Privacy notice

Source: https://www.york.ac.uk/records-management/dp/your-info/privacynotice-studentenquirers/ Parent: https://www.york.ac.uk/study/international/email-updates/

Privacy notice - student enquirers

This privacy notice is for Undergraduate and Postgraduate enquirers who are interested in applying to the University of York and the Hull York Medical School (HYMS). This also includes enquirers who register to attend University events, postgraduate enquirers who commence an online application form but do not officially submit it and enquirers from schools and colleges.

It sets out the ways in which the University of York gathers, uses, stores and shares your data. It also sets out how long we keep your data and what rights you have in relation to your data under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and Data Protection Act 2018.

For the purposes of this privacy notice, University of York is the Data Controller as defined in the UK GDPR . For the University’s registration with the Information Commissioner’s Office, see the Information Commissioner's Register of Fee Payers. Our registration number is: Z4855807.

Where do we get your data from?

The University collects information about you in a variety of ways. These include:

information collected through University online registration and enquiry web forms;
information collected through virtual online events;
information collected at UK external events i.e Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS events);
information collected at overseas recruitment events (including educational agent run events);
information collected through York’s online postgraduate application form that has not been officially submitted;
information collected through any correspondence (phone, email, post) with an enquirer during the enquiry process;
information collected from forms submitted as part of a travel expense reimbursement claim;
information provided to us by third parties, such as Higher Ed Partnerships (HEP) , International Pathway College (IPC), Kaplan, Hull York Medical School (HYMS) EAB: Education Technology, Services and Research, educational agents, The Ambassador Platform (TAP) for the purpose of registering and attending online events and one- to- one chats and Net Natives for the purpose of assisting with marketing activities;
QS Enrolment Solutions (QSES)for the purposes of providing support to enquirers. This includes the QSES CRM, Acoustic and Twilio software;
information collected through University online request form for school/college visit requests to campus or to visit your school/college.

The University may also receive information from:

UCAS where you have opted in to receive information about the University;
What Uni and Complete University Guide where you have expressed interest in studying at the University of York;
Uni Compare where you have asked to receive communications from universities including the University of York.

What data do we have?

Personal data including:

For student enquirers, we collect your:

full name;
address (including your postcode);
date of birth;
contact details including email address and telephone number and;
school and bank details (as part of a travel expense reimbursement claim).

For teacher/college enquirers, we collect your:

full name;
professional contact details (including email address and phone number) and;
name of your school/college.

Special category data e.g. if you require additional support at an event e.g. wheelchair access or communication support.

If you commence a postgraduate online application form and do not officially submit it, we may also hold personal data including:

details of your qualifications, skills, experience and employment history, including start and end dates, with previous employers and education providers;
information about your entitlement to study in the UK, if you are required to provide it;
previous immigration history, including copy of passport and copies of previous visas, if you are required to provide it;
proof of identity documents.

Special category data including information about disability, health, gender identity, ethnicity and racial origin.

What is our legal basis for processing your data?

The University needs to process personal data during the enquiry process and keep records of that correspondence. Processing data from enquirers allows the organisation to manage the registration of University events (either on campus or virtual) and provide information to enquirer’s regarding the admissions process, suitability for a program of study and to decide to whom to offer a program of study.

Typically, data will be processed:

on the grounds of contractual requirement or to take steps to enter into a contract with you e.g. to offer you a place on a programme of study at the University or a place at a University open day;
because it is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest (for information on our public task see our function as set out in our charter.
because it is necessary for our or a third party's legitimate interests.

How do we use your data?

The University may process your personal data for the following purposes:

to enable effective communication with you regarding your enquiry (including prospectus requests and follow up calls after attending a UK or overseas recruitment event) or to arrange a school/college visit;
to enable effective communication with you if you have registered to attend a University event (e.g. an open day, campus tour);
to ensure effective general recruitment administration, including the analysis of enquiry numbers and trends to improve our administrative processes;
for conversion activity for offer holders, using social media platforms e.g. Instagram or Facebook;
to tell you about the University, the city and the experience of studying here and to make you aware of relevant upcoming events;
to reimburse you with travels costs;
to better understand potential distance travelled for commuter monitoring purposes;
to conduct market research;
to respond to and defend against legal claims.

The University may share your data with:

Hull York Medical School (HYMS), Higher Ed Partners (HEP), EAB: Education Technology, Services and Research and educational agents;
University of York finance department (for the purpose of reimbursing you with travels costs);
QSES for the purposes of enquiry management. This includes the QSES CRM, Acoustic and Twilio software;
Consortium universities (e.g. University of Leeds), where enquirers have attended international recruitment events (hosted by a consortium university) and expressed interest in the University of York.
third parties that process data on behalf of the University to support it in fulfilling its obligations and responsibilities to and relationship with you (e.g. software and system providers) including; Qualtrics, Formstack, Dynamics 365, ClickDimensions, Clickatell, DotDigital, Tableau, Alteryx, MPS Marketing Services, The Ambassador Platform (TAP), Salesforce and Net Natives.

How do we keep your data secure?

The University takes information security extremely seriously and has implemented appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data and special category data. Access to information is restricted on a need-to-know basis and security arrangements are regularly reviewed to ensure their continued suitability. For further information please see our IT Security webpages.

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How do we transfer your data safely internationally?

In certain circumstances, it is necessary to transfer your Personal Data (including Special Category Data) outside the UK a. In respect of such transfers, the University will comply with our obligations under UK GDPR and ensure an adequate level of protection for all transferred data.

How long will we keep your data?

The University will retain your data in line with legal requirements or where there is a business need. Retention timeframes will be determined in line with the University’s Records Retention Schedule.

What rights do you have in relation to your data?

Under the UK GDPR, you have a right of access to your data, a right to rectification, erasure (in certain circumstances), restriction, objection or portability (in certain circumstances). You also have a right to withdraw consent. If you would like to exercise any of these rights, for admissions queries please contact admissions-liaison@york.ac.uk, for international/EU questions please contact international@york.ac.uk. For further information see our guidance on your rights under UK GDPR.

Questions or concerns

If you have any questions about this privacy notice or concerns about how your data is being processed, please contact the University’s Data Protection Officer at dataprotection@york.ac.uk.

Right to complain

If you are unhappy with the way in which the University has handled your personal data, you have a right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office. For information on reporting a concern to the Information Commissioner’s Office, see their complaints guidance.

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Changes to our privacy notice

We keep our privacy notice under regular review. This notice was last updated on 2 October, 2025.