The University of Connecticut signed a three-year deal in 2023 to give non-public student and parent data to the academic program evaluation company GrayDI, according to information obtained via a Freedom of Information Act request.
The data given to GrayDI includes but is not limited to students’ permanent addresses, which UConn campus they attend, degree levels of students (associate, bachelors, masters) and which academic program they are in.
According to its website, GrayDI helps colleges and universities “evaluate academic programs, improve financial performance, identify growth opportunities and support students with trusted data, software and AI tools built for higher education.”
The company also advertises the University of Wyoming, the University of Utah, University of South Florida and Loyola University Chicago as some of the schools they work with.
UConn paid $188,550 in their contract with GrayDI.
UConn’s involvement in the GrayDI program was to “strengthen the information available to faculty and academic leaders when considering new academic programs or modifications to existing ones,” UConn Spokesperson Stephanie Reitz said.
Reitz said that UConn has used similar “market-demand data” reports like Lightcast, another data-collecting company, to show demand for university programs and display employment data.
“GrayDI markets continue that existing practice with a platform specifically designed for higher education,” Reitz added. “[GrayDI] provides more robust geographic comparisons and information about potential student demand for academic programs, alongside relevant workforce trends.”
Reitz went on to say that the goal with their agreement with GrayDI is to give UConn academic leaders a more complete picture to inform curriculum decisions and program development.
In terms of the private student data being sent to GrayDI, Reitz said that UConn takes student privacy seriously, noting that the university de-identifies the data by removing the name of the student.
Reitz also said the data given to GrayDI can help support programs to more closely tailor them to employment demand or best adapt program offerings to student demand including in areas of growth in specific fields like business, engineering and nursing.
GrayDI can also help university officials compare information from the regional campuses and those pursuing online programs more accurately, Reitz said.
But student reactions are mixed on the idea of giving this data to GrayDI.
Jo Gedeon, a seventh-semester computer science major, said that he was conflicted about UConn giving GrayDI student data to evaluate their programs.
“If I knew, I probably would have [agreed to give the data], but the fact this is news to me in this world that we live in with your data being out in places that you don’t know, it’s really hard to be trustful with the information.” Gedeon said. “And you would really hope your university you can trust with your sensitive information. But I guess I can’t even trust that.”
Gedeon went on to say that he would have been more receptive to the idea of giving the data to GrayDI if he knew ahead of time, adding that informed consent is important when sensitive data is involved.
Meanwhile, third-semester journalism major Ava Jackson had a more negative reaction to the agreement.
“I don’t really like that a lot, hearing that they are giving out personal information, specifically where people are living,” Jackson said. “That’s definitely an invasion of privacy and the fact that there hasn’t been a lot of coverage on that is kind of alarming.”
Jackson agreed that she would have appreciated prior notice from the university that her information would be distributed to the company.
“I don’t think I would be more receptive of it but I would have some more respect that they made that clearer,” Jackson said. “But I still wouldn’t appreciate it or support it.”
The original agreement with GrayDI is due to expire at the end of the 2026-27 academic year but there is a two-year option to keep using the program evaluation company. It has not been made clear what the university will do regarding that option.