Privacy Policy for CourseMate

Last Updated: November 2, 2026

Overview

CourseMate shows RateMyProfessors ratings and CougarGrades grade distributions next to instructor names on University of Houston course registration pages. It does not collect any personal information.

Data Collection

CourseMate does NOT collect, store, or transmit any personal information.

Specifically, we do NOT collect:

• Your name, email, student ID, or contact information
• Your UH login or account details
• Your browsing history
• Your search queries
• Your course selections, shopping cart, or schedule
• Any personally identifiable information (PII)

CourseMate has no server of its own and does not use analytics or tracking.

Data Storage

The extension stores the following data locally on your device only:

1. Professor Ratings Cache: RateMyProfessors results are cached in your browser's local storage (7 days by default, adjustable in settings) to improve performance and reduce API calls. This cache includes:
   • Professor names
   • Overall ratings and number of ratings
   • Difficulty scores
   • "Would take again" percentages
   • RateMyProfessors profile links
2. Grade Distribution Cache: CougarGrades data is cached in your browser's local storage to reduce repeat requests. This cache includes:
   • Course codes
   • Instructor names
   • Grade distribution counts and percentages, average GPA, and withdrawal rates
3. Extension Settings: Whether the extension is enabled, your default school, how long to cache ratings, and whether debug mode is on.

All data is stored locally using Chrome's chrome.storage.local API and never leaves your device. Recent reviews shown in the hover card are fetched when you hover over a badge and are not saved.

Third-Party Services

CourseMate requests public data from two services. When you view a supported course page:

1. The extension reads instructor names and the course code from the page
2. It queries the RateMyProfessors public GraphQL API (www.ratemyprofessors.com) for ratings and reviews
3. It queries the CougarGrades public API (api.cougargrades.io) for grade distributions
4. The results are displayed on the page and cached locally

No personal information is sent to external services. Only professor names, course codes, and the University of Houston's RateMyProfessors school ID are used in these requests. These services' own privacy policies apply to requests made to them.

Clipboard

The "Copy #" button in the hover card copies that section's class number to your clipboard, only when you click it. CourseMate never reads your clipboard.

Permissions

• storage: To cache ratings, grade data, and your settings locally in your browser
• host_permissions for *.uh.edu: To show ratings on University of Houston course registration pages. The extension runs only on these pages.
• host_permissions for www.ratemyprofessors.com: To fetch professor ratings and reviews from the RateMyProfessors API
• host_permissions for cougargrades.io: To fetch grade distribution data from CougarGrades

Data Sharing

CourseMate does NOT share, sell, or transmit any data to third parties.

The extension operates entirely within your browser. Its only external communication is the RateMyProfessors and CougarGrades requests described above.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. Any changes will be reflected in the "Last Updated" date above and posted at this address.

Contact

If you have questions about this privacy policy, email nathanbakare1@gmail.com or open an issue on the GitHub repository.

Your Rights

You can:

• Clear cached data: Click the extension icon and use the "Clear Cache" button
• Disable the extension: Turn it off in the extension's settings or in Chrome's extension settings
• Uninstall: Remove the extension completely from your browser

All locally stored data is deleted when you uninstall the extension.

CourseMate is not affiliated with or endorsed by the University of Houston, RateMyProfessors.com, or CougarGrades.io.