Effective Date: October 28, 2026

Hop Education Abroad (“Hop,” “Hop Education Abroad,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) respects your privacy and is committed to protecting the personal information you share with us.

This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, when we may share it, and the choices available to you when you use our websites, applications, portals, forms, communications, and other services.

By using our website or services, you acknowledge the practices described in this Privacy Policy.

1. Information We Collect

1.1 Information You Provide to Us

We may collect personal information that you provide directly to us when you:

• Request information about a study abroad or internship program.

• Complete a lead, inquiry, or interest form.

• Apply for one of our programs.

• Create or use an account through one of our student or advisor portals.

• Pay a deposit or other program fee.

• Complete forms related to enrollment, housing, travel, or program participation.

• Contact us by email, phone, text message, social media, or another communication channel.

• Subscribe to marketing communications.

• Participate in surveys, contests, scholarship opportunities, promotions, or events.

• Provide information to us at a study abroad fair or other in-person event.

Depending on how you interact with us, the information we collect may include:

• Contact Information: Name, email address, phone number, mailing address, and other contact details.

• Academic Information: School or university, academic major, education history, course information, grades, transcripts, academic references, and other information relevant to your program.

• Application and Program Information: Program interests, destination preferences, preferred term, application status, forms, approvals, enrollment information, housing preferences, and related program details.

• Demographic Information: Date of birth, nationality, gender, or other demographic information when relevant to program participation or required by one of our partners.

• Travel Information: Passport information, visa information, travel details, emergency contact information, and travel preferences.

• Financial Information: Payment details, billing information, transaction information, scholarship information, and other information necessary to process program-related payments. Payment information may be processed directly by third-party payment providers.

• Communication Preferences: Your preferences regarding email, text messages, marketing communications, and other notifications.

• Survey and Feedback Information: Responses to surveys, testimonials, program feedback, reviews, photographs, videos, or other content you voluntarily provide.

1.2 Information Collected Automatically

When you use our website or digital services, we may automatically collect certain information through cookies, pixels, analytics tools, and similar technologies. This may include:

• Pages viewed.

• Links clicked.

• Forms started or submitted.

• Time spent on pages.

• Referring websites or advertising campaigns.

• IP address.

• Browser type.

• Device type.

• Operating system.

• Approximate geographic location derived from an IP address.

• Advertising identifiers.

• Website interactions and conversion events.

We may also collect campaign information contained in links, such as referral sources, campaign identifiers, and UTM parameters.

1.3 Information From Other Sources

We may receive information about you from third parties when appropriate, including:

• Your university or study abroad office.

• Academic or program partners.

• Referral partners.

• Technology and analytics providers.

• Advertising platforms.

• Payment processors.

• Service providers that help us operate our programs.

• Other individuals or organizations when you have authorized them to provide information to us.

We may combine this information with information we collect directly from you.

2. How We Use Your Information

2.1 To Provide Our Services

We may use your personal information to:

• Respond to your questions or requests for information.

• Recommend or provide information about study abroad programs.

• Process and review applications.

• Facilitate enrollment with universities and academic partners.

• Coordinate housing, orientation, travel, visas, and other program logistics.

• Manage program forms, approvals, and student requirements.

• Provide student, advisor, and customer support.

• Process payments, deposits, refunds, scholarships, and related transactions.

• Maintain student and advisor accounts.

• Communicate important program, application, account, or service information.

• Provide emergency assistance and in-country support.

• Administer scholarships, contests, events, promotions, and surveys.

  
  

2.2 Marketing and Advertising

Where permitted by applicable law and, where required, with your consent, we may use your information to:

• Send newsletters, promotional emails, and information about our programs.

• Share information about scholarships, events, deadlines, promotions, and study abroad opportunities.

• Personalize advertising and marketing content.

• Measure the effectiveness of our advertising campaigns.

• Understand which marketing campaigns lead to inquiries, applications, or other actions.

• Create advertising audiences based on information provided directly to us.

• Match eligible non-SMS information, such as email addresses where permitted, with advertising platforms to create relevant audiences or measure advertising performance. We do not use SMS opt-in records or text messaging consent for advertising audience matching.

• Reach people who have previously interacted with Hop or identify audiences with similar interests where permitted by the applicable advertising platform and law.

Receiving marketing emails is not required to apply for or participate in a Hop program. You may opt out of marketing communications at any time as described in Section 6.

2.3 Website Analytics and Improvement

We may use information about how you interact with our website to:

• Analyze website traffic and usage.

• Improve website functionality and design.

• Understand which programs, destinations, and content are most useful to visitors.

• Diagnose technical problems.

• Improve our applications, forms, portals, and services.

• Conduct testing and evaluate website performance.

• Prevent fraud, abuse, or misuse of our systems.

2.4 Security and Legal Purposes

We may use personal information to:

• Protect the security of our website, accounts, students, employees, and services.

• Detect or prevent fraud, spam, abuse, security threats, or unlawful activity.

• Enforce our agreements and policies.

• Comply with legal, regulatory, tax, accounting, or reporting obligations.

• Establish, exercise, or defend legal claims.

3. How We Share Information

We do not sell your personal information for money. We may share information in the following circumstances:

3.1 Service Providers

We may share personal information with companies and individuals that provide services on our behalf. These may include providers that assist with:

• Website hosting and development.

• Customer relationship management.

• Student and advisor portals.

• Payment processing.

• Email delivery.

• Text messaging.

• Data storage.

• Analytics and reporting.

• Advertising and marketing.

• Audience matching.

• Advertising measurement.

• Customer support.

• Travel or program logistics.

• Fraud prevention and security.

These providers may process personal information only as necessary to provide services to us and subject to their applicable contractual and legal obligations.

The disclosure of service providers in this section does not authorize the sale, rental, transfer, or sharing of text messaging opt-in data or consent with third parties or affiliates for their own purposes. SMS delivery providers may process the information necessary to deliver messages on Hop's behalf, subject to appropriate restrictions.

3.2 Advertising and Analytics Providers

We may share certain information, including contact information and information about website activity, with advertising and analytics providers that perform services on our behalf.

These services may include:

• Measuring advertising performance.

• Tracking conversions.

• Creating or matching advertising audiences.

• Showing relevant advertisements.

• Analyzing website use.

• Helping us understand how people discover and interact with Hop.

We may share certain first-party contact information, including email addresses and, where legally permitted, phone numbers collected independently of our SMS messaging program, with advertising and analytics providers such as Google and Meta for audience matching, advertising measurement, and related purposes.

We do not use or share mobile information collected for SMS messaging, SMS opt-in records, or text messaging consent for advertising audience matching or third-party marketing purposes.

SMS consent is specific to Hop Education Abroad and is not transferred or shared with other organizations.

3.3 Universities and Program Partners

When necessary to provide a program or process an application, we may share relevant information with:

• Universities.

• Academic institutions.

• Housing providers.

• Program partners.

• Visa or immigration service providers.

• Travel partners.

• In-country service providers.

• Other organizations involved in administering your program.

We share only the information reasonably necessary for the applicable service or program requirement.

3.4 Legal Requirements

We may disclose information if we believe disclosure is necessary to:

• Comply with applicable law, regulation, legal process, or government request.

• Protect the rights, safety, or property of Hop, our students, our partners, or others.

• Investigate fraud, abuse, security concerns, or potential violations of our policies.

  
  

3.5 Business Transfers

If Hop is involved in a merger, acquisition, financing, reorganization, bankruptcy, sale of assets, or similar business transaction, personal information may be transferred as part of that transaction.

3.6 Mobile Information and SMS Consent — Non-Sharing Policy

Hop Education Abroad does not sell, rent, transfer, or share mobile information collected for SMS messaging, SMS opt-in data, or text messaging consent with third parties or affiliates for marketing or promotional purposes.

All the above categories exclude text messaging originator opt-in data and consent; this information won’t be shared with any third parties.

SMS consent is collected directly by Hop Education Abroad and applies only to messages sent on behalf of Hop Education Abroad for the specific purposes to which the individual has consented.

We use authorized messaging service providers to facilitate the technical delivery of SMS notifications. These providers process information on our behalf solely to deliver and administer our messaging services and are not authorized to use SMS information for their own marketing or promotional activities.

4. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

We and our service providers may use cookies, pixels, tags, scripts, and similar technologies to operate our website and understand how it is used.

These technologies may be used for:

• Essential website functionality.

• Remembering preferences.

• Website analytics.

• Measuring advertising performance.

• Understanding referral sources.

• Personalizing content.

• Advertising and remarketing where permitted.

You may be able to manage certain cookie preferences through our website's cookie controls or through your browser settings. Disabling certain cookies may affect website functionality.

5. Email and Text Message Communications

5.1 Email

If you opt in to marketing email communications, we may send information about study abroad programs, scholarships, promotions, events, deadlines, and related opportunities.

You may unsubscribe from marketing emails at any time using the unsubscribe link included in the message.

We may still send non-promotional communications relating to an application, account, transaction, or program even if you opt out of marketing messages.

5.2 Text Messages — Account and Application Notifications

Hop Education Abroad offers an optional SMS notification program for students and applicants who affirmatively opt in through Hopscotch.

Messages may include application status updates, outstanding forms, approvals, application and program deadlines, deposit and contract reminders, and other account or program administration updates. These messages are informational and do not include promotional marketing.

SMS consent is voluntary, is collected using a separate checkbox that is unchecked by default, and is not required to submit an application, access an account, or purchase a program.

Message frequency varies based on application and program activity. Message and data rates may apply.

Reply STOP to opt out at any time or HELP for assistance.

You may also contact welcome@hop.education or +1 (312) 730-0130 for support.

Opting out of SMS notifications does not prevent Hop from communicating with you through other appropriate channels, such as email, about your application or program.

We maintain records of SMS consent and opt-out preferences as necessary to administer the messaging program. SMS opt-in data and consent are not shared with third parties or affiliates for marketing or promotional purposes, as explained in Section 3.6.

6. Your Rights and Choices

Depending on where you live, you may have certain rights regarding your personal information. These may include the right to:

• Request access to personal information we maintain about you.

• Request correction of inaccurate personal information.

• Request deletion of certain personal information.

• Withdraw consent where processing is based on consent.

• Object to or restrict certain uses of your information.

• Opt out of certain marketing communications.

• Manage certain advertising or cookie preferences.

To submit a privacy-related request, contact us using the information in Section 12.

We may need to verify your identity before completing certain requests.

6.1 Marketing Opt-Out

You can opt out of marketing emails by using the unsubscribe link provided in our emails.

You can opt out of account and application SMS notifications at any time by replying STOP to a text message. Reply HELP for assistance.

Opting out of marketing emails does not prevent us from sending necessary account, application, or program communications through appropriate channels.

SMS notifications are sent only to recipients who have opted in and have not withdrawn that consent.

6.2 Advertising Choices

You may be able to control personalized advertising through your browser, device settings, cookie preferences, or the privacy controls provided by advertising platforms. Some advertising and analytics technologies may continue to operate for measurement, security, fraud prevention, or other purposes permitted by law.

7. Data Retention

We retain personal information for as long as reasonably necessary to:

• Provide our services.

• Maintain application and student records.

• Meet academic or program requirements.

• Maintain business and financial records.

• Comply with legal obligations.

• Resolve disputes.

• Prevent fraud or abuse.

• Enforce our agreements.

The length of time we retain information may vary depending on the type of information and the purpose for which it was collected.

When information is no longer reasonably necessary, we may delete, anonymize, or securely dispose of it.

8. Security

We use reasonable administrative, technical, and organizational safeguards designed to protect personal information.

These safeguards may include:

• Encryption during transmission.

• Secure website connections.

• Access controls.

• Password-protected systems.

• Restricted employee access.

• Security monitoring.

• Reviews of data-handling practices.

No internet transmission, website, or electronic storage system can be guaranteed to be completely secure. We therefore cannot guarantee the absolute security of your information.

9. International Data Transfers

Hop Education Abroad is based in the United States. If you access our services from outside the United States, your information may be transferred to, stored in, or processed in the United States or other countries where Hop, our academic partners, or our service providers operate. Those countries may have different privacy and data-protection laws than your country of residence.

Where required by applicable law, we take appropriate measures relating to international transfers of personal information.

10. Third-Party Websites and Services

Our website may contain links to websites or services operated by universities, academic partners, social media platforms, payment providers, travel providers, and other third parties.

Hop does not control the privacy practices of those third parties. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party website or service you use.

11. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, our privacy practices, or a request regarding your personal information, you may contact us at:

Hop Education Abroad

1 E Erie St, STE 525-3455

Chicago, IL 60611

Website: www.hop.education

Email: legal@hop.education

General Contact: welcome@hop.education

Phone: +1 (312) 730-0130

12. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy periodically to reflect changes in our services, technology, business practices, legal requirements, or other operational needs. When we make changes, we will update the Effective Date at the top of this Privacy Policy. If changes materially affect how we use personal information, we may provide additional notice where appropriate or required by law.

By continuing to use our website or services after an updated Privacy Policy becomes effective, you acknowledge the updated policy.

Thank you for choosing Hop Education Abroad.