Data Protection Information

The International Office at Aberystwyth University performs various functions for the purpose of international and EU student recruitment, staff and student international and Erasmus exchange and training programmes, and current international and EU student experience programmes.

The International Office is committed to protecting your privacy through compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation, together with the Data Protection Act 2018, and observing best practice.

This statement is your guide to how we record, safeguard and use the information we hold on you. If you have any queries about this statement, or if English is not your first language and you would like assistance in understanding this information, please email international@aber.ac.uk

For further information on the University’s data protection policy and guidance, together with the contact details of the University’s Data Protection Officer, please email infocompliance@aber.ac.uk or see the link below :www.aber.ac.uk/en/infocompliance/dp/

 

Using text and images

If we post images or text, we are usually happy for you to share these, and we will append copyright notices and statements to content which we have not generated personally. We would be grateful if you could contact us at before re-publishing information from our website. We may have more updated information, or may have a reason for it not being shared on another platform.

Links

Our website may include links to websites run by other organisations. Aberystwyth University is not responsible for the privacy practices of these other websites so you should read their privacy policies carefully.

Social Media Platforms

We use social media accounts to engage with prospective, applicant and current students, and to distribute University messages and materials. The following accounts are officially associated with the University International Office as of March 2018:

Your Rights And Choices

As a data subject, you have certain rights over the data which we hold about you, depending on the basis on which we collect and process it. 

More details can be found here: www.aber.ac.uk/en/infocompliance/policies/dp/data-subject-rights/ and also on the Information Commissioner’s website: https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/guide-to-the-general-data-protection-regulation-gdpr

If you have provided information on the basis of consent, you have the right to withdraw that consent. Prospective students may opt out of receiving particular types of communications from us, e.g email campaigns and newsletters. You can unsubscribe at any time from our mailing list by clicking the unsubscribe link at the bottom of the email. If you are having trouble unsubscribing, you can send an email request to international@aber.ac.uk.

You have the right to ask for a copy of all the information we hold about you and to have any inaccuracies in your information corrected. If you are an institutional partner or education adviser and need to make changes to the contact information we hold for you, or a prospective or applicant student and your personal details change, we would be grateful if you could help us to keep your information and preferences up to date by notifying us by email to international@aber.ac.uk. If you are a current student and your personal details change, you must update your student record with the correct information.

In all instances, you have the right to access your personal information that is held about you by the University.  Further details are available at: www.aber.ac.uk/en/infocompliance/dp/request/. You can also contact the University Data Protection and Copyright Manager at: infocompliance@aber.ac.uk.

Changes To Our Statement

We may change the terms of this privacy statement. If we do so, we will post the changes here so please check from time to time. By continuing to use our services you will be deemed to have accepted such changes.

 

The Information We Collect

The International office will collect information about you at the point that you register as a prospective student, at the point of application to study, where you register as a student, whilst you progress through your course, or after you have ended your studies or graduated with a qualification from Aberystwyth University. We may also receive information about you from 3rd parties, such as information from Education Agents, Partner Institutions, and governing bodies such as the Home Office.

The type of information processed by the International Office includes, though is not limited to:

  • Name, date of birth, contact details and other information submitted during the enquiry and application processes, or volunteered by current students for exchange, training, or international / EU student experience programmes.
  • Details of your course, modules, marks and qualifications to qualify eligibility for exchange and training programmes.
  • Contact details for next of kin and medical information to be used in an emergency for students partaking in international student experience programmes, staff representing Aberystwyth University overseas, and students.
  • Financial details pertaining to Education Advisers for the purposes of commission invoicing, pertaining to current students in receipt of financial awards such as Erasmus Exchange grants.
  • Special category and financial data legally required to complete Visa application processes.
  • Information regarding nationality, domicile, and affiliation to a particular Education Adviser or Partner Institutions required to complete contractual obligations with said Education Adviser or Partner Institution.

We also collect information by tracking which pages you visit when you click on links to our website in our emails and may use this information to personalise the way our websites and emails are presented to you. The central Aberystwyth University website uses cookies to retain user preferences and to collect website usage information via Google Analytics. Further information on cookies, and how to disable them if desired can be found at the link below: 
www.aber.ac.uk/en/cookie-policy

How We Collect Information

International and EU student recruitment

Information about prospective students is collected during educational fairs, either by an Aberystwyth University representative, or by an Education Adviser under contractual agreement with Aberystwyth University. Data may also be collected via direct enquiry e.g. live chat events, online open days and social media. Information about applicant students is copied from the University student records database (ASTRA), received from Educational Advisers, Partner Institutions, or directly from the data subject.

International and Erasmus exchange programmes

Information about outgoing International and Erasmus exchange applicants are collected during on-campus Study Abroad fairs or copied from the University student records database (ASTRA). Information about incoming International and Erasmus exchange applicants are received via nomination from Partner Institutions. Data for both outgoing and incoming exchange data subjects may also be collected via direct enquiry to the International Office.

Current international and EU student experience

Information about outgoing International and Erasmus exchange applicants are collected during on-campus Study Abroad fairs or copied from the University student records database (ASTRA). Information about incoming International and Erasmus exchange applicants are received via nomination from Partner Institutions. Data for both outgoing and incoming exchange data subjects may also be collected via direct enquiry to the International Office.

Information about current International and EU students is collected from students themselves, or copied from the University student records database (ASTRA).

How We Use Your Information

The International Office will process your personal information for a range of practical and administrative purposes which are all required to deliver the various functions listed previously.  Aberystwyth University is also required to declare the legal basis upon which this data is processed and this is indicated below. 

  • Aberystwyth University is required to collect, store and process information about you for any purposes connected with your application and enrolment, e.g. for any reasons which are deemed necessary for the performance of your contractual agreement with the University (Article 6(1)(b) of the GDPR).
  • To communicate effectively with you by post, e-mail and telephone, our marketing newsletters and emails, Aberystwyth University is required to collect, store and process information about you for any purposes connected with your application and enrolment, e.g. for any reasons which are deemed necessary for the performance of your application(s) to the University (Article 6(1)(b) of the GDPR).
  • To compile statistics and conduct research for internal and statutory reporting purposes (e.g. British Council). Aberystwyth University is required to process your personal data where it is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in the University (Articles 6(1)(e) and 89).
  • Sponsors and parents or next of kin where consent has been provided.
  • Education Advisors and institutional partners.
  • Higher Education Institutions where you may be spending a period of time, for example, as an exchange student, or a year abroad as part of your degree scheme.
  • Work placement sites or educational partners involved in joint course provision.
  • Potential employers or providers of education whom you have approached
  • UK Visas and Immigration with regard to their requirements for applicants and students who are visa nationals.
  • Internal and external auditors (e.g. Home Office, OISC UKVI, Deloitte, British Council…)

Who Will We Share Your Personal Information With?

Your personal information is created, stored and transmitted securely in a variety of paper and electronic formats, with access to this information being limited to AU staff and contracted parties who have a legitimate interest in it for the purpose of carrying out their contractual duties.

Where necessary, personal information will be shared internally within Institutes and with other departments across the University. Personal information is protected by the University and, other than those circumstances listed below, information will not be disclosed to third parties without consent. Listed below are the types of organisations and circumstances where your personal information may normally be disclosed by the International Office.

  • Sponsors and parents or next of kin where consent has been provided.
  • Education Advisors and institutional partners.
  • Higher Education Institutions where you may be spending a period of time, for example, as an exchange student, or a year abroad as part of your degree scheme.
  • Work placement sites or educational partners involved in joint course provision.
  • Potential employers or providers of education whom you have approached
  • UK Visas and Immigration with regard to their requirements for applicants and students who are visa nationals.
  • Internal and external auditors (e.g. Home Office, OISC UKVI, Deloitte, British Council…)

Where it may be necessary to process other information, which the International Office may be required to collect for legitimate purposes, you will normally be given further details about our use of any such data when we collect it from you. Any processing will be proportionate and relate to the provision of services by the University.  When data is used for monitoring and reporting purposes it will be anonymised where possible.

In some instances the University may transfer students’ personal data to third parties located in other countries, including some outside of the European Economic Area.  Any such transfers will be strictly in relation to the delivery of the University’s core services, including to partner institutions abroad. For a full list of the International Office’s partner institutions please visit the following web pages:

  1. aber.ac.uk/en/international/partnerships/current-partners/
  2. aber.ac.uk/en/international/study-abroad/erasmus/erasmus-partners/

 IT services used by the University may involve the transfer or hosting of student personal data overseas.  Personal data may be shared with Education Advisors that the University use for the delivery of services to overseas students.  All instances of overseas transfers of personal data are subject to appropriate technical safeguards and contractual provisions incorporating appropriate assurances to ensure the security of the data and full compliance with legislative and regulatory requirements.

If you have used the services of an Education Adviser to make your application to study at the University, we will share certain details with them.  All Education Advisers are contractually obliged to process data according to, and only until such time as is stated in, the terms of their agreement with Aberystwyth University.

For a full list of the University’s Education Advisers, please visit www.aber.ac.uk/en/international/your-country/advisors/

Any other disclosures that the University makes will be in accordance with GDPR legislation and, in each case, your interests will be carefully considered. 

How Long Will Your Information Be Held?

Information on prospective students will be kept until the end of the admissions cycle for the stated year of entry.

Contractual Information regarding Education Advisers will be kept for one year after the expiration date of the contract, and financial information will be kept for the current year plus six years in line with financial auditing regulation.

With regards to current students and institutional partners, Aberystwyth University will retain your personal information in line with the University Records Management Policy, its Records Retention Schedule and also the model retention schedule published by the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC)

Further information can be found at: www.aber.ac.uk/en/infocompliance/rm/.

How We Protect Personal Information

We take appropriate measures to ensure that the personal information disclosed to us is kept secure, accurate and up to date and kept only for so long as is necessary for the purposes for which it is used and is thereafter securely destroyed or permanently deleted. Your confidentiality will be respected, and all appropriate steps taken to prevent unauthorised access and disclosure. Only members of staff who need access to certain aspects of your information will be given the authority to do so.