Terms & Conditions

These Terms & Conditions ("Terms") constitute a binding legal agreement between you ("User", "you", "your") and StudyMax ("we", "us", "our", "the Platform", "the Company"), governing your access to and use of the academic productivity platform available at studymax.co.za and all associated pages, services, APIs, and mobile-responsive interfaces.

StudyMax is an independent academic productivity tool designed for South African university students. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to any university, the Department of Higher Education, UMALUSI, or any official academic body in South Africa.

By any of the following actions, you confirm that you have read and agree to these Terms:

• Registering for a StudyMax account
• Signing in to the platform
• Paying for a Premium subscription
• Using any feature of the platform after account creation

In these Terms, the following terms have the meanings set out below:

3.1 Age Requirement

You must be at least 18 years of age to use StudyMax independently. If you are between 13 and 17 years old, you may only use the platform with verifiable consent from a parent or legal guardian. We do not knowingly provide services to children under 13.

3.2 Intended Users

StudyMax is designed for: South African university students; students at TVET colleges; adult learners enrolled in accredited academic programmes; and tutors or academic support staff assisting such students.

3.3 Accurate Information

You agree to provide accurate, complete, and current information during registration. You must update your account information if it changes. StudyMax may refuse registration or suspend accounts if information is found to be false or misleading.

3.4 One Account Per Person

Each person may hold only one StudyMax account. Creating multiple accounts to circumvent usage limits or extend trial periods is a violation of these Terms and may result in permanent suspension of all associated accounts.

4.1 Registration

To access StudyMax, you must register using a valid email address and create a password. You may optionally provide your university, programme, and year of study to personalise the experience. All passwords are stored as bcrypt hashes and are never visible to StudyMax staff.

4.2 Account Responsibility

You are solely responsible for: maintaining the confidentiality of your password; all activities that occur under your account; ensuring that any person who uses your account complies with these Terms. You must not share your login credentials with any other person.

4.3 Security Obligations

You agree to: use a strong, unique password; not attempt to access any account other than your own; report any suspected unauthorised access to support@studymax.co.za immediately; and use the "Forgot Password" feature to secure your account if you believe it is compromised.

4.4 Login Monitoring

StudyMax logs IP addresses, login timestamps, and failed login attempts for security purposes. After 5 consecutive failed login attempts, your account will be locked for 5 minutes. This is a security feature, not a penalty.

5.1 What StudyMax Provides

StudyMax provides the following functionality to registered users (feature availability depends on subscription plan):

• Module tracking — enrol in modules and track study hours, current grade, and progress
• Assessment management — log assessments with due dates, weights, types, priorities, and subtask checklists
• Grade logging — record marks obtained, total marks, and view calculated percentage and weighted module average
• Study timer — Pomodoro-based focus timer with session logging, streaks, and focus ratings
• Schedule planner — plan and view study blocks by week and month
• Performance analytics — study hours, focus trends, streak history, module comparisons
• Smart notifications — email reminders 7 days, 3 days, and 1 day before assessment due dates
• Weekly digest — Monday summary email showing study hours, upcoming deadlines, and grades

5.2 User-Entered Data Only

StudyMax does not connect to any university system, learning management system (e.g., Blackboard, Moodle), or official grade database. All information in your account is entered by you manually. You are solely responsible for the accuracy and completeness of data you enter.

5.3 Feature Changes

We reserve the right to add, modify, remove, or temporarily disable features at any time. Where a material feature removal would affect your paid subscription, we will provide 14 days' notice via email.

Specifically, StudyMax makes no representations and provides no warranties that:

• Using StudyMax will result in passing any module, semester, or qualification
• Assessment reminders will always be delivered on time (email deliverability depends on factors outside our control)
• Grade calculations, averages, or weighted scores will match official university records
• The platform will be available at the exact moment you need it (e.g., during exam period)

7.1 Assessment Statuses

StudyMax supports the following assessment workflow to reflect real academic timelines:

7.2 Accuracy of Data

You are solely responsible for entering correct assessment weights, due dates, marks obtained, and total marks. StudyMax calculates grades based strictly on the data you input. We are not liable for incorrect averages, predictions, or analytics that result from user-entered errors.

7.3 Raw Marks Calculation

When you enter raw marks (e.g., 18 out of 25), StudyMax automatically calculates the percentage grade as (marks_obtained / marks_total) × 100. This calculation is informational only and may differ from your institution's grading methodology, scaling, or moderation outcomes.

Specifically, the following features are estimates only:

• "Required grade to reach target" — calculated as a mathematical minimum, does not account for supplementary exams, deferral, or institutional discretion
• Module current grade — weighted average of graded assessments only; ungraded assessments are excluded
• Study efficiency scores and focus ratings — self-reported and unverified
• "At-risk" module flags — based on grade thresholds you configure, not official risk assessments

StudyMax offers the following subscription tiers. Prices include VAT where applicable and are quoted in South African Rand (ZAR).

10.1 Trial Duration

New users receive a 30-day free trial of Premium features automatically upon registration. The trial begins on the date of account creation and expires exactly 30 calendar days later.

10.2 No Card Required

No payment card or billing information is required to start the free trial. You will not be charged anything during the trial period.

10.3 After Trial Expiry

At the end of your 30-day trial, your account automatically downgrades to the Free Plan. You will not be automatically charged. To continue with Premium features, you must actively subscribe via your account settings. A notification email will be sent 5 days, 3 days, and 1 day before your trial expires.

10.4 Trial Eligibility

The free trial is available only once per person and once per email address. Creating multiple accounts to obtain additional trial periods is prohibited and may result in permanent suspension. StudyMax reserves the right to revoke or modify the trial offer at any time for future registrations.

10.5 Trial Data Retention

All data you enter during the trial (modules, assessments, grades, study sessions) is retained when you transition to the Free Plan or upgrade to Premium. No data is deleted at trial expiry.

11.1 Billing Cycle

Premium subscriptions are billed on a monthly recurring basis. Your billing date is the date you first subscribed. Each monthly billing cycle begins on the same date each month (e.g., if you subscribed on the 15th, you are billed on the 15th each month).

11.2 Auto-Renewal

Your subscription will auto-renew each month unless you cancel before your next billing date. StudyMax will send a renewal reminder 3 days before each billing date. By subscribing, you authorise StudyMax to charge your chosen payment method on each renewal date via PayFast.

11.3 Failed Payments

If a payment fails, we will attempt to notify you by email. Your account will be placed in a grace period of up to 5 days during which Premium access is maintained. If payment is not received within the grace period, your account will downgrade to the Free Plan. Your data will not be deleted.

11.4 VAT

All quoted prices are inclusive of Value Added Tax (VAT) at the prevailing South African rate of 15%. A VAT invoice is available upon request at billing@studymax.co.za.

12.1 How to Cancel

You may cancel your Premium subscription at any time by contacting billing@studymax.co.za or via your account settings page. Cancellation takes effect at the end of your current billing period — you retain Premium access until then.

12.2 What Happens After Cancellation

After cancellation takes effect, your account reverts to the Free Plan. All your data (modules, grades, assessments, study sessions) is retained. You will not lose your academic history.

12.3 Refund Policy

StudyMax operates a no-partial-month-refund policy. Refunds are only issued in the following specific circumstances:

• A duplicate or erroneous charge was made (e.g., double billing due to a technical error)
• A platform outage prevented access to Premium features for more than 5 consecutive calendar days during your billing period, verified by our logs

12.4 Refund Requests

Eligible refund requests must be submitted within 14 days of the charge to billing@studymax.co.za with your email address, the charge date, and reason for the request. Approved refunds are processed via PayFast within 5–10 business days.

All StudyMax payment processing is handled by PayFast (Pty) Ltd, a South African payment gateway accredited to the PCI-DSS Level 1 standard — the highest level of payment card security compliance.

13.1 What We Store vs. What PayFast Stores

13.2 PayFast Terms

By subscribing to StudyMax Premium, you also agree to PayFast's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Payment disputes related to card processing must first be raised with PayFast; StudyMax will cooperate in any dispute resolution process.

StudyMax is provided for legitimate academic productivity purposes only. The following conduct is prohibited:

To ensure consistent service quality for all users, the following usage limits apply. These limits are set significantly higher than any legitimate student could reasonably reach:

Automated or programmatic use of the platform that exceeds these limits may trigger rate-limiting. Persistent abuse may result in account suspension. We do not charge for occasional limit exceedances — only systematic abuse is addressed.

16.1 Your Data Is Yours

You retain full ownership of all academic content you enter into StudyMax — including your module names, assessment records, grades, study session logs, notes, and any other personal academic data ("User Content"). StudyMax makes no claim of ownership over your data.

16.2 Licence to Operate

By using StudyMax, you grant us a limited, non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to store, process, and display your User Content solely for the purpose of providing the platform to you. This licence does not permit us to share, sell, or use your data for any other purpose.

16.3 Platform Intellectual Property

The StudyMax platform — including its source code, design, visual elements, trademarks, brand name, algorithms, and all original content created by us — is the sole intellectual property of StudyMax. You may not:

• Copy, reproduce, or redistribute any part of the platform code or design
• Reverse-engineer, decompile, or attempt to extract the platform source code
• Create derivative works based on the StudyMax platform without written permission
• Use the StudyMax name, logo, or branding without prior written approval

16.4 Your Data After Account Deletion

Upon account deletion, we will permanently remove your personal data from active systems within 30 days, as described in our Privacy Policy. Financial transaction records are retained for 5 years as required by South African tax law, in pseudonymised form where possible.

16.5 Aggregated Analytics

We may use anonymised, aggregated data derived from the platform (e.g., "average study hours per student" or "most common module types") for platform improvement, research, and marketing. This data cannot identify you individually and is not considered your personal information.

17.1 Transactional Emails (Cannot Be Disabled)

The following emails are essential to operating your account and cannot be opted out of while your account is active:

• Account registration welcome email
• Password reset links (expire after 1 hour)
• Subscription confirmation, renewal, and expiry notices
• Payment receipts and failed payment alerts
• Account security alerts (e.g., password change confirmation)

17.2 Notification Emails (Configurable)

The following emails are sent based on your academic activity and can be configured or disabled in your account settings:

• Assessment deadline reminders (7 days, 3 days, 1 day before due date)
• Overdue assessment alerts
• Trial expiry warnings (5 days, 3 days, 1 day before)
• Weekly study progress digest (sent every Monday)
• Study streak milestone celebrations (7, 14, 30, 60, 100 days)

17.3 Marketing Emails (Opt-In Required)

Feature announcements, promotions, and StudyMax news are only sent with your consent. You can withdraw consent at any time by emailing support@studymax.co.za. We process opt-out requests within 5 business days.

17.4 Email Deliverability

We cannot guarantee that all emails will reach your inbox. Email deliverability depends on factors outside our control, including your email provider's spam filters, server availability, and whether your email address is valid. You remain responsible for your assessment deadlines regardless of whether a reminder email was received.

18.1 Uptime Target

StudyMax targets 99.5% monthly uptime but does not guarantee uninterrupted, error-free access to the platform. Service may be temporarily unavailable due to scheduled maintenance, infrastructure failures, cyber incidents, or events beyond our control.

18.2 Scheduled Maintenance

We will provide advance notice of planned maintenance periods via email and/or an in-app banner where possible. Emergency maintenance may occur without notice. Planned maintenance is typically scheduled outside peak usage hours (after 23:00 SAST).

18.3 Force Majeure

StudyMax is not liable for service interruptions caused by events beyond our reasonable control, including: power outages at our hosting provider; internet infrastructure failures; DDoS attacks; natural disasters; government actions; or failures of third-party services (PayFast, DNS providers, email servers).

18.4 Exam Period Priority

We make every reasonable effort to avoid maintenance during South African university examination periods (typically May–June and October–November). However, we cannot guarantee availability during these periods and students should not rely solely on StudyMax as an exam-period tool.

StudyMax performs automated database backups through our hosting infrastructure (Plesk / Hostserv). However:

• Backups are not guaranteed to be complete or fully recoverable in the event of catastrophic failure
• We cannot guarantee restoration to any specific point in time
• We are not liable for permanent data loss resulting from hosting provider failure, database corruption, or unforeseen technical incidents

20.1 Maximum Liability Cap

Our total aggregate liability to you for any claim arising out of or relating to these Terms or your use of the platform shall not exceed the greater of: (a) the total amount you paid to StudyMax in the 30 days immediately preceding the claim, or (b) R100 (one hundred South African Rand).

20.2 CPA Compliance

Nothing in these Terms limits rights you may have under the Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008 that cannot be lawfully excluded by contract. If any provision conflicts with the CPA in a way that the CPA does not permit, the CPA provision prevails to the extent of the conflict.

StudyMax is provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis without any warranties, whether express, implied, or statutory, including but not limited to:

• Implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose
• Warranties that the platform will be error-free, uninterrupted, or secure at all times
• Warranties that grade calculations will match any official academic standard
• Warranties regarding the accuracy, completeness, or timeliness of any notification

You use StudyMax entirely at your own risk. This disclaimer does not affect rights under the Consumer Protection Act that may not be waived by agreement.

StudyMax collects and processes personal information in compliance with the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA). The full details of how we handle your personal data — including what we collect, how we use it, how long we keep it, and your rights as a data subject — are set out in our Privacy Policy, which forms part of this agreement.

By accepting these Terms, you also acknowledge that you have read and understood the Privacy Policy. Key highlights:

• You retain ownership of your academic data at all times
• We do not sell or share your personal information with advertisers or data brokers
• Passwords are stored as bcrypt hashes — never in plaintext
• You have rights to access, correct, and request deletion of your data
• Data is hosted within South Africa (Hostserv / Plesk infrastructure)

For privacy enquiries or data subject requests, contact privacy@studymax.co.za.

23.1 Termination by You

You may close your StudyMax account at any time by contacting support@studymax.co.za. If you have an active Premium subscription, it will continue until the end of the current billing period before the account is deleted. No partial-month refunds are issued.

23.2 Suspension or Termination by Us

We may suspend or permanently terminate your account with or without notice if you:

• Violate any provision of these Terms
• Provide false information during registration
• Fail to pay subscription fees within the grace period
• Engage in fraudulent, abusive, or harmful behaviour on the platform
• Create multiple accounts to circumvent restrictions
• Attempt to compromise the security or integrity of the platform

23.3 Effect of Termination

Upon termination (by either party): your right to access the platform ceases immediately; all your personal data will be deleted within 30 days per our Privacy Policy; financial transaction records are retained for 5 years as required by law. If terminated for a Terms violation, no refund is issued for any unused subscription period.

23.4 Appeal

If you believe your account was suspended in error, you may appeal by emailing support@studymax.co.za within 14 days of suspension with a description of the circumstances. We will review and respond within 5 business days.

We may update these Terms at any time to reflect changes in our service, applicable law, or business practices. When we make material changes, we will:

• Update the "Effective Date" and version number at the top of this page
• Send a notification email to all registered users at least 14 days before the changes take effect
• Display a prominent banner inside the platform for 14 days after the change

If you do not agree to the revised Terms, you must stop using StudyMax and cancel your subscription before the effective date. Continued use after the effective date constitutes your acceptance of the updated Terms.

25.1 Governing Law

These Terms and Conditions are governed by and interpreted in accordance with the laws of the Republic of South Africa, including but not limited to:

• Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008
• Electronic Communications and Transactions Act 25 of 2002 (ECT Act)
• Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA)
• Cybercrimes Act 19 of 2020

25.2 Jurisdiction

Any dispute, claim, or controversy arising from or in connection with these Terms, your use of StudyMax, or any breach thereof shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Bloemfontein, Free State, South Africa, unless you and StudyMax agree otherwise in writing.

25.3 ECT Act — Electronic Transactions

These Terms are concluded electronically in accordance with the ECT Act. You acknowledge that: clicking "Create Account" or "I Agree" has the same legal effect as a written signature; electronic communications from StudyMax constitute valid legal notices; and no physical signature is required for this agreement to be binding.

25.4 Severability

If any provision of these Terms is found to be unlawful, void, or unenforceable under applicable law, that provision shall be severed from the remainder of the Terms, which shall remain in full force and effect.