Terms of Service

These Terms of Service (“Terms”) govern your use of the GradNova platform at gradnova.com (the “Service”) operated by GradNova LLC (“GradNova,” “we,” “us,” or “our”). By creating an account or using the Service, you agree to these Terms.

1. The Service

GradNova is a platform that connects prospective graduate students with faculty members at research universities. The Service allows:

• Students to discover faculty, view research profiles, express interest, and communicate with faculty
• Faculty to manage their recruiting profile, view interested students, and communicate with candidates

GradNova does not guarantee admission to any program, employment, funding, or any particular outcome from using the Service.

2. Eligibility

You must be at least 16 years old to use GradNova. By using the Service, you represent that you meet this age requirement and have the legal capacity to enter into these Terms.

3. Accounts

3.1 Registration

You must provide a valid email address and verify it before your account is activated. You must also provide a phone number and verify it via SMS during registration. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your login credentials.

3.2 Account Types

• Student accounts: For individuals seeking graduate study opportunities
• Faculty accounts: For professors and researchers at academic institutions

You may only create one account. Maintaining multiple accounts is grounds for termination.

3.3 Account Security

You are responsible for all activity under your account. Notify us immediately at support@gradnova.com if you suspect unauthorized access.

4. Acceptable Use

You agree not to:

• Provide false or misleading information in your profile
• Impersonate another person or misrepresent your affiliation with an institution
• Use the Service for any purpose unrelated to graduate education (e.g., commercial solicitation, recruiting for non-academic positions)
• Harass, threaten, or send abusive messages to other users
• Scrape, crawl, or use automated tools to extract data from the Service
• Attempt to access other users' accounts or non-public areas of the Service
• Circumvent rate limits, security measures, or access controls
• Upload malicious content, viruses, or harmful code
• Use the Service to violate any applicable law or regulation

Violation of these terms may result in immediate account suspension or termination.

5. Faculty Profiles from Public Sources

GradNova creates preliminary faculty profiles using publicly available information from university websites and academic databases. These profiles are clearly labeled as “Unclaimed.”

• Faculty may claim their profile by verifying their institutional email
• Faculty may request removal of their unclaimed profile (see our Privacy Policy, Section 6)
• Claimed profiles give faculty control over their information and recruiting preferences

6. User Content

6.1 Your Content

You retain ownership of content you submit to GradNova (profile information, messages, publications, etc.). By submitting content, you grant GradNova a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to use, display, and distribute your content solely for the purpose of operating and improving the Service.

6.2 Content Standards

Your content must be:

• Accurate and truthful
• Related to academic research and graduate education
• Respectful toward other users

We reserve the right to remove content that violates these standards or our Acceptable Use policy.

7. Communications

7.1 In-App Messaging

The Service includes an in-app messaging system. Your email address is never shared with other users. All communication between students and faculty occurs through the platform.

7.2 Email Notifications

We send email notifications for platform activity (interest expressions, messages, etc.). You can manage your notification preferences in your account settings.

7.3 Faculty Outreach

We may send emails to faculty at their institutional email addresses to notify them of student interest and invite them to claim their profiles. These emails include an opt-out mechanism in compliance with CAN-SPAM.

7.4 SMS Verification

By providing your phone number during registration, you consent to receive a one-time SMS verification code from GradNova to verify your identity. The following terms apply to SMS messages:

• Program name: GradNova Phone Verification
• Message frequency: One-time verification code per registration attempt
• Message and data rates may apply depending on your mobile carrier and plan
• Reply STOP to opt out of SMS messages at any time
• Reply HELP for assistance, or contact support@gradnova.com
• Your phone number is used solely for identity verification and is never shared with other users or used for marketing

For more details on how we handle your phone number, see our Privacy Policy, Section 7.

8. Intellectual Property

8.1 Our Property

The Service, including its design, features, code, and branding, is owned by GradNova LLC and protected by intellectual property laws. You may not copy, modify, or distribute any part of the Service without our written permission.

8.2 Feedback

If you provide feedback or suggestions about the Service, we may use them without obligation to you.

9. Third-Party Services

The Service integrates with third-party providers for hosting, email delivery, authentication, and other infrastructure. Your use of these services is governed by their respective terms and privacy policies. GradNova is not responsible for the practices of third-party services.

10. Fees and Payment

GradNova is currently free to use. If we introduce paid features in the future, we will notify you in advance and provide clear pricing information. Paid features will not be activated without your explicit consent.

11. Termination

11.1 By You

You may delete your account at any time through your account settings. Upon deletion, your data will be handled according to our Privacy Policy, Section 4.

11.2 By Us

We may suspend or terminate your account if you:

• Violate these Terms
• Engage in conduct that harms other users or the Service
• Fail to respond to policy violation notices

We will attempt to notify you before termination except in cases of severe or repeated violations.

12. Disclaimers

THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE” WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT.

GradNova does not warrant that:

• The Service will be uninterrupted, error-free, or secure
• Faculty information from public sources will be accurate or current
• Use of the Service will result in admission, funding, or employment
• Any particular faculty member will respond to student interest

13. Limitation of Liability

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, GRADNOVA LLC SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, OR ANY LOSS OF PROFITS OR REVENUE, WHETHER INCURRED DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, OR ANY LOSS OF DATA, USE, GOODWILL, OR OTHER INTANGIBLE LOSSES, ARISING FROM:

• Your use of or inability to use the Service
• Any unauthorized access to your account or data
• Any content or conduct of third parties on the Service
• Any faculty or student interactions facilitated by the Service

OUR TOTAL LIABILITY FOR ALL CLAIMS ARISING FROM THE SERVICE SHALL NOT EXCEED THE AMOUNT YOU PAID US IN THE TWELVE (12) MONTHS PRECEDING THE CLAIM, OR $100, WHICHEVER IS GREATER.

14. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless GradNova LLC, its officers, and employees from any claims, damages, or expenses (including reasonable attorney fees) arising from:

• Your use of the Service
• Your violation of these Terms
• Your violation of any third-party rights
• Content you submit to the Service

15. Dispute Resolution

15.1 Informal Resolution

Before filing any formal proceeding, you agree to contact us at legal@gradnova.com and attempt to resolve the dispute informally for at least 30 days.

15.2 Arbitration

If informal resolution fails, disputes will be resolved through binding arbitration administered by the American Arbitration Association (AAA) under its Consumer Arbitration Rules. Arbitration will be conducted in Reno, Nevada.

15.3 Class Action Waiver

You agree to resolve disputes with GradNova on an individual basis. You waive any right to participate in a class action, class arbitration, or representative proceeding.

15.4 Exceptions

Either party may seek injunctive or equitable relief in court for intellectual property disputes or unauthorized access to the Service.

16. Governing Law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Nevada, without regard to conflict of law principles.

17. Changes to These Terms

We may modify these Terms at any time. We will notify you of material changes by:

• Posting the updated Terms on this page with a new “Last Updated” date
• Sending an email notification at least 30 days before changes take effect

Your continued use of the Service after the effective date constitutes acceptance. If you disagree with the changes, you may delete your account before they take effect.

18. Severability

If any provision of these Terms is found unenforceable, the remaining provisions will continue in full force and effect.

19. Entire Agreement

These Terms, together with our Privacy Policy, constitute the entire agreement between you and GradNova regarding your use of the Service.

20. Contact Us

If you have questions about these Terms, contact us at:

GradNova LLC
Email: legal@gradnova.com