Cookie Policy

1. Introduction

This Cookie Policy explains how Stellar Advisers ("we", "us", or "our") uses cookies and similar tracking technologies when you visit our website at stellaradvisers.com. This policy should be read alongside our Privacy Policy.

2. 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 and to provide information to website owners.

Cookies can be "persistent" or "session" cookies. Persistent cookies remain on your device when you go offline, while session cookies are deleted as soon as you close your web browser.

3. Types of Cookies We Use

3.1 Essential Cookies (Required)

These cookies are necessary for the website to function properly. They enable core functionality such as:

• Security and authentication
• Session management
• Remembering your cookie consent preferences
• Remembering your get-started answers and checklist on this device, if you answer those questions (stellar:starter-plan:v1 in local storage: multiple-choice answers and ticked steps only, kept for up to 180 days or until you clear the plan)
• Remembering your adviser match answers on this device, if you answer those questions (stellar:adviser-match:v1 in local storage: multiple-choice answers only, kept for up to 30 days). A school or program you type under “Other” is kept only for this browser session (stellar:adviser-match-other:v1 in session storage) and is never saved to our database
• If you arrive from one of our school-visit QR codes or a campaign link, which campaign it was (stellar:campaign:v1 in session storage: the campaign name and the time you arrived, for up to 24 hours) so a free account you create in that tab is credited to it, and a marker (stellar:campaign-visit:*) so a reload is not counted as a second visit. Both hold the same value for everyone who used that code, not anything about you, and are deleted when you close the tab
• A random request identifier (stellar-session-id in local storage) created when you use the AI Adviser or send a form, used only to limit abuse and daily message counts
• Load balancing and network security

These cookies cannot be disabled.

3.2 Settings You Choose

When you use these features, we keep your choice in your own browser so the feature works. Nothing here is sent to analytics providers:

• Light or dark theme
• Which resource sidebar sections you opened
• Your Stellar Store cart and favourites
• Whether you have seen the AI Adviser introduction, and your current AI Adviser conversation for up to 24 hours
• Unsent University & Scholarship Finder answers, plus a marker that you ran a scholarship search before signing in (so we can save that search to your account once you do), kept in this browser tab for up to 24 hours

The "Preference Cookies" switch in our consent tool does not turn on anything extra today. If we add optional preference features later, they will stay off unless you turn that switch on.

When you ask us to save a guide before signing up, this tab temporarily keeps its public school, program and dates in stellar_pending_guide_save_v1. It expires after 24 hours and is removed after the save succeeds. It carries out your requested action and contains no name or email.

3.3 Visit counting and optional analytics cookies

PostHog counts public page views, where visits came from and clicks without cookies, even before you choose or after you press Reject. It doesn't save a visitor ID in your browser. On its servers, PostHog uses your internet address and browser type to make a code that changes each day. It can't recognise a cookieless visitor on a later day. Accept adds cookies and browser storage to count return visits. It also turns on Google Analytics. These counts help us improve the site. We count:

• Pages visited and time spent on each page
• How you arrived at our website
• What you click on while on our site
• Device type and country when available
• Campaign parameters from your web address, such as utm_source (any other query values are stripped before they are recorded)

Only after Accept, PostHog sets a first-party cookie (ph_<project-id>_posthog) on stellaradvisers.com only. It is not shared across subdomains or with any other Stellar property, and it is cleared if you withdraw analytics consent.

Pressing Accept also allows PostHog to record how you use public marketing and resource pages. This includes clicks, scrolling and movement. All typed fields are hidden. Public page text can appear in recordings. Content we mark as private stays blocked. We never record account pages, admin screens, sign-in or password-reset pages, checkout or order pages, family views or messaging. The AI Adviser chat is never recorded. Opening it stops page recording until you close it.

Public marketing and resource pages also have heatmaps. They show where visitors click and how far they scroll, with text and element attributes hidden. Heatmaps stay off on the private pages listed above. Recordings don't include network request contents, console logs or embedded pages from other websites.

PostHog also receives error reports from public pages, with or without analytics cookies. We remove personal details from error messages to help us fix bugs without collecting field values or chat text. Our servers send AI Adviser usage statistics, including reply counts, response time and which knowledge source answered. They include model usage and cost when available, plus existing flags for unanswered questions or safety responses. We don't send message text, prompts, retrieved passages or reply text to PostHog. These statistics use a random or scrambled conversation code, without a user ID, email address or sign-in ID.

PostHog hosts and processes these counts, recordings and reports in the United States. Open Cookie settings in the footer to withdraw analytics consent. Turn Analytics cookies off and save, or press Reject all. This stops recordings and clears lasting identifiers. Cookieless counting and public-page error reports continue. Do Not Track or Global Privacy Control stops browser analytics, including recordings and error reports, even after Accept. Our servers' text-free AI Adviser usage statistics are separate from cookie choices. Withdrawal can't recall data already sent.

With the same consent we also keep a first-party visitor identifier of our own (stellar_growth_visitor) in your browser's local storage. It is a random value we generate — not derived from your name, email, account, or device — and it helps us count public guide, pathway and tool visits, page-scroll milestones, link categories, and activity in our named contact and consultation forms. We record form starts and browser submission attempts, without form values, link text or full link addresses. A submission attempt does not establish that a request reached our team. In our university and college directories we also count searches and filter choices: a search keeps its words only when they are a listed public institution, place or program name, or the start of one (for example “kinesiology”); any other search is recorded simply as “other”, never as the text you typed. Each search is counted with a rough result count. We also count when the sign-up page is opened. When you open a school-visit or campaign page, we use a one-way scrambled form of this identifier, combined with that campaign, only so the same browser is not counted twice; without your consent the visit is still counted, anonymously. It is stored on stellaradvisers.com only, is never sent to Google or PostHog, and persists until you withdraw analytics consent or clear your browser storage, at which point it is deleted along with the short-lived per-tab markers (stellar_event_*) that stop the same view being counted twice in one visit. It is written only after you opt in, never before. A per-tab delivery buffer (stellar_event_outbox_v1) holds up to 40 pending events with approved event codes and public page paths, without student answers, URL query text or typed search text. Pending delivery expires after one hour. The buffer is separated by account and site deployment, and cleared on account changes or analytics withdrawal. Withdrawal stops retries; it cannot recall an event already accepted by our server.

On our get-started questions, Google Analytics and PostHog also count when the questions start, each answered question, the result view, and clicks to create an account, sign in or skip. These events carry only the multiple-choice answer codes (for example “grade-12” or “college”), never a name or anything you type, and are not added to our own first-party event records.

On our adviser match questions, Google Analytics and PostHog count the same kind of steps: when the questions start, each answered question, the result view, and clicks to create an account, sign in or request a consultation. These events carry only fixed codes (for example “applying” or “teaser”), never anything you type or an adviser's name, and are not added to our own first-party event records.

If you opt in, we measure how you use our guides, pathways and tools. When you are signed in, these records are linked to your account. When signed out, we use the random visitor identifier above. This is separate from the PostHog identifier.

3.4 Marketing Cookies (Optional)

We do not currently load advertising or cross-site marketing cookies. If that changes, those cookies will remain off unless you make an applicable opt-in choice. Marketing technologies may be used to:

• Build a profile of your interests
• Show you relevant advertisements on other websites
• Limit the number of times you see an advertisement
• Measure the effectiveness of advertising campaigns

Email is separate. The cookie switches above don't control email. Deadline reminders and the Stellar weekly have their own choices in Account, Email, and every one of those emails has an unsubscribe link. We don't turn on open or click tracking in our emails.

4. Third-Party Cookies

Some cookies on our website are placed by third-party services that appear on our pages. We do not control the setting of these cookies. Third parties that may set cookies include:

• Clerk: Our authentication provider uses cookies for secure login and session management
• Google Analytics: Measurement cookies and page-view events only after analytics consent
• PostHog: Counts without cookies and reports public-page errors. Accept adds a product analytics cookie and public-page recordings. The cookie stays on this site. It isn't shared across subdomains or other Stellar properties

5. Your Choices and How to Manage Cookies

You have several options for managing cookies:

5.1 Our Cookie Consent Tool

On your first visit, choose Accept, Reject or Preferences on the banner. Reject stops recordings and keeps counting without cookies. To withdraw later, open "Cookie settings" in the footer. Turn Analytics cookies off and save, or press Reject all. You can change your choice at any time.

5.2 Browser Settings

Most web browsers allow you to control cookies through their settings. You can typically:

• View what cookies are stored on your device
• Delete some or all cookies
• Block all cookies or only third-party cookies
• Set your browser to notify you when a cookie is being set

Note: Blocking all cookies may affect the functionality of our website and other sites you visit.

5.3 Industry Opt-Out Tools

You can also opt out of interest-based advertising through:

• Digital Advertising Alliance: optout.aboutads.info
• Network Advertising Initiative: optout.networkadvertising.org
• European Interactive Digital Advertising Alliance: youronlinechoices.eu

6. Do Not Track Signals

We honour Do Not Track (DNT) and Global Privacy Control (GPC). Either signal stops browser analytics, recordings and public-page error reports, even if you accepted before. We also treat GPC as an opt-out of sale or sharing and keep marketing technologies off. Without either signal, PostHog counts visits without cookies. Analytics cookies and page recordings still need your permission. Text-free AI Adviser usage statistics sent by our servers are separate from these browser signals.

7. Updates to This Policy

We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or for other operational, legal, or regulatory reasons. The "Last Updated" date at the top of this page indicates when this policy was last revised. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

8. Contact Us

If you have any questions about our use of cookies or this Cookie Policy, please contact us at: