Student Privacy Notice

Newcastle University (the University) as the Data Controller collects and processes data about its current students to carry out its function as an education provider. This privacy notice explains how the University processes your personal data as well as your rights in relation to the personal data we hold about you. A separate privacy notice is available regarding the University’s processing of your personal data once you have completed your studies.

The contact details of the University’s Data Protection Officer are available via the following web‐ page: https://www.ncl.ac.uk/data-protection/.

The University collects your personal data from a number of sources:

2.1. From you:

2.1.1. Interactions with the University before becoming a student, including but not limited to contact details from open day events and your application to the University;

2.1.2. When you enrol with the University during the student registration process;

2.1.3. When you complete surveys and feedback forms;

2.1.4. Communications with the University;

2.1.5. Using an administrative or teaching support system provided by the University.

2.2. From third‐parties:

2.2.1. Other organisations such as your school or employer when they provide a reference;

2.2.2. UCAS course applications;

2.2.3. Partner organisations involved in joint and exchange programmes as well as industrial and clinical placements;

2.2.4. Service providers acting on behalf of the University including recruitment agents and debt collection agencies;

2.2.5. INTO Newcastle LLP for pathway students transferring to Newcastle University courses;

2.2.6. External examination boards;

2.2.7. Relevant statutory third‐parties such as the Student Loans Company, Higher Education Statistics Agency, Law Enforcement agencies and UK Visas &Immigration

The University collects and processes the following personal data:

3.1. Identification and contact details: Your name, title, date of birth, age, gender, photographic images, correspondence address, email address, phone number, emergency contact details; where applicable passport and visa details;

3.2. Evidence of income/financial circumstances (e.g. to enable the University to support you with visa applications or providing access to student hardship funds);

3.3. Evidence of residency status, family relationships, nationality, national insurance number, country of domicile necessary to establish fee status;

3.4. Attendance records;

3.5. Bank account details/transactions when the University wishes to make a payment to you or you wish to make a payment to the University;

3.6. Details of previous education, training and employment;

3.7. Contextual information provided during the application process necessary to make an appropriate offer (E.g. UCAS may provide the following contextual information: whether you live in a low participation neighbourhood; the performance levels of your school relative to the national average; your entitlement to free school meals; whether you were a looked after child);

3.8. Your course work submissions, examination scripts etc.;

3.9. Special Category Data: physical or mental health conditions, racial or ethnic origin, religious beliefs and information relating to criminal offences (where a legal obligation is placed upon the University to process such information).

The University will only process your personal information where it has a lawful basis for such processing.

4.1. Contract

As part of the contractual relationship between you and the University, the University will process your personal data for the following purposes:

4.1.1. Administration of your application to the University to determine any support requirements/arrangements to enable you to study at the University (using special category data where necessary);

4.1.2. Admission, registration and administration in support of yourstudies;

4.1.3. Academic assessment and progression;

4.1.4. Administration of complaints, appeals, disciplinary and assessment irregularity investigations, personal extenuating circumstances and support to study processes as well as fitness to practice or fitness to study hearings;

4.1.5. Provision of University residences and catering services;

4.1.6. Access to support services such as the Library, Careers Service, IT Service,

4.1.7. Provision of student photo ID (smartcard) and the administration of University security;

4.1.8. To maintain a suitable academic record and detailed academic progress and qualifications (e.g. assessment, examination boards, degree awards and extra‐curricular activities);

4.1.9. Administration of placements with partner institutions and organisations;

4.1.10. Confirming your academic progress to your sponsor, including, Local Education Authorities, Student Loans Company, funding councils and embassies;

4.1.11. Processing of fees and payments.

4.2. Public Task

As part of our duty as a public authority, the University will process your personal data for the following purposes:

4.2.1. Public interest archiving, scientific and historical research or statistical analysis including equality and diversity monitoring;

4.3. Legal Obligation

Where there is a legal obligation placed upon the University, the University will process your personal data for the following purposes:

4.3.1. Complying with tax legislation, immigration and visa requirements and the prevention of fraud;

4.3.2. Providing census or other information including the assessment of fees to government and regulatory authorities;

4.3.3. Local authority matters such as council tax, electoral registration or the investigation of benefit fraud;

4.3.4. Sharing personal information to HESA and the Office for Students and their nominated sub‐contractors, including but not limited to facilitating participation in the National Student Survey (noting your participation is voluntary);

4.3.5. Where there is a legal obligation, prevention and detection of crime in order to assist the police and other competent authorities with investigations;

4.3.6. Where there is a legal obligation to share your personal data with third parties such as the police and other law enforcement agencies; local authorities; the Home Office, British overseas missions; other government bodies; international governmental and regulatory bodies; HMRC; the University’s external auditors; the Office for Students; the Office of the Independent Adjudicator.

4.4. Legitimate Interests

The University will process your personal information to meet the University’s legitimate interests in the following circumstances:

4.4.1. Publishing your name in a congregation programme, if you choose to attend. (For Chinese nationals, sharing your name and degree title with the Chinese Service Center for Scholarly Exchange (CSCSE) at the end of your studies);

4.4.2. Sharing your data with Newcastle University Students’ Union (Students’ Union) for the administration and membership rights whilst you are studying at the University (e.g. to give you access to the Students’ Union services and facilities, managing elections, sending updates about Students’ Union services and activities via email);

4.4.3. Presenting you, and appropriate University colleagues, with your collated data showing your engagement with University systems through our Learning Analytics system  to provide you with a more personalised learning experience, to support tutoring and/or wellbeing conversations, and to optimise teaching and learning delivery and design.

4.4.4. Participation in surveys and benchmarking exercises to assist in designing the future shape of University courses and services and measure the effectiveness of the University’s marketing and recruitment activities;

4.4.5. Participation in internal evaluations of teaching on your programme to gather feedback about the experience of teaching, learning, assessment, facilities, so that we are able to make improvements for all students. The results are anonymised and aggregated for analysis.

4.4.6. Service improvement and development through analysing the use of the University’s website and other online services that the University provides;

4.4.7. Organising events that are likely to be of interest to students (e.g. International Student Welcome Week);

4.4.8. Recording of audio/images during lectures and seminars as part of the University’s education provision and for subsequent use in education materials;

4.4.9. Recording of audio/images on the University’s premises for use in promotional material to further the mission and strategy of the University, e.g. through promotional materials. Legitimate interests are used in this instance where it would not be necessary, appropriate or practicable to seek your specific consent;

4.5. Consent

In the following circumstances, the University will process your personal information based on consent:

4.5.1. Consent will be sought where specific services have been requested by you (e.g. you request help from the University regarding your visa status) or where the law requires the University to obtain your consent (e.g. certain marketing or fundraising communications or participation in certain types of research projects);

4.5.2. If we have a legal obligation to obtain evidence of whether or not you have any criminal convictions the University will request your consent before submitting your personal information to the Disclosure and Barring Service (e.g. it is a statutory prerequisite to enrolling on a particular course of study; you wish to take part in student recruitment and outreach activities that put you into regular contact with children or vulnerable adults). Without such consent the University will be unable to process your particular application further.

4.6. Vital Interests Where the University believes it is necessary to protect the life of you or another person, the University will use the vital interest’s lawful basis to process your personal data, and this may include sharing with a third‐party. E.g. if you are admitted to a hospital A & E department after a serious accident and you are incapable of providing consent the University may share relevant personal data with the emergency services, medical practitioners or contacting one of your trusted contacts: https://www.ncl.ac.uk/wellbeing/trusted-contacts/

The University will in some circumstances disclose your personal data to third‐parties. Examples of such processing are:

5.1. Partner organisations where you undertake or plan to undertake a placement or exchange programme as part of your studies;

5.2. IT Service providers (e.g. the provision of University email services; the provision of anti‐ plagiarism detection services);

5.3. Registration with statutory bodies such as the General Medical Council, the General Dental Council and the General Teaching Council for England;

5.4. Third party contracted suppliers for the purposes of key University functions, such as provision of secure electronic documents and congregation related activities;

5.5. Organisations running student experience surveys, including the Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey (PTES), Postgraduate Research Experience Survey (PRES), Graduate Outcomes Survey;

5.6. Where there is an obligation placed upon the University detailed in section 4 above.

Whilst the University carries out the majority of its data processing activity within the EEA, the University may process some of your personal data outside the EEA, but only within one of the following circumstances:

6.1. Where “appropriate safeguards” are put in place through contract;

6.2. Where the European Commission has agreed that the data protection provisions of the country/territory offer an adequate level of protection; or

6.3. Where you have given your explicit consent.

After you leave the University and in meeting the University’s Public Task and Legal Obligations, some personal data relating to your degree award will be retained in perpetuity: the requirements for this retention are detailed in the Alumni Privacy Notice. Otherwise your other personal data will be retained for up to six years to meet the University’s legal obligations and sector best practice.

Under legislation in force from 25th May 2018 you have a number of rights, although it should be noted that they are not absolute and requests may be refused where an exemption applies:

8.1. The right of access to your personal data held by the University;

8.2. The right to have inaccurate or incomplete personal information held by the University about you rectified;

8.3. The right to request that the University restricts the data processing activities with respect to your personal data;

8.4. The right to request that we erase your personal data;

8.5. The right to complain about the University’s processing of your personal data. Contact details for the UK supervisory authority are available: https://www.ncl.ac.uk/data-protection/;

8.6. The right to object to processing where the University is relying upon on its legitimate interests or the performance of a task in the public interest; where it is used for direct marketing or for purposes of scientific/historical research and statistics;

8.7. The right to portability where you have provided us with your data and the legal basis of processing is consent or performance of a contract.