Last updated 29 September 2026

Cookie Policy

This page explains what cookies are, which ones GlobalStudyBoard uses, and how you can control them. It sits alongside our Privacy Policy.

What cookies are

Cookies are small text files a website stores on your device to make it work, remember your preferences, and understand how it is used. Similar technologies (such as local storage) are covered by this policy too. We keep our use of them to the minimum needed to run and improve the site.

Cookies we use

Type	What it does	Category
Strictly necessary	Let the site load and keep it secure. Remember the study destination, any country you choose inside that destination, and the audience view you choose, on this device (kept for up to a year, or until you clear your browser data). We do not write these preference cookies until you actually make a choice — or until you sign in to an account that has a saved choice, in which case we restore it — until then the site simply shows its default view. They store only that choice, never an identifier, and are never used for tracking or advertising. If you start writing feedback, the unsent text is kept in your browser’s local storage so you can finish later; it is cleared when you send or discard it, or after seven days. The “Recent pages” drawer keeps a short list of the pages you opened (address, title and when you opened them) in local storage on this device only — never the sign-in, account or admin pages — which you can clear from the drawer itself. If you mark a guide, university or exam page as “Helpful”, that mark — the page’s address, no identifier — is kept in local storage on this device until you press the button again or clear your browser data. It is never sent to us.	Always on
Sign-in session (only if you sign in)	Once you sign in to the optional account, a first-party cookie (named sb-…-auth-token) holds your session token so you stay signed in on this device; it is what identifies you to your own account and nothing else. It is removed when you sign out or delete your account, or after long inactivity. When a sign-in by e-mail or Google starts, a few small cookies whose names end in -code-verifier (sb-…-code-verifier), holding random values and no identifier, are written so that only the browser that asked can complete it. None of them is used again once that sign-in has finished or been abandoned, but some can stay, unused, until you next sign out on this device (which removes them all), clear your cookies, or 400 days pass from when they were written. While you start a sign-in, a first-party gsb_consent cookie also records for up to 15 minutes that you ticked the consent box — it holds only the revision date of the Terms and Privacy Policy you accepted, no identifier — and is cleared when the sign-in completes. Starting a sign-in by e-mail or with Google also notes the time you started in your browser’s local storage (gsb-auth-pending; no identifier), so that the page you come back to signed in can finish the sign-in: it applies your account’s remembered destination and audience to a device that has none, and announces that you are signed in. It is removed the first time a page loads with you signed in, or when you finish by entering the code, and it is ignored if it is more than 20 minutes old. A sign-in by e-mail or Google started from the sign-in window (the panel that opens over the page) also leaves a note in local storage (gsb-auth-resume-v1) with the page you were on, what opened the window (a Sign in, Save or Add button) and the time — no identifier. Only a Save or Add button acts on it, and only on the same page within 20 minutes: when you come back signed in, the button that opened the window removes the note and carries out that save or add. Any note not acted on is replaced by your next sign-in from that window, and removed when you finish by entering the code or clear your browser data; after 20 minutes it is ignored, and the next Save or Add button that reads it then removes it. None of these is used for tracking or advertising.	Always on once you sign in
Analytics	Privacy-respecting, aggregate measurement (Vercel Analytics and Speed Insights) that tells us which pages are useful and how the site performs. We do not use it to identify you.	Non-essential
Advertising	Google AdSense may set cookies to show ads and, where permitted, personalise them based on your visits to this and other sites. These help keep the site free.	Non-essential

Advertising & personalisation

We display advertising through Google AdSense. Google and its partners may use cookies to serve and, where permitted, personalise ads based on your visits to this and other sites. We do not sell your personal information for money; some privacy laws (such as California’s CCPA/CPRA) treat the use of advertising cookies for personalised ads as a “sale” or “share”, which you can limit using the choices below.

Cookie-consent requirements vary by region — for example, visitors in the EEA and the UK must be able to consent to non-essential cookies before they are used. Where such a choice applies, you can accept or decline non-essential cookies and change your decision at any time.

How to control cookies

Your browser — you can block or delete cookies in your browser settings. Blocking strictly-necessary cookies may stop parts of the site working.
Opt out of personalised advertising in Google Ad Settings.
Opt out of personalised ads from many vendors at aboutads.info and youronlinechoices.eu.
Read how Google uses cookies in advertising at policies.google.com/technologies/partner-sites.

Changes & contact

We may update this policy as the site evolves; the date above reflects the latest revision. Questions about cookies? Email us at contact@globalstudyboard.com or use the contact page.