Policy/Compliance

The University of Tampa is committed to providing a work and educational environment that is free from unlawful harassment and discrimination. The University maintains a strict policy prohibiting any kind of harassment or discrimination on the basis of sex, race, color, religion, national origin, disability, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, military or veteran status, marital status, genetic information or any other protected characteristic. Likewise, ethnic, religious, age-related, disability, gender or sexual orientation considerations will not be used as the basis for academic or employment decisions affecting any student, faculty member or employee.

The designated coordinator for University compliance with federal laws and regulations concerning nondiscrimination is the executive director of the Office of Human Resources, Southard Family Building, Room 266; phone (813) 253-6237. Concerns about behavior or activities that may not comply with these regulations can also be reported through the UT Ethics Hotline online or by calling toll-free (855) 699-5029. This service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week and can be used anonymously.

The University assumes that its students will conduct themselves as responsible citizens and will comply with the regulations set forth in the application, the re-admissions information sent or handed to students, and the current student code of conduct. The University reserves the right to take action with any student whose conduct on or off campus is unbecoming a University of Tampa student or reflects discredit on the institution. 

Additional information regarding The University of Tampa may be obtained by contacting the Florida Department of Education, Division of Colleges and Universities, 325 W. Gaines St., Tallahassee, FL 32399; phone (850) 245-0505.

The University of Tampa is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award baccalaureate, master’s and doctoral degrees. Questions regarding this accreditation status may be directed to Commission on Colleges, 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, GA 30025; phone (404) 679-4500.

The University of Tampa offers several programs leading to professional licensure within the state of Florida and is committed to providing accurate information to all students to aid in career planning. States vary in what professions they require to be licensed and how licensure is obtained. Some states require an individual to graduate from an accredited or approved program. Other states may require an individual to complete additional coursework, fieldwork or training, as well as successful completion of a state licensing exam. For additional information, visit UT's Professional Licensure Disclosure Statement.

The University of Tampa is a participating institution of the national State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement, or SARA. Florida became a SARA state in 2017 after legislation was signed to create the Postsecondary Reciprocal Distance Education Coordinating Council. The role of the Council is to provide oversight and guidance to postsecondary institutions in the State of Florida that elect to follow the national standards for interstate offering of postsecondary distance education courses and programs. FL-SARA facilitates the delivery of distance education by Florida institutions and ensures consistent consumer protection practices for students engaged in distance learning activities

If a student has a complaint or concern regarding distance education and programs, the complaint or concern must first go through UT’s complaint process. Students are urged to work through University student complaint procedures before filing complaints with external agencies. Students, who have completed the internal complaint process and the applicable state grievance process (PDF), may appeal the complaint to the Council by sending an email to FLSARAinfo@fldoe.org. For additional information on the complaint process, please visit FL-SARA Complaint Process page.

View the University policy (PDF) for responding to written student complaints. Students may contact the vice president for operations and planning at planning@ut.edu with questions about the policy. 

Legal Information

Disclaimer

The University of Tampa (UT) disclaims all liability of any kind whatsoever arising out of the user's use of or inability to use this service and the information contained on it. The University provides information "as is" and therefore makes no representations or warranties of any kind regarding it. Statements set forth in this website outline the current rules, regulations and institutional policies of the University and are for informational purposes only. They should not be construed as the basis of a contract between a student and this institution.

Copyrights

All text and images of the UT website are copyrighted and/or trade marked by The University of Tampa, Tampa, FL. All rights are reserved. For information regarding acceptable use of University of Tampa trademarks and logos for commercial and/or non-commercial activity, see the Licensing Program page.

Authorized Use

The University of Tampa website is designed to provide information about the University and links to specific external sites. Users may not print, reproduce, retrieve, or use the information and images contained in these University of Tampa webpages for non-commercial, personal or educational purposes unless they (1) do not modify such information, and (2) include both this notice and any copyright notice originally included with such information. If materials are used for other purposes, permission must be obtained from The University of Tampa to use the copyrighted material prior to its use.

The University is not responsible for content and material accessed via links from The University of Tampa website. The University reserves the right to remove any page on its servers that is not in compliance with University policies.

Reporting Copyright Infringements

To report copyright infringements on The University of Tampa websites, please notify:

Office of Public Information and Publications
The University of Tampa 
401 W. Kennedy Blvd. 
Tampa, FL 33606-1490

publicinfo@ut.edu 
Phone: (813) 253-6232

Web Accessibility Statement

The University of Tampa is committed to ensuring that web and electronic communications on ut.edu and official university websites are accessible to individuals with disabilities. In that regard, UT uses the guidelines and standards for web presence under the Rehabilitation Act Section 508 and the WCAG 2.0 AA Standards. If you encounter a general error or issue with accessing information on ut.edu, please contact the Office of Public Information and Publications at publicinfo@ut.edu or (813) 253-6232. We will make reasonable efforts to address the issue as soon as possible. Students or applicants for admission with disabilities in need of information or reasonable accommodation should contact the Office of Student Disability Services at (813) 257-3266 or disability.services@ut.edu. UT has also adopted an internal grievance procedure to provide resolution of any complaint alleging discrimination based on a disability as described by Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the American with Disabilities Act (ADA). Employees or applicants for employment with disabilities in need of information or reasonable accommodation should contact Human Resources at (813) 253-6237 or humanres@ut.edu. 

To report an issue, please fill out the Access Barrier Report Form.

UT Website Privacy Statement

The purpose of The University of Tampa’s website privacy statement is to disclose our privacy practices to visitors of official UT websites (websites, including third-party partners, owned, managed and/or contracted by University departments). UT is committed to protecting your information and providing reasonable levels of privacy in regards to visiting official UT websites. UT has created this statement to disclose the information gathering and dissemination of information for these websites.

By using official UT websites, including but not limited to, ut.edu, ut.edu/spartannet and the UT online catalog, or by subscribing to UT web updates or submitting an online form or application, you expressly consent The University of Tampa’s use and disclosure of your information as described in this privacy statement. This use and disclosure includes limited educational and marketing efforts by UT and third-party partners. 

What information does UT collect?

Personally identifiable information may be automatically collected when you fill out website forms. Personally identifiable information could be your name, address, phone number, email, interest or other identifiable information in which you choose to provide.

UT utilizes pixels and cookies to assist in marketing efforts. These cookies are placed by UT, external UT partners or third-party entities, and enable ad servers to recognize the cookies in which they are placed. This enables UT to learn which advertisements are most effective to bring visitors to UT websites. Website retargeting pixels enables ad servers to target consumers based on previous actions in a browser. This means that the pixel tags online users and may display an ad for a previous visited site while browsing. The information that we collect and share via cookies is not personally identifiable and does not contain names, addresses, telephone numbers or email. UT and third-party partners may collect device information, operating systems, IP addresses, network information, access dates and times, search information, load times, regions and errors in an effort to provide users with the best educational opportunities, online experience and to enhance our marketing efforts.

How does UT use personal information I provide?

UT does not sell personal information.

Your personal information may be used in one or more of the following ways:

• To contact you in regard to admission, educational opportunities or other marketing and fundraising initiatives.
• To process your application.
• To personalize your experience.
• To improve the website.
• To process questions you may have of us.
• To send promotional emails and other updates. Users may opt out of such emails by following the unsubscribe feature in the mailing.
• For other marketing purposes.

How does UT share personal information I provide?

Your personal information may be shared with third-party partners, vendors or those acting on behalf of UT. UT carefully vets its third-party partners to ensure the confidentiality of personally identifiable information.

Additionally, non-UT external site links may be published on to UT websites. UT has no responsibility or liability for activities or content of linked websites.

How does UT protect my information?

Information Technology and Security (ITS) at UT manages multilayered information security systems to safeguard information that is collected, which align with industry standard practices in providing protection against unauthorized disclosure. However, we cannot eliminate all privacy and security risks even with these systems in place. You accept and acknowledge such risks, including, but not limited to, the limitations of security and authentication measures and the chance that any information transferred via any official UT website or email may be susceptible to security risks. We will not be liable for damages of any kind associated with these security risks.

ITS is certified against the international standard ISO/IEC 27001:2013 and operates a robust information security program that assists with meeting data security and privacy requirements such as PCI, HIPAA, GLBA, Red Flags Rule, et al.

Opting-Out

Users have the option to opt-out of Google advertising or visit Network Advertising Initiative (NAI). Opting-out of advertising or setting your browser to not accept cookies will not limit your ability to use any UT website. Users also have the option to opt-out of UT emails by contacting publicinfo@ut.edu.

General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) Compliance, European Economic Area Visitors/Customers only

Legal basis for processing your personal information

If you are a visitor/customer located in the European Economic Area ("EEA"), our legal basis for collecting and using the personal information described above will depend on the personal information concerned and the specific context in which we collect it. We will normally collect personal information from you only where we have your consent to do so, where we need the personal information to perform a contract with you, or where the processing is in our legitimate business interests. In some cases, we may also have a legal obligation to collect personal information from you.

If we ask you to provide personal information to comply with a legal requirement or to enter into a contract with you, we will make this clear at the relevant time and advise you whether the provision of your personal information is mandatory or not (as well as of the possible consequences if you do not provide your personal information). Similarly, if we collect and use your personal information in reliance on our legitimate business interests, we will make clear to you at the relevant time what those legitimate business interests are.

You can ask us to stop sending you marketing messages at any time by contacting publicinfo@ut.edu.

Where you opt out of receiving these marketing messages, this will not apply to personal data provided to us as a result of a service provided to you.

You can set your browser to refuse all or some browser cookies, or to alert you when websites set or access cookies. If you disable or refuse cookies, please note that some parts of this website may become inaccessible or not function properly.

Under certain circumstances, you have rights under data protection laws in relation to your personal data. You have the right to:

• Request access to your personal data (commonly known as a "data subject access request").
• Request correction of the personal data that we hold about you.
• Request erasure of your personal data.
• Object to processing of your personal data where we are relying on a legitimate interest (or those of a third party) and there is something about your particular situation which makes you want to object to processing on this ground as you feel it impacts on your fundamental rights and freedoms.
• Request restriction of processing of your personal data.
• Request the transfer of your personal data to you or to a third party.
• Withdraw consent at any time where we are relying on consent to process your personal data. However, this will not affect the lawfulness of any processing carried out before you withdraw your consent.

If you wish to exercise any of the rights set out above, please contact publicinfo@ut.edu.

If you have questions about or need further information concerning the legal basis on which UT collects and uses your personal information, please contact publicinfo@ut.edu.

Correcting/Updating Personal Information and Questions

Questions regarding UT’s privacy statement, practices and web standards; reports of UT website issues; or corrections, updates or removal of any personal information you have provided to us can be directed to the Office of Public Information and Publications at (813) 253-6232 or publicinfo@ut.edu. Questions regarding UT’s data security practices can be directed to the CIO/CISO at utcio@ut.edu.

Changes to This Notice

We may change this Privacy Notice occasionally, at our discretion. If we make any changes, we will notify you by revising the "Last Updated" date at the top of this Privacy Notice and, in some cases, we may provide you with additional notice (such as adding a statement to our homepage or sending you an email notification). If there are material changes to this Privacy Notice, we will notify you more directly by email or means of a notice on the home page prior to the change becoming effective. We encourage you to review our Privacy Notice whenever you access the University online to stay informed about our information practices and the ways you can help protect your privacy.

Force Majeure

While we make every effort to anticipate local and national developments and adapt as appropriate to continue delivering educational services for our students, there may be situations where, for the health, safety, and/or wellbeing of our community and/or for other reasons as determined by the University in its discretion, we will be required to make changes to methods, location, and timing of instruction, delivery of and access to services, student life activities and opportunities, course content and instructors, etc., including possibly implementing a full or partial campus and/or housing closure, suspension or delay of classes, activities, dining and other services, and/or switching from in-person, on-campus learning and delivery of services and activities to distance or remote learning and delivery of remote services and activities.

By signing up for classes or otherwise enrolling in or attending classes offered by the University, you understand and agree that all such changes implemented by the University may take place to the extent the University determines such changes are necessary for the health, safety, or wellbeing of members of the University community or due to other circumstances identified by the University, including those outside the University’s control (such as, but not limited to, acts of God, natural disasters, hurricanes, storms, fires, infectious diseases, pandemics, strikes or labor disputes, power outages, and physical or structural dangers). You further understand and agree that the University does not in any way guarantee in-person, on-campus education, activities, opportunities, or services or any other particular format, timing, or location of education, activities, opportunities, or services. Finally, except as otherwise set forth in the University’s refund policy relating to withdrawals and the process and timing of such withdrawals, you understand and agree you are responsible for all tuition and fees, including housing, dining, and other fees, regardless of the timing, location, and format in which education, services, and activities are provided (to the extent any specific services or activities are provided at all), and understand and agree that no refunds, reductions, or credits for tuition, fees, or other expenses (including dining and housing fees) will be provided in the event the University implements changes as necessitated by Acts of God, University and shared governance or academic decisions, and/or any situations outside of the University’s control, including any changes from in-person, on-campus education, services and/or activities to remote services, activities, and/or remote learning.

Any decision by the University to provide a refund or credit, in whole or in part, of any fee or other charge in the event of a campus closure, suspension, or other change to the delivery format of education, activities, housing, dining, and/or services shall be in the University’s discretion and shall not create an expectancy that any individual is legally entitled to such refund or credit or that it will be provided in any other instance.

University policies are intended to describe some of the expectations of members of the University community, as well as outline the University's community policies and programs. It is intended to be used as a guideline and does not create an express or implied contract which cannot be changed or modified. Circumstances not specifically addressed in University policies will be handled on a case-by-case basis by the appropriate official selected by the University. As the need may arise, the University reserves the right to, in its sole discretion, modify, revise, supplement, rescind, suspend, terminate, or change its policies, procedures, programs, activities and services, in whole or in part, to the fullest extent permitted by law. By enrolling in or attending classes offered by the University, you are deemed to agree to these terms.