Terms of Service

1. Acceptance of Terms

Welcome to UQwest. By creating an account, accessing, or using any part of our platform, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms of Service ("Terms"), along with our Privacy Policy and any additional terms that may apply to specific features or services.

If you do not agree to these Terms, you may not access or use the UQwest platform.

UQwest reserves the right to modify, update, or revise these Terms at any time. When we make changes, we will update the "Last Updated" date at the top of this page and, where appropriate, notify users via email or platform notification. Your continued use of the platform after such changes constitutes your acceptance of the revised Terms.

We encourage you to review these Terms regularly to stay informed about your rights and responsibilities when using UQwest.

2. Description of the Service

UQwest is an education technology platform designed to simplify and accelerate the course equivalency process for university exchange programs. Our service provides:

• Course Equivalency Database: A centralized repository of past course approvals, syllabi, and equivalency decisions to help students find matching courses across universities.
• AI-Powered Matching Tools: Artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms that assist in identifying relevant courses, universities, and exchange opportunities based on academic requirements and preferences.
• Request Management System: Tools for students to submit course equivalency requests and for university staff to review, approve, or deny them efficiently.
• Institutional Dashboards: Analytics, reporting, and workflow management tools available to universities with active institutional licenses.
• Student Accounts: Free access for students to browse equivalencies, upload academic documents, and track their exchange planning progress.

Important: UQwest acts as a digital facilitator and information platform. We do not function as a university, academic authority, or accreditation body. Final decisions regarding course equivalencies, exchange approvals, and academic credit remain the sole responsibility of the relevant educational institutions.

3. Eligibility

To use UQwest, you must meet the following eligibility requirements:

• Age Requirement: You must be at least 16 years old or have reached the minimum legal age required in your jurisdiction to enter into binding contracts.
• Academic Affiliation: Students must be currently enrolled in, admitted to, or otherwise affiliated with a recognized post-secondary educational institution.
• Institutional Authorization: Users creating or managing institutional accounts must be authorized representatives of the subscribing university or educational organization, with proper authority to bind that institution to licensing agreements.
• Legal Capacity: You must have the legal capacity to enter into these Terms and must not be prohibited from using the service under applicable laws.

By using UQwest, you represent and warrant that you meet all eligibility requirements. If you do not meet these requirements, you must not access or use the platform.

4. Account Registration and Responsibilities

To access certain features of UQwest, you must create an account. When registering, you agree to:

• Provide Accurate Information: All information you provide during registration and throughout your use of the platform must be accurate, current, and complete. You must promptly update your account information if it changes.
• Maintain Account Security: You are solely responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials (username and password) and for all activities that occur under your account.
• Personal and Non-Transferable: Your account is personal to you and may not be shared, sold, transferred, or otherwise provided to any other person or entity.
• Notify of Unauthorized Access: You must immediately notify UQwest if you become aware of any unauthorized access to or use of your account.
• Accept Responsibility: You are responsible for all actions taken through your account, whether authorized by you or not. UQwest is not liable for any loss or damage resulting from your failure to protect your account credentials.

UQwest reserves the right to refuse registration, suspend, or terminate accounts that violate these Terms or engage in fraudulent, abusive, or inappropriate behavior.

5. Acceptable Use Policy

When using UQwest, you agree to comply with all applicable laws, regulations, and institutional policies. Specifically, you agree not to:

• Upload Illegal or Unauthorized Content: Do not upload, share, or distribute unlawful, defamatory, obscene, plagiarized, or copyrighted materials without proper authorization or licensing rights.
• Violate Academic Integrity: Do not use the platform in any way that violates your university's academic integrity policies, honor codes, or ethical standards, including submitting false or misleading information.
• Misuse AI Recommendations: Do not use AI-generated course matches or suggestions fraudulently, deceptively, or to circumvent legitimate academic approval processes.
• Interfere with Platform Operations: Do not attempt to hack, reverse-engineer, decompile, disassemble, or otherwise interfere with the platform's technical infrastructure, security measures, or normal operations.
• Introduce Malicious Code: Do not upload or transmit viruses, malware, spyware, or any other harmful code or technology.
• Scrape or Harvest Data: Do not use automated tools, bots, or scripts to scrape, extract, or harvest data from the platform without express written permission.
• Violate Privacy: Do not share or disclose institutional data, personal information, or confidential materials belonging to other users without their explicit consent.
• Impersonate Others: Do not impersonate any person, organization, or institution, or falsely claim affiliation with any entity.
• Engage in Prohibited Conduct: Do not use the platform for any purpose that is illegal, harmful, threatening, abusive, harassing, discriminatory, or otherwise objectionable.

Enforcement: UQwest reserves the right to investigate violations of this Acceptable Use Policy and to take appropriate action, including but not limited to issuing warnings, suspending or terminating accounts, removing content, and reporting illegal activity to law enforcement authorities.

6. Intellectual Property Rights

7. AI-Generated Recommendations

UQwest uses artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies to assist with course matching, equivalency suggestions, and university recommendations. You acknowledge and agree that:

• Informational Purposes Only: AI-generated outputs are provided as informational recommendations and suggestions to assist with academic planning. They do not constitute official course approvals, academic advice, or binding decisions.
• No Guarantees: UQwest does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, reliability, or suitability of AI-generated recommendations. Results may vary based on the data available and the algorithms used.
• Verification Required: All AI-generated matches and suggestions must be independently verified and approved by authorized university staff before they can be considered valid.
• Human Oversight: Final decisions regarding course equivalencies, exchange approvals, and academic credit remain the responsibility of qualified academic administrators at your institution.
• No Liability: UQwest is not liable for any outcomes, decisions, or consequences resulting from reliance on AI-generated recommendations.

We continuously work to improve the accuracy and usefulness of our AI tools, but users should always exercise their own judgment and consult with university advisors before making academic decisions.

8. Payment and Institutional Licensing

9. Data and Privacy

Your privacy is important to us. UQwest's collection, use, storage, and protection of personal information is governed by our Privacy Policy, which is incorporated into these Terms by reference.

By using the platform, you acknowledge and agree that:

• You have read and understood the Privacy Policy.
• You consent to the collection and processing of your personal information as described in the Privacy Policy.
• Your data may be transferred, stored, and processed in Canada, the United States, the European Union, or other jurisdictions where UQwest or its service providers operate.

For questions about data practices, please refer to our Privacy Policy or contact us at the information provided below.

10. Third-Party Services

UQwest integrates with and relies on trusted third-party service providers to deliver certain platform features and functionality, including but not limited to:

• Supabase (database hosting, authentication, and infrastructure)
• Google Analytics (usage analytics and performance monitoring)
• Email service providers (transactional notifications and communications)
• Cloud hosting providers (secure server infrastructure)

Third-Party Policies: These third-party services may collect, process, or store limited data in accordance with their own privacy policies and terms of service. We encourage you to review the policies of any third-party services you interact with through the platform.

No Control or Liability: UQwest does not control and is not responsible for the actions, content, availability, or performance of third-party services. We are not liable for any damages, losses, or disruptions resulting from third-party service failures, downtime, security breaches, or policy violations.

11. Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, UQwest and its officers, directors, employees, agents, and affiliates shall not be liable for:

• Indirect, Incidental, or Consequential Damages: Including but not limited to loss of data, loss of opportunity, loss of profits, loss of academic credit, or denial of exchange applications, even if we have been advised of the possibility of such damages.
• Service Availability: The platform is provided "as is"and "as available" without warranties of any kind, either express or implied, including but not limited to warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or non-infringement.
• Interruptions and Errors: We do not guarantee that the platform will be uninterrupted, error-free, secure, or free from viruses or other harmful components.
• Academic Decisions: UQwest is not responsible for decisions made by universities regarding course equivalencies, exchange approvals, or academic credit. Universities retain sole authority and responsibility for all academic evaluations.
• User Content: We are not liable for any User Content uploaded by users, including inaccuracies, copyright violations, or harmful materials.

Maximum Liability: In jurisdictions that do not allow the exclusion or limitation of liability, our liability shall be limited to the maximum extent permitted by law. In no event shall UQwest's total liability to you exceed the amount paid by you (if any) for access to the platform in the 12 months preceding the claim.

12. Termination of Service

13. Governing Law and Dispute Resolution

These Terms of Service and any disputes arising out of or related to your use of the UQwest platform shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of Canada, specifically the Province of Quebec, without regard to its conflict of law principles.

Any disputes, claims, or controversies arising from these Terms or your use of the platform shall be resolved through:

• Negotiation: We encourage users to first attempt to resolve disputes informally by contacting us directly.
• Arbitration or Court: If informal resolution is unsuccessful, disputes shall be handled through binding arbitration or submitted to the competent courts located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

You agree to submit to the personal jurisdiction of these courts for the purpose of litigating all such disputes.

14. Changes to These Terms

UQwest reserves the right to modify, update, or replace these Terms of Service at any time to reflect changes in our practices, legal requirements, or operational needs.

When we make changes:

• We will update the "Last Updated" date at the top of this page.
• For significant changes, we will notify active users via email or a prominent notice on the platform.
• In some cases, we may request your explicit consent to revised Terms before you can continue using the platform.

We encourage you to review these Terms periodically. Your continued use of the platform after changes have been posted constitutes your acceptance of the revised Terms.

If you do not agree to the updated Terms, you must stop using the platform and may deactivate your account.