes.  We reserve the right to refuse or cancel any order.  Some situations that may result in your order being refused or canceled include limitations on quantities available for purchase, inaccuracies or errors in product or pricing information, or problems identified by our credit and fraud avoidance department.

We may also require additional verifications or information before accepting any order.  We will contact you if all or any portion of your order is canceled or if additional information is required to accept your order.  If your order is canceled after your credit card (or other payment account) has been charged, we will issue a credit to your credit card (or other applicable payment account) in the amount of the charge.

If a credit card account is being used for a transaction, College may obtain preapproval for an amount up to the amount of the payment.

You represent and warrant that if you are making online payments that (i) any credit card, debit card and bank account information you supply is true, correct and complete, (ii) charges incurred by you will be honored by your credit/debit card College or bank, (iii) you will pay the charges incurred by you in the amounts posted, including any applicable taxes, and (iv) you are the person in whose name the card was issued and you are authorized to make a purchase or other transaction with the relevant card and card information.

Typographical Errors and Incorrect Pricing

In the event a product or service is listed at an incorrect price due to typographical error or error in pricing information received from our suppliers, we shall have the right to refuse or cancel any orders placed for product / service listed at the incorrect price.

We shall have the right to refuse or cancel any such orders whether or not the order has been confirmed and your credit or debit card charged. If your credit or debit card has already been charged for the purchase and your order is canceled, we shall immediately issue a credit to your credit or debit card account in the amount of the incorrect price.

Medical Advice Disclaimer

The content of the Site, including without limitation, text, copy, audio, video, photographs, illustrations, graphics and other visuals, is for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional medical advice, diagnosis, treatment or recommendations of any kind. You should always seek the advice of your qualified health care professionals with any questions or concerns you may have regarding your individual needs and any medical conditions. Reliance on any information appearing on the Site, whether provided by the College, its content providers, its clients, visitors to the Site or others, is solely at your own risk.

General Warranty Disclaimer

The College does not warrant that access to or use of the Site will be interrupted or error-free or that defects in the Site will be corrected.  This Site, including any content or information contained within it or any Site-related services, is provided “as is,” with all faults, with no representations or warranties of any kind, either expressed or implied, including, but not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, quality of information, quiet enjoyment, and title/non-infringement.

The College specifically disclaims all liability for errors or omissions in, or the misuse or misinterpretation of, any information obtained through the Site.  The College does not warrant the accuracy, completeness or timeliness of the information obtained through the Site.

You assume total responsibility and risk for your use of the Site, site-related services, and linked Sites.  The College does not warrant that files available for download will be free of viruses, worms, Trojan Horses or other destructive programming.  You are responsible for implementing procedures sufficient to satisfy your needs for a data back up and security.  You agree that the College shall not be liable for any cost or damage or damage arising directly or indirectly from any such code.  You assume total responsibility and risk for your use of the Site and of the Internet.

Limitation of Liability Regarding Use of Site

The College and any third parties mentioned on this Site are neither responsible nor liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, special exemplary, punitive, or other damages whatsoever (including, without limitation, those resulting from lost profits, lost data, or business interruption) arising out of or relating in any way to the Site, Site-related services, content or information contained within the Site, and/or any linked Site, whether based on warranty, contract, tort, or any other legal theory and whether or not advised of the possibility of such damages.

Your sole remedy for dissatisfaction with the Site, Site-related services, and/or linked Sites is to stop using the Site and/or those services.

External Sites

The College makes no representations whatsoever about any other site that you may access through this Site.  When you access a non-College site, please understand that it is independent from the College, and that the College has no control over the Content on that site.

In addition, a link to a non-College site does not mean that College endorses or accepts any responsibility for the Content, or the use, of the linked site.  It is up to you to take precautions to ensure that whatever you select for your use or download is free of such items as viruses, worms, Trojan horses, and other items of a destructive nature.  If you decide to access any of the third party sites linked to this Site, you do this entirely at your own risk.

PART 2 – ONLINE PRIVACY STATEMENT

This Online Privacy Statement applies to your interaction with the College Site, and online resources integrated into and with the College Site and governs data collection and usage by the College.  To the extent permitted by applicable law, by using the College Site, or interacting with a College advertisement or page or account on a third-party site you consent to the data practices described in this Statement.

Collection of Your Personal Information

You may interact with the College online, in a variety of ways including through a mobile device.  You may interact by passively browsing the Site or by actively applying for admission, registering for events, enrolling in classes or accessing your student account.  Information that we may collect about you through online interaction includes information that you provide, such as your name, address, email address, and other contact information; data resulting from your activity, such as transaction information and the pages you visit on the Site; geolocation information; and biometric information, such as keystroke and mouse movement patterns.  We may also collect additional information, such as the type of device and browser you are using, the IP address of your device, information about your device’s operating system, and additional information associated with your device.  We may also collect information through cookies, pixels, and other technologies.

If you are under the age of 13, please do not attempt to register with us at this Site or provide any personal information about yourself to us via this Site.  If we learn that we have collected personal information from a child under the age of 13, we will promptly delete that information.  If you believe we might have any information from a child under the age of 13 collected via this Site, please call us at 515-643-3180.

SMS Communications

Some communications may come through SMS (texts) from the College directly or from its service providers.  By consenting to receive communications from the College you are agreeing to receive text messages from us.  You can cancel the text messaging service at any time.  Just text “STOP” to the text message.  After you send the text message “STOP” to us, we will send you a text message to confirm that you have been unsubscribed.  After this, you will no longer receive text messages from us.

Cookies and Other Tracking Technology

What are cookies?

Cookies are small text files that your browser stores on your computer or mobile device when you visit a Site.  When you return to a site you have visited before, your browser gives this data back to the site to help it remember your preferences and personalize your experience; enhance site performance and security; and enable interest-based advertising.  First-Party Cookies are text files placed on your device when you visit a site that allow the site owner to monitor your interactions with its site.  When you visit the College Site, we, or our service providers, may use cookies.  Third-Party Cookies are text files placed on your device when you visit a site with embedded advertisements or content from a different Site that allow that Site to track your activity across different Sites.

What are pixels?

Pixels are small, often invisible images embedded in web pages or emails.  Pixels are used to track user activity and gather data for various purposes, such as advertising, email marketing, and site analytics.  Pixels enable data sharing between a web server and an advertising server.

How does the College use cookies and pixels?

The Colleges uses First-Party Cookies, and pixels and the information collected through their use to make your experience with our Site and at the College more personalized.  Information collected may be used for conversion and tracking purposes.  Cookies may be used to make offers to you via online ads, email, U.S. mail, or telephone, subject to the privacy preferences you have made in writing to Mercy College.  We use Third-Party Cookies, sometimes in conjunction with service providers, in online advertising on third party sites to help determine which of our advertisements are most likely to appeal to you.  We also use cookies for purposes such as maintaining continuity during an online session, collecting data about the use of our Site, monitoring online promotions, and anti-fraud and information security purposes.  If you use a mobile device, your device may share location information (when you enable location services) with our Site

The College encourages you to review the privacy statements of third-party sites you choose to link to from the College’s Site to better understand how those sites collect, use and share your information.  The College is not responsible for the privacy statements or other content on any third-party site.

How we use your information

• To Provide Products, Services, and Information – We collect personal information from you so that we can provide products and services that you purchase using the Site, and information that you request from us. We use your personal information to contact you about your orders, process credit card / debit card transactions, and ship products to you.  We may provide information to third party service providers that help us bring you the services we offer.  For example, we use third parties to help host and maintain our Site, and to process payments.
• Communications from the College – We respect and are committed to protecting your privacy. We may collect personally identifiable information, including your email address, when you visit our site. We also automatically receive and record information on our server logs from your browser including your IP address, cookie information and the page(s) you visited.  We will use the information to contact you about products, services and information and to provide relevant advertising to you.  We will not sell your personally identifiable information, but we may provide your email address to third parties who will contact you about our products and services or whose products or services would be of interest to you.
• Legal Requests or Requirements and to Prevent Harm – We will share personal information with third party companies, organizations or individuals outside of College if we have a good-faith belief that access, use, preservation or disclosure of the information is reasonably necessary to: (1) meet any applicable law, regulation, subpoena, legal process or enforceable governmental request; (2) enforce applicable Terms of Use, including investigation of potential violations; (3) detect, prevent, or otherwise address fraud, security or technical issues; (4) protect against harm to the rights, property or safety of the College, our users, customers or the public as required or permitted by law.
• Transfer in the Event of Sale or Change of Control – If ownership of all or substantially all of our business changes or we otherwise transfer assets relating to our business or the Site to a third party, such as by merger, acquisition, bankruptcy proceeding or otherwise, we may transfer or sell your personal information to the new owner. In such a case, unless permitted otherwise by applicable law, your information would remain subject to the promises made in the applicable privacy statement unless you agree differently.

How we do not use your information

The College does not sell, rent or lease its customer information to third parties.  The College may, from time to time, contact you on behalf of external business partners about a particular offering that we think may be of interest to you.  In those cases, your personally identifiable information is not transferred to the third party.

Cookie Management

You have the ability to accept or decline cookies.  Most web browsers automatically accept cookies, but you can usually modify your browser setting to decline cookies if you prefer.  If you choose to decline cookies, you may not be able to fully experience the interactive features of the College Site.

The College has installed a cookie consent management tool on its Site.  The tool provides users with an opt-in notice for California residents and a separate opt-out notice for the residents of all other states.  The College groups the cookies into the following four categories which users can elect to opt-in or opt-out of:

Necessary – Necessary cookies help make a Site usable by enabling basic functions like page navigation and access to secure areas of the Site.  The Site cannot function properly without these cookies.

Preference – Preference cookies enable a Site to remember information that changes the way the Site behaves or looks, like your preferred language or the region that you are in.

Statistical – Statistical cookies help Site owners to understand how visitors interact with Sites by collecting and reporting information anonymously.

Marketing – Marketing cookies are used to track visitors across Sites.  The intention is to display ads that are relevant and engaging for the individual user and thereby more valuable for publishers and third party advertisers.

You can verify your current privacy elections by selecting the paperclip icon in the lower left corner of our Site.

Security of your information

The College secures your personal information from unauthorized access, use or disclosure.  The College secures the personally identifiable information you provide on computer servers in a controlled, secure environment, protected from unauthorized access, use or disclosure.  When sensitive information (like credit card numbers) is provided, that information is protected through the use of encryption which transforms the information into an unreadable code, protecting it during transactions and storage.

Changes to this statement

The College may occasionally update this Online Privacy Statement to reflect College needs and user feedback.  The College encourages you to periodically review this Statement to be informed of how the College is using and protecting your information.

Contact information

The College welcomes your comments regarding this Online Privacy Statement.  If you believe the College has not adhered to this Statement, please contact us at marketing@mchs.edu.  We will use commercially reasonable efforts to promptly determine and remedy the problem.