Privacy Policy

How we handle information we may learn about you from your visit to our website.

The Curtis Institute of Music (“Curtis”) has created this policy to demonstrate its firm commitment to your privacy when using our website. This online privacy statement explains how we handle information we may learn about you from your visit to our website. It is intended to inform you of the ways in which this site collects information, how that information may be used, and the ways in which we protect any information that you voluntarily provide to us.

We do not collect personally identifying information about you when you visit our website, unless you choose to provide such information to us. Providing such information is strictly voluntary.

From time to time, our practices may change necessitating changes to the policy as it exists now. We encourage you to refer back to this page to see the policy in effect at the time of your use and, if you wish, change your user preferences. Updates to this policy will appear in a different color with the date of change noted prominently.

By using our website, you are deemed to have assented and agreed to this policy as in effect at the time of your use.

If you have any questions about this privacy statement or your dealings with this website, you may contact Curtis at infotech@curtis.edu.

  • Questions?

    Get in contact with us for questions about this privacy statement or website.

    Email: infotech@curtis.edu

Privacy Policy

  • Anonymous Information

    You can browse our site without logging on, and no personal information about you or your visit will be collected. Some anonymous, statistical information is automatically logged when you access our website. These “access logs” allow us to make our site more useful to you and others who use them by, for example, tracking which features of the site are most used by visitors. Some examples of information we do track is listed below:

    • The date of the site visit
    • The time and length of the visit
    • The browser and operating system used
    • Pages viewed and files downloaded
    • The Internet Protocol (IP) address through which the site was accessed (Please note that the European Union often considers IP address as personal information.)
    • Any errors encountered
  • Cookies

    We use cookies to assist in customizing how you interact with our website. If you do not wish a cookie to be placed on your computer, however, you can adjust the settings on your browser to restrict what cookies your browser allows.

  • E-mail, Text Messaging, and Opt-Out

    Curtis Institute of Music is dedicated to upholding your privacy and safeguarding your information. By opting in to text message communications, providing your email address, or completing one of our online forms,  you are giving your consent for Curtis to contact you or receive information from us. By checking the text message opt-in box, you understand that message and data rates may apply, and you are responsible for any charges incurred by your mobile provider.

    Curtis may forward your information internally to staff better equipped to answer your questions or provide the requested information. The school may also use your email to contact you in the future about school programs or concerts that may be of interest to you. Any such contact will include instructions for how to opt out of receiving any future communications that may not be related to your original information request.

    Curtis will not share your information with outside parties. If you choose to opt out, you will no longer receive communication from Curtis, but your information may still exist in our constituent database. To request the deletion of your data, please reach out to Dana Gordon, Senior Director of Information and Academic Technology at dana.gordon@curtis.edu.

  • Minors and Privacy

    Curtis does not request nor collect personal information from children, such as first and last name or street address and city except for those minors who have submitted applications. Curtis will not knowingly collect or acquire any information from anyone under the age of thirteen without verifiable prior parental consent.  

    Curtis will take all reasonable and customary measures as are required by COPPA to gain verifiable parental or guardian consent prior to accepting information from children who are minors and members of the Curtis community. In that event, Curtis will provide those parents with access to their child’s information, and the opportunity to delete the information and opt out of the future collection or use of the information, and Curtis will maintain the confidentiality, security, and integrity of any personal information collected from children. Visit the Federal Trade Commission website for more information about COPPA. 

  • Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)

    Curtis Institute of Music complies with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (“FERPA”) and makes public announcement of the law.

    FERPA affords students certain rights with respect to their “education records” as that term is defined in the law. These rights include the following:

    The student has the right to inspect and review his/her education records within 45 days of the date Curtis receives a proper request for access to such records.

    The student has the right to request amendment of education records that the student believes are inaccurate or misleading.

    Curtis shall obtain the prior consent of the student before disclosing personally identifiable information contained in the student’s education records, EXCEPT to the extent FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent.

    Inspection and Review 

    Students wishing to exercise their rights to inspect and review their education records should submit a written request to both the registrar and the director of assessment and accreditation. The registrar will make arrangements for access and notify the student of the time and place where the records may be inspected.

    Amendment of Records 

    The student should write to both the registrar and the director of assessment and accreditation, identify the part of the record the student wants changed, and specify why the student believes the record is inaccurate or misleading. If the record custodians deny the request to amend the record, the student will be notified of the decision and advised of his or her right to a formal hearing.

    Disclosure of Student Information without Prior Consent 

    There are a number of exceptions to the general rule prohibiting disclosure of personally identifiable information from education records without prior consent of the student. Some common exceptions used by Curtis are set forth below.

    FERPA permits disclosure to Curtis officials with legitimate educational interest in the records being sought. A Curtis official is a person employed by Curtis in an administrative, faculty, or staff position, or a person or company with whom Curtis has contracted (such as an attorney, auditor, or collection agent). A school official has a legitimate educational interest if the official needs to review an education record in order to fulfill his or her job responsibilities.

    FERPA allows Curtis to release student “directory information” without a student’s consent, unless the student has requested such information be kept confidential. Directory information includes but is not limited to the following.

    • Name of a student who is or has been in attendance
    • Dates of attendance
    • Address, phone number, and email address
    • Date and place of birth
    • Picture
    • Major field of study
    • Enrollment status
    • Current credit load
    • Credit hours earned
    • Degree(s) received
    • Dates of degree(s)
    • Most recent previous school attended
    • Honors and awards

    For more information on how to keep your directory information confidential, please contact Director of Assessment and Accreditation Paul Bryan at paul.bryan@curtis.edu.

    Curtis will, upon request, disclose education records to officials of another institution of higher education at which a student seeks to enroll without obtaining the student’s prior consent. Curtis will also send to other higher education institutions corrected or additional records if education records have previously been sent to that institution under this exception.

    Students have the right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by Curtis to comply with the requirements of FERPA.

  • Use of Links, Texts, and Images

    If you have a link you would like us to consider adding to Curtis’s website, please send an e-mail to infotech@curtis.edu with the subject “Link request.”

    If you would like to publish information that you find on our website, please send your request to infotech@curtis.edu. If intellectual property (including text and images) not owned or created by the Curtis Institute of Music are posted on Curtis’s website with the permission of the original copyright holder, a copyright statement appears at the bottom of page that contains the text or in the image’s caption.

    Curtis logos and images may not be used without express written permission. All text, images and logos on the Curtis website are the property of Curtis and its licensors and are protected by US and international copyright laws.

  • Accessibility

    This website is designed to be accessible to visitors with disabilities and to comply with federal guidelines concerning accessibility. We welcome your comments. If you have suggestions on how to make the site more accessible, please contact us at infotech@curtis.edu.

  • Curtis Portal

    Curtis has created a password-protected portion of its website to allow users to conduct secure transactions and access social networking tools. This portion of the site, called the Curtis Portal, also hosts the school’s intranet for students, faculty, and staff. All Curtis students are bound by the Student Handbook and the Student Code of Conduct at all times, including activity in the Curtis Portal.

  • Intellectual Property Rights

    If you feel there is an instance of copyright infringement anywhere on the Curtis website or Curtis Portal, please report your complaint using these specific instructions. Content will be removed immediately if and when instances of copyright infringement have occurred.

  • Online Ticket Purchases and Donations

    When a user of the Curtis website purchases tickets or makes a donation, we must have the information necessary to process the transaction: name, address, telephone number, e-mail address, and, when applicable, credit card number. For reasons of security, no credit card information is shared with any third parties or stored permanently on our servers.

    In addition to being used to fulfill your requests and process your transactions, your name and contact information will be added to our database, and we may perform statistical analyses of user behavior to measure interest in the various areas of our site.

    Curtis may release information if required to do so by law or in the good faith belief that it is necessary to comply with the law or legal process served on us or protect and defend our legitimate business interests, rights or property, or rights of our customers and patrons.

    If you communicate with us by letter, e-mail, or phone or in person, it is possible that information about the communication may be collected into a file specific to you.

  • Alumni Policy

    Except as provided for by law, it is Curtis’s policy not to divulge any alumni information to non-alumni. Curtis does not release any information regarding its alumni to outside parties without express permission of the alumnus/alumna in question.

    All alumni are members of the Curtis Alumni Network, and those who voluntarily provide the school with personal contact information may occasionally receive communications from Curtis. Alumni are automatically opted in to receive communications from Curtis upon graduation. Alumni address, phone, and e-mail contact information are exclusively available in Curtis Connect to the Curtis Alumni Network via a password-protected log-in. Alumni who register can elect to customize their communications preferences and provide Curtis with any changes to their personal and professional information.

    When alumni log in and use Curtis Connect, biographical, contact, professional information, and options to share social media are listed. This information is automatically available to all other alumni, faculty, and staff through Curtis Connect. Once alumni have registered in Curtis Connect, they then have the chance to determine what personal data to display to their classmates on an item-by-item basis by checking the “Make Private” checkbox on their Profile Update form. These fields default to viewable until they are changed solely by the alumna or alumnus.

    Alumni who use Curtis Connect are subject to the Privacy Policy, like all users of this website.