At a Glance
We use cookies to make StudyRails reliable, secure, and helpful. You can control most cookie types in your browser settings.
- Essential cookies: Keep the site working and secure.
- Analytics cookies: Help us understand usage trends.
- Functional cookies: Remember preferences and settings.
- Advertising cookies: Support relevant ads where applicable.
Introduction
This Cookie Policy explains how StudyRails uses cookies and similar technologies on studyrails.com. It covers what these tools do, why we use them, and how you can control your preferences.
By continuing to use our Site, you consent to the cookie practices described here. You can update your preferences at any time using the options below.
What Are Cookies?
Cookies are small text files that are placed on your device (computer, tablet, or mobile phone) when you visit a website. They are widely used to make websites work more efficiently, provide information to site owners, and enhance the user experience.
Cookies can be “session cookies” (which expire when you close your browser) or “persistent cookies” (which remain on your device for a set period or until you delete them). Cookies can also be “first-party cookies” (set by the website you're visiting) or “third-party cookies” (set by a different website).
Similar technologies include:
- Web beacons: Small graphic images embedded in web pages or emails
- Pixels: Tiny, invisible images that track user behavior
- Local storage: Data stored in your browser that persists across sessions
- Session storage: Data stored temporarily in your browser
Types of Cookies We Use
We use the following categories of cookies on our Site:
- Essential Cookies: Required for the Site to function properly
- Performance Cookies: Help us understand how visitors use our Site
- Functional Cookies: Remember your preferences and settings
- Advertising Cookies: Used to deliver relevant advertisements
Each category serves a specific purpose in improving your experience on our Site.
Essential Cookies
Essential cookies are strictly necessary for the operation of our Site. They enable core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility. These cookies do not store any personally identifiable information.
Examples of essential cookies include:
- Session cookies that maintain your logged-in state
- Security cookies that help detect and prevent malicious activity
- Load balancing cookies that ensure Site performance
- Cookies that remember your cookie consent preferences
You cannot opt out of essential cookies as they are necessary for the Site to function. Without these cookies, certain features of our Site would not work.
Functional Cookies
Functional cookies allow our Site to remember choices you make and provide enhanced, personalized features. These cookies may be set by us or by third-party providers whose services we have added to our pages.
Examples include cookies that remember:
- Your preferred language or region
- Your display preferences (such as dark mode or light mode)
- Institutions you've saved or compared
- Your search filters and preferences
- Whether you've dismissed certain notifications or banners
If you disable functional cookies, some features of our Site may not work as intended.
Advertising Cookies
Advertising cookies are used to deliver advertisements that are relevant to you and your interests. They also help limit the number of times you see an advertisement and measure the effectiveness of advertising campaigns.
These cookies are usually placed by advertising networks with our permission. They remember that you have visited our Site and may share this information with other organizations such as advertisers.
Advertising cookies may:
- Track your browsing activity across websites
- Build a profile of your interests
- Show you targeted ads based on your browsing history
- Limit how often you see specific ads
- Measure ad campaign effectiveness
You can opt out of personalized advertising through the methods described in the “Managing Your Cookies” section below.
Third-Party Cookies
Some cookies on our Site are placed by third parties. We do not control how these third parties use their cookies. Third parties that may place cookies on your device include:
- Google Analytics: For Site analytics and performance tracking
- Google AdSense: For advertising and personalized ads
- Social Media Platforms: If you interact with social sharing features
- Embedded Content Providers: Such as YouTube for embedded videos
We encourage you to review the privacy policies of these third parties to understand how they use cookies and your data.
Google AdSense Cookies
We use Google AdSense to display advertisements on our Site. Google AdSense uses cookies to serve ads based on your prior visits to our Site and other websites. This is known as interest-based advertising.
Google's use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve ads based on:
- Your visits to StudyRails and other sites on the internet
- Your search queries and browsing behavior
- Your interactions with previous ads
- Demographic and interest data
Opting out of personalized ads:
For more information about how Google uses data, please visit Google's Privacy Policy.
Managing Your Cookies
You have several options for managing cookies:
Browser Settings
Most web browsers allow you to control cookies through their settings. You can:
- View cookies stored on your device
- Delete all or specific cookies
- Block all cookies or cookies from specific sites
- Set preferences for first-party vs. third-party cookies
Here are links to cookie management instructions for major browsers:
Third-Party Opt-Out Tools
You can also use these industry tools to manage advertising cookies:
Mobile Devices
On mobile devices, you can manage advertising identifiers:
- iOS: Settings > Privacy > Tracking, and disable “Allow Apps to Request to Track”
- Android: Settings > Google > Ads > Opt out of Ads Personalization
Impact of Disabling Cookies
Please note that if you choose to block or delete cookies, some features of our Site may not function properly, including:
- Saved preferences may be lost
- You may need to log in repeatedly
- Some content may not display correctly
- Certain interactive features may be disabled
Cookie List
The following table provides details about the specific cookies used on our Site:
| Cookie Name | Provider | Type | Purpose | Duration |
|---|
| cookieConsent | StudyRails | Essential | Stores your cookie consent preferences | 1 year |
| session_id | StudyRails | Essential | Maintains user session state | Session |
| theme | StudyRails | Functional | Remembers your theme preference (dark/light) | 1 year |
| savedInstitutions | StudyRails | Functional | Stores your saved institution list | 1 year |
| _ga | Google Analytics | Performance | Distinguishes unique users | 2 years |
| _ga_* | Google Analytics | Performance | Persists session state | 2 years |
| _gid | Google Analytics | Performance | Distinguishes unique users | 24 hours |
| __gads | Google AdSense | Advertising | Measures ad interactions | 13 months |
| __gpi | Google AdSense | Advertising | Collects ad data | 13 months |
| NID | Google | Advertising | Stores user preferences for personalized ads | 6 months |
Note: This list may be updated periodically as we add or remove cookies from our Site.
Updates to This Policy
We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technologies, legal requirements, or for other operational reasons. When we make changes, we will:
- Update the “Last Updated” date at the top of this policy
- Post the revised policy on this page
- For significant changes, provide a prominent notice on our Site
We encourage you to review this Cookie Policy periodically to stay informed about our use of cookies.