Frequently Asked Questions

StudyBuddy is a platform designed exclusively for university students to find study partners, create study groups, collaborate on assignments, and manage their academic tasks. We connect students from the same university to enhance their learning experience through peer collaboration.

Getting started is easy! Simply sign up with your university email address, verify your email, select your university from our list, and complete your profile by adding your courses and study preferences. Once done, you can start finding study partners and joining groups immediately.

StudyBuddy is available to all university students with a valid university email address. We support students from recognized universities worldwide. You must be currently enrolled at a university to create an account.

Yes! StudyBuddy offers a free plan that includes core features like finding study partners, creating groups, messaging, and collaboration tools. We also offer premium plans with additional features like advanced analytics, unlimited group creation, and priority support.

StudyBuddy offers study group creation and management, real-time messaging, course-based matching, university-specific networking, file sharing, group calendars, and collaborative study planning tools.

Click the "Sign Up" button on the homepage or go to the Sign Up page, enter your university email address and create a password. You'll receive a verification email - click the link to verify your email address. Then complete your profile with your university, courses, and study preferences.

University email verification ensures that all users are legitimate students, creating a safe and trusted community. It also allows us to connect you with students from your specific university and verify your academic affiliation.

No, a valid university email address (@your-university.edu format) is required for account creation and verification. This ensures the platform remains exclusively for university students and maintains community trust.

Click "Forgot Password" on the login page, enter your university email, and we'll send you a password reset link. Click the link in your email and follow the instructions to create a new password. The reset link expires after 24 hours.

Yes! After creating your account, you can customize your profile with your name, bio, profile picture, courses, and study preferences. You have full control over what information is visible to others through privacy settings.

For security reasons, university information cannot be changed directly by users. If you've transferred to a new university, please contact our support team with verification of your enrollment at the new institution, and we'll assist you with the transfer.

Yes, you can delete your account at any time through your account settings. Account deletion is permanent and cannot be undone. All your data, including messages and group memberships, will be permanently removed when you delete your account.

Study groups are collaborative spaces where you can connect with classmates from your university who are taking the same courses. Groups help you organize study sessions, share resources, discuss coursework, and work together on assignments.

Public groups are visible to all students from your university and anyone can join instantly. Private groups require approval from group leaders to join and offer more control over membership. Both types help you collaborate effectively with your peers.

Free users can join up to 5 active study groups at a time. Premium users have unlimited group memberships. This allows you to be part of multiple study communities for different courses.

Study groups have different roles: Group Leaders create and manage groups, Co-admins help moderate and manage members, and Members participate in discussions and share resources. This structure ensures organized collaboration while giving members the right level of access.

StudyBuddy offers real-time messaging with both direct messages and group chats. You can communicate with any verified student from your university. Messages support text, emojis, file sharing, and link previews, making it easy to collaborate and stay connected.

Yes! You can send direct, private messages to any verified student from your university. All direct messages are encrypted and secure, ensuring your conversations remain private.

Yes, you can share documents, images, PDFs, and other files in both direct messages and group chats. Free users can share files up to 10MB. Premium users have a 50MB file size limit per file.

Yes, all messages are encrypted and secure. Only you and the intended recipients can read your messages. We use industry-standard encryption protocols to protect your communications and never read or analyze your private messages.

Yes. We use industry-standard security measures including Firebase Authentication, encrypted data transmission, and secure cloud storage. Your data is protected and we never share your personal information with third parties without your consent.

By default, only verified students from your university can view your profile. You have full control over your privacy settings and can make your profile completely private or selectively hide specific information like your courses or bio.

Yes. If you encounter inappropriate behavior, you can block users to prevent them from contacting you, or report them to our moderation team. We take user safety seriously and have robust reporting and blocking features.

Messages are stored securely in Firebase Firestore with encryption. We only store messages to provide you with chat history and sync across devices. We never read or analyze your private messages.

We collect only necessary information: university email, name, university affiliation, courses, profile information you provide, and usage data to improve our service. We never sell your data. See our Privacy Policy for full details.

The free plan includes: joining up to 5 study groups, unlimited messaging, profile creation, course matching, and access to the core platform features. Most students find the free plan sufficient for their needs.

Premium members get: unlimited group memberships, larger file uploads (50MB), advanced analytics, priority support, custom profile badges, ad-free experience, and early access to new features. Premium costs $9.99/month or $79.99/year (save 33%).

After creating your account, you can upgrade to premium at any time. Visit our Pricing page to see plans and pricing. Choose between monthly or annual billing. We accept major credit cards and PayPal. Your premium features activate immediately after payment.

Yes, you can cancel your premium subscription anytime. You'll continue to have premium access until the end of your billing period. No refunds are provided for partial months, but you won't be charged again after cancellation.

All our users are students, so our pricing is already student-friendly! We occasionally offer promotional discounts during exam periods and back-to-school seasons. Follow us on social media for discount announcements.

StudyBuddy works best on modern browsers including Chrome 100+, Firefox 100+, Safari 15+, and Edge 100+. For the optimal experience, please keep your browser updated to the latest version.

Yes! StudyBuddy is fully responsive and works great on mobile browsers (iOS Safari, Chrome mobile). We're also developing native iOS and Android apps which will be available soon.

Yes! StudyBuddy sends email notifications for important events like group invitations, messages, and reminders. Make sure to check your email spam/junk folder and mark StudyBuddy emails as "not spam". Add noreply@studybuddyportal.com to your contacts to ensure you receive all notifications.

Try refreshing the page, clearing your browser cache, or using an incognito/private browsing window. If issues persist, report it using our "Report Issue" form with details about your browser, device, and what you were trying to do.

After signing up, check your email inbox and spam folder for the verification email. If you don't receive it, you can request a new verification link from your account. Verification links expire after 24 hours for security reasons.

Use the Report Issue form in the Support Center. Provide as much detail as possible including: what you were trying to do, what happened instead, your browser/device info, and screenshots if applicable. Our team will investigate and respond quickly.

StudyBuddy requires an internet connection for real-time features like messaging and live updates. However, you can view previously loaded content when offline. Changes you make offline will sync when you reconnect.

You can contact us through the Support Center (login required) by submitting a support ticket, or contact us directly. You can also email us at support@studybuddyportal.com. We typically respond within 24 hours on business days.