Overview

In accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the information on this page outlines the types of personal data that the University of Bath may collect from you as part of the admissions process, the purposes for which this data is used, and how it will be shared and retained.

The University of Bath is the ‘data controller’ for the information that we obtain from you or others as part of the admissions process.

We recommend that you also read the privacy policy written by The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS).

Types of data we collect about you

In the course of your application to us we may collect and process data about you in four principal areas which are detailed on the page in sections called:

• Personal data for your application
• Personal data you separately provide as part of any mitigating circumstances
• Personal data specifically relating to a criminal conviction
• Other sensitive personal data about you

We hold, process and retain these types of data in different ways as outlined in each section.

Legal basis and your rights

There are various legal bases for the processing of personal data, such as:

• we have a contractual obligation to consider your application
• we have to comply with a legal obligation
• it is necessary to meet our legitimate interest or the legitimate interest of others
• it is necessary for the performance of a public task
• we have your consent

Our legal basis for collecting and using your personal data will depend on the personal data concerned and the specific purpose for which it is being used.

We recommend that you do not provide us with personal data that relates to someone else (such as a family member), unless they have provided consent for you to do so. In some circumstances we will hold and process someone else’s data related to your application with us, where we have a legal basis for doing so.

You have certain rights to:

• access the personal data that we hold about you
• correct or delete any of the information that we hold about you
• object to some of the data uses

Please note that these rights are qualified in various ways. Further information about your rights is available from the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). You can also contact our Data Protection team for more information on dataprotection-queries@lists.bath.ac.uk

Please be aware that this policy is subject to change at any time.

Personal data for your application

How we obtain data

Lots of data about you comes from UCAS. However, some of the data we hold comes from you directly or from third parties, such as referees or former educational institutions you have attended. This may be additional information that is volunteered to us, or it may be provided at our request.

We use contextual information about your background and schools as part of our admissions process. Some of this is provided directly by UCAS (who derive it from your application). In other cases, we take the information you provide and combine it with national datasets from government departments or commercial companies using your postcode or details of the schools you have attended.

Read the details of the contextual data we use and how it affects your application.

The University of Bath has a legal obligation to correctly assess whether you are eligible for Home fees under UK law. If necessary, we may request you complete an additional fee questionnaire and provide additional supporting documents regarding yourself and relevant members of your family.

What data we hold

In the course of your application we hold personal data that may include:

• personal details such as your name, date of birth, age, nationality
• your contact details and personal addresses
• your education and employment history
• details of qualifications you are studying or have already studied (including copies of documents and certificates)
• visa, passport and immigration information (including copies of relevant documents)
• basic data about any disabilities, health conditions or additional learning needs provided in your UCAS application
• information about any time spent in local authority care
• information provided through previous applications you have made to us (where it is held under our retention policies outlined here)
• contextual information on your background and schooling
• information supplied as part of fee assessments or bursary and scholarship applications, which may include copies of relevant documents such as passports, visas or immigration letters, birth and marriage certificates, bank statements and employment contracts

How we use this data

All of this data is primarily held and used to enable us to make a fair and informed decision on your admission to your chosen degree course. Additionally, we may use this data to:

• communicate with you about your application and, if you are made an offer, to provide you with relevant information on your chosen department, university accommodation, bursaries and scholarships, and support services available to students, and, if your place is confirmed, the process of enrolling with us
• notify you of any relevant changes to your chosen degree
• provide you with feedback on your application
• determine your fee status and provide you with guidance on visa requirements where necessary
• determine your eligibility for financial support, such as scholarships and bursaries
• produce statistics to monitor and evaluate admissions processes and outcomes within the University

How we share this data

We may share the data we hold about you with:

• other departments within the University of Bath, such as academic departments, Student Services, Funding Team, Student Immigration Service, Widening Participation and Student Recruitment Teams, Accommodation, Computing Services
• the University of Bath Students’ Union
• your referee
• the nominated name on your UCAS application and any nominated agent
• the schools or colleges listed on your UCAS application
• your examination boards, awarding bodies or testing services
• government departments responsible for Student Loans, overseas Departments for Education (where applicable) and any other potential funders
• government authorities or law enforcement officials if mandated by law
• service providers who process data confidentially on our behalf for the purposes we have outlined

Your data may contribute in an anonymised form to reports that we provide to:

• external enquirers making Freedom of Information requests relating to our admissions data
• government departments and government bodies, such as the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) and the Office for Students (OfS)
• external bodies conducting public research on admissions trends

How we store and retain this data

This data will be stored for a fixed period of time depending on the outcome of your application and to comply with legal, accounting or reporting requirements.

If you do not ultimately enrol as a student as a result of your application then this personal data will be retained for 3 years following the date on which your course would begin.

If you join the University your data will form the basis of your student record and will be retained in line with our policies for current student data.

See our Data Protection Statement for student registration.

This personal data may be used to produce anonymised application statistics that will be retained in perpetuity for the purposes of long-term monitoring and evaluation.

Personal data you separately provide as part of any mitigating circumstances

How we obtain this data

You or your school may choose to provide us with additional information about circumstances which may have affected or go on to affect your academic performance. This may be included in your personal statement or reference provided to us by UCAS.

Otherwise, we will hold this information only if it is given to us directly, and we request that details of any mitigating circumstances are provided through our dedicated form.

What data we hold

We hold statements you provide in emails and through our mitigating circumstances form, as well as any supplementary documents you provide us as evidence. This may include personal information about you, your family or your school and detailed accounts or reports on your health and wellbeing or financial circumstances.

How we use this data

This information will be used to make assessments of your circumstances as they directly relate to your application with us.

This information can be used to provide support from our Student Support Team.

Personal data provided as part of a mitigating circumstances assessment will be used only for the purpose of assessing your application if you

• are not successful in receiving an offer
• do not make Bath your firm or insurance choice

The information will be used by our Student Support department to enable them to assess and provide any additional support you may require from them as a student, should you:

• receive an offer and choose the University of Bath as your Firm or Insurance choice
• go on to enrol at Bath

We will not use this information for other routine purposes.

How we share this data

Personal data provided as part of a mitigating circumstances assessment will be shared with our Student Support department unless you withdraw consent to do so.

If you do not consent to this information being shared with Student Support, then you must complete the ‘Applicant declaration’ section of the mitigating circumstances form and tick the box at the bottom of section 5.

We will never share this data with a third party for purposes of processing it.

As with all data, we may share it with government authorities or law enforcement officials if mandated by law.

Please note that in exceptional circumstances if the information you provide suggests you may be at serious risk to yourself or others this may be shared without your consent with Student Support, should you join the University of Bath.

How we store and retain this data

This data will be stored for a fixed period of time depending on the outcome of your application and to comply with legal, accounting or reporting requirements.

If you do not ultimately enrol as a student as a result of your application, then this personal data will be retained for 1 year following the date on which your course would begin.

If you join the University, any data in this category will be confidentially retained by the Undergraduate Admissions Team in line with our policies for current student data.