PRIVACY POLICY
1. Introduction
International Islamic University of America (“IIU,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) is a nonprofit educational institution incorporated in the State of New Jersey (EIN 99-3479881), with offices at 232 E Front St, Plainfield, NJ 07060. We operate the following platforms:
- Website: uislamic.org
- Learning Management System (LMS): learn.uislamic.org
- Student Information System (SIS): sis.uislamic.org
This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, share, and protect your personal information when you visit our website, apply for admission, or enroll as a student. It also describes your rights under applicable law, including the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).
By using our website or services, you agree to the practices described in this policy. If you do not agree, please do not use our services.
2. Information We Collect
A. Information You Provide Directly
When you submit an application for admission, we collect:
- Full legal name (English and Arabic)
- Preferred name, date of birth, gender
- Email address, phone numbers, mailing address
- Country of birth, nationality
- Prior education history (institution name, degree, GPA, graduation date)
- Personal statement
- Government-issued identification documents (uploaded to a secure portal)
- Official academic transcripts
- Enrollment agreement (electronically signed)
- FERPA acknowledgment
When you contact us via email or web forms, we collect your name, email address, and the content of your message.
B. Payment Information
Application fees are processed securely through Stripe, Inc. IIU does not store your full credit card number, CVV, or payment card data. Stripe’s privacy practices are governed by the Stripe Privacy Policy.
C. Information Collected Automatically
When you visit our website or LMS, we may collect:
- IP address and approximate geographic location
- Browser type, operating system, device type
- Pages visited, time spent, referring URLs
- Login times and session activity
D. Student Educational Records
Once enrolled, we collect and maintain educational records including course registrations, grades, academic progress, attendance, and communications related to your enrollment.
3. How We Use Your Information
We use your personal information to:
- Process and evaluate your application for admission
- Communicate with you about your application, enrollment, and academic progress
- Provide access to courses, learning materials, and student services
- Process application fee payments
- Create and maintain your student account (Google Workspace email, LMS account)
- Issue enrollment verification letters and academic transcripts
- Comply with FERPA, DEAC accreditation standards, and applicable federal and state law
- Maintain security, detect fraud, and protect the integrity of our systems
- Respond to inquiries and support requests
- Send administrative notices (never unsolicited marketing without consent)
4. Third-Party Service Providers
We work with the following third-party providers who may process your data on our behalf:
| Provider | Purpose | سياسة الخصوصية |
|---|---|---|
| Stripe | Application fee payment processing | stripe.com/privacy |
| Google Workspace | Student and staff email (@uislamic.org), identity, and collaboration services | policies.google.com/privacy |
| WPForms | Admissions application form processing | wpforms.com/privacy |
| Moodle (self-hosted) | Learning management; course delivery, grades, and academic records | Data stored on IIU-controlled servers |
| Gibbon SIS (self-hosted) | Student information system; enrollment and admissions records | Data stored on IIU-controlled servers |
| Video streaming provider (to be updated) | Delivery of recorded course lectures | Provider privacy policy will be linked here when selected |
| BigBlueButton (planned — not yet active) | Web conferencing for live class sessions | bigbluebutton.org |
| DigitalOcean (planned) | Secure cloud hosting of IIU servers | digitalocean.com/legal/privacy-policy |
We do not sell your personal information to any third party. We do not share your information for advertising or marketing purposes.
5. Student Privacy Rights — FERPA
If you are or have been enrolled at IIU, your educational records are protected under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) (20 U.S.C. § 1232g; 34 CFR Part 99).
Under FERPA, you have the right to:
- Inspect and review your education records within 45 days of a written request
- Request amendment of records you believe are inaccurate, misleading, or in violation of your privacy rights
- Consent to disclosures of personally identifiable information from your education records, except as FERPA permits without consent (e.g., to school officials with a legitimate educational interest, in connection with financial aid, or as required by law)
- File a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education if you believe IIU has violated your FERPA rights: studentprivacy.ed.gov
Directory Information: IIU currently designates no information as “directory information.” No student information will be disclosed without written consent except as required by law.
To exercise FERPA rights, submit a written request to privacy@uislamic.org.
6. Data Retention
We retain your information for the following periods:
| Record Type | Retention Period |
|---|---|
| Enrolled student academic records (transcripts, grades, enrollment history) | Permanently |
| Enrollment agreement and identity documents | Permanently |
| Application records — admitted or enrolled | Permanently |
| Application records — applicant not enrolled | 5 years from last activity |
| Payment and financial records | 7 years (IRS standard) |
| Security and audit logs | 3 years |
| General correspondence (email, contact forms) | 3 years |
We review retained records annually. You may request deletion of non-educational records (see Section 8 below). Note: FERPA restricts the deletion of officially maintained education records for enrolled or previously enrolled students.
7. Data Security
We take reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect your personal information:
- Uploaded documents (transcripts, ID, agreements) are stored outside the publicly accessible web directory and are never directly accessible by URL
- All connections to our website and portals are encrypted via HTTPS (TLS)
- Access to student records and uploaded documents is restricted to authorized IIU staff only
- Payment data is processed entirely by Stripe and never stored on IIU servers
- We maintain an audit log of all accesses to sensitive student records
No system is 100% secure. In the event of a data breach affecting your rights and freedoms, we will notify affected individuals as required by applicable law.
8. Your Rights (Non-Student / General)
If you are not an enrolled student (e.g., you contacted us via the website or submitted an application but did not enroll), you may:
- Access the personal information we hold about you
- Correct inaccurate information
- Request deletion of your information, subject to our legal retention obligations
- Withdraw consent to non-essential communications at any time
To submit any of these requests, email privacy@uislamic.org with subject line “Privacy Request.” We will respond within 30 days.
9. Children’s Privacy
Our programs are intended for adult learners. We do not knowingly collect personal information from individuals under the age of 13. If you believe a minor’s information has been submitted to us in error, contact privacy@uislamic.org and we will promptly delete it.
10. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we make material changes, we will update the effective date at the top of this page and, where appropriate, notify enrolled students by email. Your continued use of our services after any changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.
11. Contact Us
For privacy-related questions, FERPA requests, or data concerns:
الجامعة الإسلامية الدولية بأمريكا
232 E Front St, Plainfield, NJ 07060
Email: privacy@uislamic.org
Website: uislamic.org