Privacy Notice

Neponset University · neponset.co

Neponset University is being built around a simple belief: education should be more accessible, and institutions should be straightforward about how they operate.

That includes how we handle personal information.

This Privacy Notice explains what information we collect through neponset.co and our current email communications, why we collect it, how we use it, and the choices available to you.

Our approach is simple: collect what we need, use it for clear purposes, and respect the people who share it with us.

Neponset University is an educational initiative in Massachusetts, operated by Neponset Open Learning, Inc., a Massachusetts nonprofit corporation.

This notice describes our current practices. We will expand it as our services develop.

1. Information We Collect

Neponset University is not yet accepting applications or admitting learners. Our current personal-information collection is limited.

Interest List

If you contact us to express interest in Neponset University, we collect:

• Your email address.
• Any message, question, or additional information you choose to include.

We use this information to maintain our interest list, respond to inquiries, and communicate relevant developments about Neponset University.

Joining the interest list does not make you an applicant or student.

Email Communications

If you write to hello@neponset.co, we receive your email address, the contents of your message, and any other information you voluntarily provide.

We may also receive standard email information such as the sender, recipient, subject line, and date of correspondence.

We use these communications to answer questions, respond to requests, and manage the development of the institution.

Please do not email us Social Security numbers, financial account details, identity documents, medical records, or other sensitive information unless we have specifically requested it through an appropriate process.

Website and Technical Information

Like most websites, neponset.co may generate technical information when visitors access it, including information handled by hosting providers, browsers, or network infrastructure.

Depending on the technology used, this may include IP addresses, browser information, timestamps, and diagnostic or security logs.

We do not represent that visiting the website is anonymous. The specific technical information collected depends on the systems supporting the website.

This notice does not claim that our website uses particular analytics, advertising, or tracking technologies where those arrangements have not been established.

We will update our disclosures if our use of such technologies requires additional explanation or choices.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use personal information for purposes connected to developing Neponset University and communicating with interested people.

These purposes include responding to questions and requests, maintaining the interest list, sharing relevant institutional updates, managing correspondence, and addressing operational or security concerns.

We may also use information when reasonably necessary to comply with applicable legal obligations or protect the rights and security of people using our website.

We do not use your interest-list submission as an application for admission or as a basis for awarding academic credit.

We do not require you to provide a detailed personal history to express interest in Neponset University.

3. Interest-List Emails and Your Choices

If you join our interest list, we may contact you about significant developments, including admissions opening, anticipated course offerings, and progress toward establishing the institution.

We intend to keep these communications relevant to the reason you contacted us.

You can ask to stop receiving interest-list updates at any time by emailing hello@neponset.co.

We will honor your request, although we may still communicate with you when necessary to respond to a separate inquiry or fulfill an applicable legal obligation.

You do not need to explain why you want to leave the interest list.

4. We Do Not Sell Personal Information

Neponset University does not sell personal information.

We do not sell interest-list email addresses or correspondence to advertisers, data brokers, or other organizations.

We do not provide our interest list to outside organizations for their independent marketing.

This commitment does not prevent us from using service providers to operate our communications and website or from disclosing information when legally required.

5. Email and Service Providers

We use Google Workspace to manage email communications, including messages sent to hello@neponset.co.

Emails and associated information are processed and stored through Google's services as part of providing email functionality.

Google's handling of that information is also subject to the applicable terms and commitments governing Google Workspace.

Other technical service providers may process information as necessary to operate or secure our website.

We do not treat the use of a service provider as permission for that provider to use your information for unrelated purposes.

6. When We May Share Information

We may disclose personal information in limited circumstances connected to operating the website and the institution.

These may include sharing information with service providers performing services on our behalf, responding to valid legal requirements, investigating security incidents, or protecting people and systems from fraud or misuse.

We may also need to transfer relevant records to the nonprofit organization intended to operate Neponset University when that organization is formed, for continuity of the institution's work and communications.

We do not share personal information with external organizations simply because they support our educational mission.

Any disclosure remains subject to applicable law.

7. How Long We Keep Information

We keep interest-list information and correspondence for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes described in this notice, including maintaining requested communications, responding to inquiries, and meeting applicable legal obligations.

We have not established a universal retention period for every type of information.

If you ask us to remove your information from the interest list, we will review and act on the request, subject to any information we reasonably need to retain for legal, security, or legitimate recordkeeping purposes.

Information may remain for a limited period in backups or other systems where immediate removal is not reasonably practicable.

We intend to develop more detailed retention rules as our operations mature.

8. Security

We take the privacy and security of personal information seriously.

We use Google Workspace for email rather than operating an independent email infrastructure, and we recognize that protecting information also depends on how it is accessed, handled, and retained.

No website, email service, or electronic storage system can guarantee complete security.

For that reason, we encourage you not to send sensitive documents or unnecessary personal details through ordinary email.

As Neponset University develops, we intend to establish more formal information-security and data-governance practices appropriate to the information we handle.

9. Your Privacy Choices and Rights

You may contact us at hello@neponset.co to:

• Ask what personal information we hold about you.
• Request correction of inaccurate information.
• Request deletion of information you previously provided.
• Ask us to stop sending interest-list updates.
• Ask questions about how your information is used or shared.

We will review requests and respond in accordance with applicable law.

Some requests may be subject to legal exceptions or limitations, including circumstances where information must be retained for legitimate legal, security, or recordkeeping reasons.

Additional rights may apply depending on where you live and the laws governing the information.

We will not condition removal from our interest list on explaining your decision.

10. Future Applications and Student Records

We plan to introduce a brief admissions process when Neponset University is ready to accept applications.

That process is expected to request information relevant to assessing applications, potentially including:

• A writing sample.
• A statement of intent.
• Information needed to check or verify educational credentials.

We are not collecting these admissions materials through a formal application process today.

Before admissions open, we intend to publish additional information explaining what applicants must provide, how their information will be evaluated, who may access it, and how long it will be retained.

If Neponset University begins offering courses, we also expect to maintain records necessary to administer instruction, learner participation, and academic progress.

Those records will be addressed under separate academic and student-information policies as those systems and obligations are established.

Student Privacy and FERPA

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) provides protections for education records at educational institutions to which the law applies.

FERPA generally applies to educational institutions receiving funds under programs administered by the U.S. Department of Education.

Neponset University does not currently participate in federal Title IV financial aid programs and is not yet admitting students. We do not claim that FERPA currently applies to our operations or that we have an established FERPA-compliant student records system.

As we develop our academic operations, we intend to evaluate applicable student privacy requirements, including FERPA where relevant, and adopt appropriate protections for applicant and student information.

We believe careful handling of educational records matters regardless of whether a particular federal requirement applies.

Any future student privacy policy will explain the protections and rights applicable at that time.

11. Children's Privacy

Neponset University is developing higher education programs. Our website and current interest list are not directed to children under 13.

We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 without appropriate parental consent or another lawful basis.

If we learn that we have collected personal information directly from a child under 13 without the consent required by law, we will take appropriate steps to delete that information or otherwise comply with applicable law.

Parents or guardians who believe a child has submitted personal information to us may contact hello@neponset.co.

Our future admissions policies will separately address eligibility and any privacy requirements applicable to younger learners.

12. Changes to This Notice

Our privacy practices will evolve as Neponset University moves from planning toward operations.

We expect to update this notice when we introduce applications, learner accounts, educational platforms, or other services that involve additional personal information.

We may also revise it in response to changes in technology, operational practices, or applicable law.

When we make changes, we will publish the updated notice on this page and revise the date below. If a change requires additional notice or consent under applicable law, we will provide it.

We encourage you to review this notice periodically, especially before submitting information through a new service.

13. Contact Us

If you have a question, concern, or request regarding your personal information, please contact us.

Neponset University
Website: neponset.co

Email: hello@neponset.co

You can use this address to request access to your information, correct or delete information, leave the interest list, or ask about our privacy practices.

We want Neponset University to be an institution people can trust. That begins before our first course opens, with straightforward communication and responsible treatment of the information people choose to share.

Last updated: October 10, 2026