Terms of Use

Welcome to American Colleges Finder (the “Website”, “Service”, or “AmericanColleges.io”), owned and operated by Smart Freelance Solutions (“Company”, “we”, “us”, “our”). By accessing or using the website located at https://americancolleges.io, including any search tools, college data, comparison features, and other content (collectively, the “Service”), you agree to be bound by these Terms of Use (“Terms”). If you do not agree, please do not use the Service.

1. Eligibility & Acceptance

By using AmericanColleges.io, you represent that you are at least 13 years old (or the age of digital consent in your country, such as 13 in Kenya under the Data Protection Act context) and have the legal capacity to enter into these Terms. If you are under 18, you confirm that you have parental or guardian permission to use the site. The Service is intended for students, parents, counselors, and researchers seeking higher education information; commercial scraping or automated access without permission is prohibited.

2. Description of Service

American Colleges Finder is a free, comprehensive search tool that provides information about over 6,900 accredited U.S. colleges and universities. Data includes tuition (in-state/out-of-state), acceptance rates, graduation rates, SAT/ACT scores, enrollment figures, financial aid metrics, and median earnings, sourced directly from the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard API. The website does not sell placements, accept sponsored listings, or manipulate institutional data. We provide the data “as is” for informational purposes only and do not offer enrollment, financial aid, or admissions counseling services unless explicitly stated.

3. No Professional Advice

The content on AmericanColleges.io is for general informational and decision-support purposes only. It does not constitute professional academic, legal, financial, or visa advice. College costs, acceptance rates, and outcomes change over time; we strongly recommend verifying any critical information directly with the official college or government sources before making enrollment or financial decisions. Your reliance on any information from the Service is solely at your own risk.

4. Intellectual Property Rights

All content, design, graphics, user interface, and compilation of data on the Website (excluding the raw public data sourced from the U.S. Department of Education) are owned by Smart Freelance Solutions or its licensors and are protected by copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property laws. You may not reproduce, distribute, modify, publicly display, scrape or systematically extract data for any commercial purpose without our prior written consent. However, you are granted a limited, revocable, non-exclusive license to view, download, and print individual college profile pages for personal, non-commercial use (e.g., college planning, counseling sessions) provided you retain all copyright or proprietary notices.

The AmericanColleges.io name, logo, and design marks may not be used without explicit permission. Third-party trademarks (college names, logos) are property of their respective owners; their inclusion does not imply endorsement.

5. User Conduct & Prohibited Activities

You agree to use the Service only for lawful purposes and in a manner that does not infringe the rights of others or restrict their use. Prohibited activities include:

• Using automated scripts, bots, crawlers, or scrapers to extract substantial portions of college data without prior authorization.
• Attempting to interfere with the Website’s security, availability, or functionality (e.g., DDoS attacks, overloading servers).
• Misrepresenting your affiliation with AmericanColleges.io or using our data to create misleading ranking services without attribution.
• Uploading or transmitting malicious code, viruses, or harmful content.
• Violating any applicable local, national, or international law (including Kenya’s Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act).

We reserve the right to suspend access to any user engaging in prohibited activities without notice.

6. Data Accuracy & Third-Party Sources

We source college metrics from the College Scorecard API, which is maintained by the U.S. Department of Education. While we strive to refresh data annually and ensure consistency, we cannot guarantee that every data point is error-free, current, or complete. Acceptance rates, tuition, and other figures may change after the last federal update. The Website may contain links to external college websites or government resources; we are not responsible for the accuracy or privacy practices of those third parties. Your interactions with linked websites are governed by their own terms.

7. Disclaimer of Warranties

THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED ON AN “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE” BASIS, WITHOUT ANY WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED. TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, SMART FREELANCE SOLUTIONS DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, INCLUDING IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT. WE DO NOT WARRANT THAT THE SERVICE WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, SECURE, OR ERROR-FREE, THAT DEFECTS WILL BE CORRECTED, OR THAT THE WEBSITE OR ITS SERVER ARE FREE OF VIRUSES OR HARMFUL COMPONENTS. NO ADVICE OR INFORMATION OBTAINED FROM THE SERVICE SHALL CREATE ANY WARRANTY NOT EXPRESSLY STATED IN THESE TERMS.

8. Limitation of Liability

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW (INCLUDING KENYA’S DATA PROTECTION ACT AND CONTRACT LAW), IN NO EVENT SHALL SMART FREELANCE SOLUTIONS, ITS DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, OR AFFILIATES BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, INCLUDING LOSS OF PROFITS, DATA, USE, OR GOODWILL, ARISING FROM OR RELATED TO YOUR USE OR INABILITY TO USE THE SERVICE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. OUR TOTAL LIABILITY FOR ANY CLAIMS UNDER THESE TERMS SHALL NOT EXCEED KES 1,000 OR THE EQUIVALENT IN USD ($10). SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW LIMITATIONS ON LIABILITY, SO THE ABOVE MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.

9. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Smart Freelance Solutions and its officers, employees, and agents from any claims, damages, losses, liabilities, costs, or expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising out of your breach of these Terms, your misuse of the Service, or your violation of any third-party rights (including intellectual property or privacy rights).

10. Privacy & Data Collection

Your use of the Service is also governed by our Privacy Policy, which explains how we collect, process, and protect any personal information. The Privacy Policy is incorporated into these Terms by reference. We do not require accounts, but we may collect limited usage logs (server logs, essential cookies) as described in the Privacy Policy.

11. Termination & Suspension

We may terminate or suspend your access to the Website immediately, without prior notice or liability, for any reason, including breach of these Terms. Upon termination, your right to use the Service will cease immediately. Provisions that by their nature should survive termination (e.g., disclaimers, limitation of liability, governing law) shall survive.

12. Governing Law & Dispute Resolution (Geo-Kenya)

These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of Kenya, without regard to its conflict of law principles. The parent company, Smart Freelance Solutions, is based in Kenya, and any dispute arising from these Terms or your use of the Service shall first be attempted to be resolved through good-faith negotiation. If unresolved within 30 days, disputes will be submitted to binding arbitration in Nairobi, Kenya, in English, under the rules of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (Kenya Branch). Each party bears its own arbitration costs, except as required by law. Nothing in this clause prevents either party from seeking injunctive relief in Kenyan courts to protect intellectual property or confidential information.

13. Modifications to Terms

We reserve the right, at our sole discretion, to modify or replace these Terms at any time. If a revision is material, we will post a notice on the website or update the “Effective” date at the top. By continuing to access or use our Service after revisions become effective, you agree to be bound by the updated Terms. It is your responsibility to check this page periodically for changes.

14. Entire Agreement & Severability

These Terms (together with the Privacy Policy) constitute the entire agreement between you and Smart Freelance Solutions regarding the use of the Service. If any provision of these Terms is held to be invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions will continue in full force and effect.