Privacy Policy

Information We May Collect

The information collected by StudentUK depends on how you use the website. Simply browsing our student guides may involve considerably less information than contacting us, submitting an application or creating or using an account within a community feature.

Information we may collect includes your name, email address and other details you voluntarily provide when contacting us, submitting a form or communicating with StudentUK.

Our servers and security systems may also automatically record technical information when you access the website. This can include your IP address, browser type, device information, operating system, referring page, pages visited, date and time of access, approximate location derived from an IP address and other technical or diagnostic information.

We may also collect information through cookies, analytics services and similar technologies as described below.

StudentUK Community and Chat Rooms

StudentUK provides community and chat features that allow students and other eligible users to communicate with one another. Information you choose to post publicly or share with other users may be visible to those users and should not be considered private.

You should avoid sharing sensitive personal information in public chat rooms, including your home address, telephone number, passwords, financial information, identification documents or other information that could put your privacy or safety at risk.

For security, moderation, abuse prevention and legal compliance, StudentUK may retain technical records associated with community activity. Depending on the feature being used, these records may include IP addresses, account or session identifiers, timestamps, moderation records and relevant communications or activity necessary to investigate reports, enforce our rules or respond to lawful requests.

Other users may also copy, screenshot or otherwise save information that you voluntarily make visible to them. StudentUK cannot control information independently saved or redistributed by another user outside our platform.

How We Use Your Information

Information collected through StudentUK may be used to operate and maintain the website, provide requested services, personalise certain website functions, respond to enquiries and provide technical or community support.

We may also use appropriate information to protect users, moderate community features, prevent spam, scams, fraud or abuse, investigate violations of our rules, improve website performance, understand how our services are used and maintain the security of StudentUK.

Where necessary, information may also be processed to comply with applicable laws, respond to legitimate legal requests or protect the rights, property and safety of StudentUK, our users or others.

We will not use personal information for purposes that are incompatible with the reason it was originally collected unless there is an appropriate legal basis for doing so.

Legal Basis for Processing

Where UK data-protection law requires us to identify a lawful basis for processing personal information, the basis will depend on the information involved and why it is being processed.

We may process personal information where:

• you have given consent for a particular purpose;
• processing is necessary to provide a service or take steps you have requested;
• processing is necessary for our legitimate interests, provided those interests do not override your rights and freedoms;
• processing is necessary to comply with a legal obligation; or
• another lawful basis permitted by applicable data-protection legislation applies.

Our legitimate interests may include operating and improving StudentUK, maintaining website and community security, preventing misuse, understanding website performance, protecting our legal rights and providing useful student services.

Where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw that consent at any time. Withdrawal does not affect processing that was lawful before consent was withdrawn.

Cookies and Similar Technologies

StudentUK may use cookies and similar technologies to operate essential website functions, remember preferences, maintain sessions, improve security, understand website usage and, where applicable, support advertising.

Some cookies are necessary for the website to function correctly. Other cookies, including certain analytics or advertising cookies, may require your consent depending on their purpose and applicable law.

Where required, you can manage your preferences through the cookie consent controls provided on StudentUK.

For more detailed information about the cookies used by the website, their purposes and how you can manage them, please refer to our Cookie Policy.

Analytics

StudentUK may use analytics services to understand how visitors interact with the website. Analytics information can help us understand matters such as which pages are visited, how visitors reach StudentUK, what devices are being used and how our website performs.

Depending on our analytics configuration and your cookie preferences, these services may process technical identifiers and usage information.

Analytics data is used to improve the performance, usability, content and operation of StudentUK rather than to identify individual students unnecessarily.

Advertising and Affiliate Links

StudentUK may display advertising and may participate in affiliate or commercial partnerships with student-related providers.

These may include services relating to student accommodation, banking, travel, insurance, technology, university services and other products or services relevant to students.

Third-party advertising or affiliate providers may use cookies or similar technologies where permitted and, where required, subject to your consent. Their processing of information may also be governed by their own privacy policies.

StudentUK may receive a commission when a visitor follows certain affiliate links and subsequently applies for or purchases a product or service. This does not normally increase the price paid by the visitor.

Our commercial relationships do not give advertisers or affiliate partners unrestricted access to personal information held directly by StudentUK.

Contact Forms and Communications

When you contact StudentUK, we may collect the information you provide, such as your name, email address, the subject of your enquiry and the contents of your message.

We use this information to respond to your enquiry, provide requested assistance, maintain appropriate records and protect StudentUK where necessary.

Please avoid sending sensitive personal information unless it is genuinely required for us to deal with your request.

Applications and Staff Enquiries

If you submit a staff application, moderator application or other application through StudentUK, we may process the information supplied in order to assess your application, communicate with you and maintain appropriate administrative records.

Information submitted for an application will only be used for relevant administrative, recruitment, community-management or legal purposes unless another use has been explained to you.

Sharing Your Personal Information

StudentUK does not sell personal information simply for the purpose of allowing unrelated organisations to market directly to our users.

We may share limited information with trusted service providers where reasonably necessary to operate StudentUK. These may include website hosting providers, security services, analytics providers, email or communication services, advertising technology providers and other technical suppliers.

Service providers should only receive information appropriate to the service they perform and may have their own legal responsibilities regarding personal data.

Information may also be disclosed where we reasonably believe disclosure is required by law, necessary to respond to a valid legal request, required to investigate unlawful activity or necessary to protect the rights or safety of StudentUK, our users or another person.

Law Enforcement Requests

StudentUK may preserve or disclose information when required to comply with applicable law, a court order or another legally valid request from an authorised law-enforcement or regulatory body.

Requests for user information are assessed according to their circumstances and applicable legal requirements. We do not intend to disclose private user information merely because someone asks for it without appropriate authority or justification.

Further information for authorised agencies can be found on our Law Enforcement UK page.

Data Retention

We retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, including where information needs to be retained for security, moderation, dispute resolution, legal compliance, fraud prevention or the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims.

Different types of information may therefore have different retention periods.

When information is no longer reasonably required, we may delete, anonymise or securely dispose of it, subject to any legal or technical requirements that require continued retention.

Data Security

StudentUK takes reasonable technical and organisational measures designed to protect information against unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure, misuse, loss or destruction.

Measures may include website security controls, access restrictions, server security, monitoring and other safeguards appropriate to the nature of the information being processed.

However, no website, internet transmission or electronic storage system can be guaranteed to be completely secure. Users should therefore take appropriate precautions when providing information online and protect their own passwords and account credentials.

International Data Transfers

Some companies that provide hosting, analytics, advertising, security or other technical services may process information outside the United Kingdom.

Where personal information is transferred internationally, appropriate safeguards will be used where required under applicable UK data-protection law. The safeguards required will depend on the destination, service provider and circumstances of the transfer.

We should not state that StudentUK stores everything in the United States unless that is actually true.

Your Data Protection Rights

Depending on the circumstances and applicable UK data-protection law, you may have rights relating to personal information held about you.

These can include the right to request access to your personal information, request correction of inaccurate information, request deletion in certain circumstances, restrict certain processing, object to certain processing and request portability of eligible information.

Where processing relies upon your consent, you may also withdraw that consent.

These rights are not absolute and may be subject to legal exemptions or circumstances in which StudentUK is permitted or required to retain or continue processing certain information.

To exercise a relevant privacy right, please contact StudentUK using the details provided below. We may need to verify your identity before fulfilling a request in order to prevent information being disclosed to the wrong person.

Children and Younger Users

StudentUK provides information and community resources for students, and some areas of the website may be accessible to younger users.

We do not encourage users to provide unnecessary personal information. Younger users in particular should avoid publicly sharing their home address, telephone number, school or college details, passwords, financial information, identification documents or other sensitive information.

Where particular StudentUK services or community areas have minimum-age requirements, those requirements will be stated in the relevant Terms & Conditions, Rules or Safety Guidelines.

If you believe personal information relating to a child or young person has been collected or used inappropriately, please contact us.

Third-Party Websites

StudentUK contains links to universities, government services, accommodation providers, banks, travel companies and other third-party websites.

Following a link to another website means you are subject to that organisation’s own privacy practices and terms. StudentUK does not control how independent third-party websites collect or process personal information.

We recommend reviewing the privacy information provided by a third party before supplying personal information or completing an application, booking or purchase.

Social Media and External Services

StudentUK may maintain profiles or communities through third-party platforms. Interacting with StudentUK through an external platform may result in information being processed both by StudentUK and by the company operating that platform.

Your use of those services is also subject to the privacy policies and terms of the relevant provider.

Keeping Your Information Accurate

If you believe personal information held by StudentUK is inaccurate or incomplete, you can contact us and request that it be reviewed.

Where appropriate and legally required, we will take reasonable steps to correct inaccurate information.

Data Breaches

StudentUK maintains procedures for responding to suspected personal-data breaches.

Where a breach creates a legal requirement to notify the relevant supervisory authority or affected individuals, we will take appropriate action in accordance with applicable data-protection law.

Complaints About Your Personal Data

If you have concerns about how StudentUK has handled your personal information, please contact us first so that we have an opportunity to investigate the matter.

You may also have the right to complain to the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) or another competent data-protection authority where applicable.

Changes to This Privacy Policy

StudentUK may update this Privacy Policy when our website, services, technology, legal requirements or data-processing practices change.

The latest version will be published on this page with an updated revision date. Where a change materially affects how personal information is processed, we will take additional steps to inform users where required by law.

Continued use of StudentUK does not by itself replace consent where applicable law specifically requires us to obtain consent for a new processing activity.

Contact StudentUK

Questions, concerns or requests concerning this Privacy Policy or the way StudentUK processes personal information can be submitted through our Contact Us page.

When contacting us about a privacy request, please provide enough information for us to understand your request, but do not send passwords, financial information or unnecessary identification documents.

StudentUK.com
Independent UK Student Resource & Community