Terms of Service

ScholarlyFit is an academic advisor-matching platform that uses a proprietary ScholarlyFit Score algorithm to connect doctoral students with dissertation committee chairs and faculty advisors at accredited universities. Features include compatibility scoring across five dimensions, profile discovery, in-platform messaging, AI-powered match analysis, and an advisor rating system.

ScholarlyFit is part of the Symbiotic Scholar Suite, a collection of tools for doctoral students and academic researchers.

You may use ScholarlyFit only if:

• You are at least 18 years old
• You are a currently enrolled doctoral student, a dissertation committee member or faculty advisor, or an academic administrator at an accredited institution
• You have the legal capacity to enter into a binding contract in your jurisdiction
• You are not barred from using the service under any applicable law

By registering, you represent that you meet these eligibility requirements and that the information you provide is accurate and truthful.

You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials and for all activities that occur under your account. Notify us immediately at legal@scholarly.fit if you suspect unauthorized access.

You may not share, sell, or transfer your account. Faculty advisors and students must each maintain separate individual accounts. Institutional or shared accounts are not permitted without prior written agreement with Symbiotic Scholar LLC.

We reserve the right to suspend or terminate accounts that violate these Terms, provide false information, or are used for purposes inconsistent with the platform's academic mission.

You agree not to use ScholarlyFit to:

• Provide false, misleading, or fraudulent profile information
• Impersonate any person, institution, or academic credential
• Harass, stalk, threaten, or intimidate other users
• Send unsolicited commercial messages or spam through the messaging feature
• Scrape, crawl, or systematically extract data from the platform
• Reverse-engineer, decompile, or attempt to extract the source code of the platform
• Circumvent rate limiting, credit systems, or access controls
• Use the platform to facilitate off-platform financial transactions between students and advisors
• Violate any applicable law, regulation, or institutional policy

Academic integrity is central to our mission. Misrepresenting research experience, credentials, or institutional affiliation is a violation of these Terms and may result in immediate account termination.

Certain features — including viewing full faculty contact details and AI-powered match analysis — require credits. Students receive 3 free credits upon registration. Additional credits are available for purchase. Faculty advisors use ScholarlyFit at no cost.

All purchases are final. We do not offer refunds for unused credits except where required by applicable consumer protection law. If you believe a charge was made in error, contact us at billing@scholarly.fit within 14 days of the transaction.

Payments are processed by Stripe, Inc. By making a purchase, you also agree to Stripe's Terms of Service.

ScholarlyFit provides compatibility scores and connection tools based on self-reported profile information. We do not guarantee the accuracy of match scores, the availability of any faculty advisor, or the success of any advisor-student relationship.

The ScholarlyFit Score is an algorithmic estimate based on stated preferences and published research on advisor effectiveness. It is a starting point for exploration — not a substitute for direct conversation, institutional guidance, or official dissertation committee processes at your university.

Any agreement, mentoring relationship, or formal advisor assignment is strictly between the student and faculty member. Symbiotic Scholar LLC is not a party to any such relationship and assumes no responsibility for outcomes arising from connections made through the platform.

You retain ownership of the content you submit to ScholarlyFit (profile information, messages, uploaded files). By submitting content, you grant Symbiotic Scholar LLC a limited, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to store, display, and process that content solely for the purpose of operating and improving the service.

You represent that you own or have the necessary rights to the content you submit, and that it does not infringe on the intellectual property rights of any third party. Do not upload content that is confidential, protected by copyright you do not own, or that contains personal information of third parties without their consent.

The ScholarlyFit platform, including the ScholarlyFit Score algorithm, design, trademarks, and proprietary matching methodology, is the exclusive property of Symbiotic Scholar LLC. Nothing in these Terms grants you a right to use our trademarks, trade names, or branding.

The service is provided “as is” and “as available” without warranties of any kind, express or implied.

We do not warrant that the service will be uninterrupted, error-free, or free of viruses. We are not responsible for the accuracy of user-submitted profile information, the conduct of users, or the outcome of any advisor-student relationship.

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, Symbiotic Scholar LLC's total liability to you for any claim arising from or related to these Terms or the service shall not exceed the greater of (a) $100 USD or (b) the total amount you paid to us in the 12 months preceding the claim.

We are not liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, including loss of academic opportunity, professional reputation, or data.

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Symbiotic Scholar LLC, its officers, directors, employees, and agents from any claims, damages, liabilities, and expenses (including reasonable attorney's fees) arising from: (a) your use of the service; (b) your violation of these Terms; (c) your violation of any third-party right; or (d) any content you submit to the platform.

You may close your account at any time by contacting us at legal@scholarly.fit. Unused credits are forfeited upon account closure and are non-refundable except as required by law.

We may suspend or terminate your account immediately, without prior notice, if we determine that you have violated these Terms, engaged in fraudulent activity, or if required by law. Termination does not limit any other remedies available to us.

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Connecticut, United States, without regard to its conflict of law provisions. You agree to submit to the personal jurisdiction of the state and federal courts located in Fairfield County, Connecticut for the resolution of any disputes.

Before filing a formal legal claim, we encourage you to contact us first at legal@scholarly.fit to seek an informal resolution.

We may modify these Terms at any time. We will provide at least 14 days' notice of material changes by email to registered users and by updating the “Last updated” date above. Continued use of the service after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms. If you do not agree to the revised Terms, you must stop using the service and close your account.