Acceptance
By accessing IVSA, you agree to these terms. If you don't agree, don't use the service. If you're agreeing on behalf of a school or other organization, you represent that you have the authority to bind that organization.
Accounts
School administrators create accounts through magic-link authentication. You're responsible for keeping your email account secure. Notify us immediately at contact if you suspect unauthorized access.
Each school listing has at most one active claim at a time. If multiple parties claim the same school, IVSA decides based on documentation and may revoke an existing claim if a stronger claim is presented.
Permitted use
- Browse the directory.
- Claim and manage a school listing for a school you're authorized to represent.
- Submit inquiries to schools as a prospective family, agent, or embassy contact.
- Subscribe to a tier or purchase add-ons.
Prohibited use
- Misrepresenting your school, accreditation, or affiliations.
- Scraping the directory at scale, bypassing rate limits, or extracting contact information for resale.
- Using IVSA to contact families for purposes other than the inquiry they initiated.
- Attempting to compromise security, including reverse-engineering verification or payment systems.
- Posting unlawful, defamatory, or harmful content.
- Using IVSA-provided data to train AI models without our written consent.
Verification and editorial firewall
The IVSA verified badge is editorial, not commercial. Paying for a tier never guarantees verification, and the verified status of any school can be revoked at our discretion if the school no longer meets our standards or is found to have misrepresented information.
We reserve the right to remove any listing — paid or unpaid — for misrepresentation, accreditation lapse, persistent unresolved complaints, or other violations of these terms. Refunds for paid tiers in such cases follow the policy in the Subscriptions section.
Subscriptions and billing
Paid tiers and add-ons are billed through Stripe in US dollars. Subscriptions renew automatically until canceled. You can manage your subscription from your dashboard, including upgrades, downgrades, and cancellation.
Refund policy:
- Within 14 days of purchase, before verification: full refund.
- After verification: pro-rated refund of unused months on cancellation.
- Sponsored placements: non-refundable once the slot goes live.
- If we revoke your verification or remove your listing for cause, refund treatment is at IVSA's discretion based on the reason.
Failed payments may result in tier downgrade to Listed. We email you before any change takes effect.
Intellectual property
IVSA owns the directory structure, brand, design, software, and the verified badge. School-supplied content (name, description, photos, course catalogs) remains the school's property; by uploading it, you grant IVSA a non-exclusive license to display it on the platform and use it in IVSA marketing of the directory.
Lead capture and inquiry data
Inquiry data submitted through a school's profile form is shared with that school. Schools agree to use inquiry data only to respond to the inquiry and follow up about admissions. Misuse of inquiry data — including reselling or marketing unrelated services — is grounds for verification revocation and listing removal.
Disclaimers
IVSA makes the directory and tools available "as is." We do our best to verify member schools, but we don't guarantee any school's accreditation status, educational outcomes, financial stability, or fitness for any particular family. Decisions about enrollment, payment, and study permits are between you and the school.
Limitation of liability
To the fullest extent permitted by law, IVSA's total liability to you for any claim arising out of or relating to these terms or the service is limited to the greater of $100 or the amount you've paid IVSA in the 12 months preceding the claim. We are not liable for indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages.
Termination
You can terminate your account at any time via the dashboard or by emailing us. We can suspend or terminate your account if you violate these terms. On termination, we delete personal data in line with the Privacy Policy.
Changes
We may update these terms. Material changes will be communicated to active accounts by email at least 14 days before they take effect. Continued use after the effective date constitutes acceptance.
Governing law
These terms are governed by the laws of the Province of Ontario, Canada, without regard to conflict of laws principles. Disputes will be resolved in the courts of Toronto, Ontario, unless otherwise required by mandatory law.
Contact
Questions: contact form or hello@ivsa.org.