In short
- We only ask for what we need to help you choose and apply.
- We never sell your data and there are no adverts or trackers on this site.
- Your CV is private: only our advisers see it, and we delete it from our server 180 days after your call.
- Download or delete your data yourself in My plan → Account.
01Who we are
Apply University helps international students find, compare and apply to UK universities. The website and service are run by Apply University Ltd. We decide how your personal data is used, which makes us the data controller under the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.
For anything about your data, contact us at international@applyuniversity.com.
02What we collect and why
We collect information when you use a feature that needs it. Browsing courses, using the tools and saving courses on your own device does not need an account.
| When | What we collect | Why | Legal basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| You create an account | Name, email address, country, phone number, the date you accepted these terms | To run your account and email you sign-in codes | Contract |
| You use My plan | Your study preferences (subject, level, English score, budget, intake), saved courses, application tracker and checklist | To keep your plan on every device and so advisers can help you | Contract |
| You add study details | Nationality, latest qualification, English test and score (all optional) | So your adviser can check entry and visa requirements | Contract |
| You upload documents | The documents you choose to upload (for example passport, transcripts, English test report, statement, references, bank statement) and when you uploaded them | So your adviser can check them and, when you ask, apply to universities for you | Contract; where a document reveals sensitive details, your explicit consent in choosing to upload it |
| Your adviser updates your record | Application status, document review status and notes your adviser writes for you; the updates we show and email you | To keep you informed about your applications | Contract |
| You book a call | Name, email, phone (optional), topic, the time and your time zone, your message, your CV (optional) | To arrange the call and prepare for it | Steps you ask us to take before a contract |
| You ask for deadline reminders | Email address and the date you agreed | To send the reminders you asked for | Consent (you can withdraw it at any time) |
| You use the site | IP address, browser type, sign-in times | To keep accounts secure and stop abuse (for example, limiting how many codes can be sent) | Legitimate interests |
To show call times in your own time zone, your browser tells the page its time zone, and our network provider may suggest one from your connection. We store a time zone only when you book a call.
03Information please do not send us
We do not need, and do not ask for, information about your health, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, political opinions or criminal record. Please leave these out of your CV and messages. If you include them, we will only use them to advise you and we delete them on the same schedule as the rest of your booking.
Do not send passport scans, bank statements or other documents through the booking form. If an adviser needs them for an application, they will tell you a secure way to share them.
04How we use your information
- To give you advice about courses, universities, English requirements, costs and visas.
- To send you the emails the service needs: sign-in codes, booking confirmations, cancellations and replies from advisers.
- To keep a record of our conversations with you in our customer system, so any adviser can pick up where the last one left off.
- To send deadline reminders, only if you asked for them.
- To keep the site secure and working.
Match scores are suggestions, not decisions. They are worked out from your answers to help you compare courses. Universities make admission decisions and UK Visas and Immigration makes visa decisions.
We do not send marketing emails unless you ask for them, and we do not use your data for advertising.
06Sending data outside the UK
HubSpot may store or process data in the United States and the European Economic Area. Where data leaves the UK, it is protected by a UK adequacy decision, the UK Extension to the EU–US Data Privacy Framework, or the UK International Data Transfer Agreement, as appropriate. Ask us for details.
07How long we keep it
| Information | How long |
|---|---|
| Your account and plan | Until you delete your account. Deleting it removes them from our database straight away. |
| Sign-in codes | Valid for 10 minutes; deleted within a day |
| Signed-in sessions | 30 days, or until you sign out |
| Uploaded CVs on our server | 180 days after the call, then deleted automatically |
| Uploaded documents on our server | Until you delete them or your account; copies sent to your adviser are kept in HubSpot as below |
| Updates shown in My plan | Until you delete your account |
| Booking records | 24 months after the call, then deleted automatically |
| Records in HubSpot | While we are helping you, and reviewed once you have had no contact with us for 24 months. You can ask us to delete them sooner. |
| Deadline reminder sign-ups | Until you unsubscribe |
| Server backups | Up to 14 previous versions, replaced as new ones are made |
08Your rights
You have the right to:
- See your data. Download it any time in My plan → Account → Download my data, or ask us for a copy.
- Correct it. Edit your name, country and phone in My plan → Account, or ask us.
- Delete it. Delete your account in My plan → Account. To also remove your records from HubSpot, email international@applyuniversity.com.
- Object or restrict. Ask us to stop or pause using your data.
- Take it elsewhere. The download is a standard JSON file.
- Withdraw consent. Unsubscribe from reminders at any time using the link in any reminder.
Requests are free. We reply within one month, and may ask you to confirm your identity first.
10Keeping your data safe
- The whole site uses HTTPS. Sign-in uses one-time codes, so there are no passwords to steal.
- Codes are stored only as one-way hashes and expire after 10 minutes or 5 wrong tries.
- The sign-in cookie cannot be read by scripts on the page.
- CVs and documents are checked to make sure they really are PDF, Word, JPG or PNG files, and are stored privately on our server and in HubSpot. Only you and our advisers can see them.
- We limit how often codes and bookings can be requested, to stop automated abuse.
11Age
Apply University is for people aged 16 and over. If you are under 18, we recommend that a parent or guardian knows you are using the service.
12Changes to this policy
If we change how we use your data, we will update this page and the date at the top. If the change is significant and you have an account, we will email you before it takes effect.
13If you are unhappy
Please contact us first at international@applyuniversity.com and we will try to put it right. You can also complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office: ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint, telephone 0303 123 1113.