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Abertay University is committed to protecting and respecting your privacy. This Privacy Notice explains how we collect, use, store and share any personal data that you provide to us, or that we collect from you. It applies to information we collect when you visit the website and when you interact with University marketing and student recruitment.
Abertay University is your data controller under the UK General Data Protection Regulation ('UK GDPR'), the Data Protection Act 2018, and the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025: Abertay University, Bell Street, Dundee, Scotland, DD1 1HG. Tel: +44 (0)1382 308000. The Data Protection Officer can be contacted by emailing dataprotectionofficer@abertay.ac.uk.
When you visit our website.
When you fill in a form on the website and provide personal information such as name and email address when you: download a Prospectus, book a campus tour, register to attend a webinar/Open Day/Offer Holder Day, or register interest in a course.
When you interact with us by email, telephone, post, social media, in person on campus, or at an event we're participating in such as a UCAS Fair, Science festival or Computer Games exhibition.
From applicants to Abertay University already in our student record system (SITS), who have applied through UCAS, or directly to us.
When we initiate contact with you or respond to your enquiry if you are a teacher or a member of careers guidance staff working in a school or college.
Abertay University collects information for different purposes as outlined below:
Like most modern websites, our server automatically logs the activity of visitors. It provides usage information that shows us how they interact with the site such as web pages viewed, time spent on the site, videos or links clicked on, navigation path and use of the search box.
We collect data including the visitor's IP address, browser type, operating system versions, device type (mobile, tablet, PC), referring page (which site the visitor came from to ours).
This includes visitors to the website that complete a webform, contact us with an enquiry or interact with us at an event such as a UCAS fair. We typically collect: name, email address, where they are from (Scotland; England, Wales or Northern Ireland, EU; International), which of the University courses they may be interested in studying and the year they intend to start university.
We collect your social media username, if you interact with us through those channels, to help us respond to your questions or comments.
Through the course of their job, Abertay outreach staff may collect personal data from teachers and those in a career guidance role, such as title, name, work email address, together with subjects and year stage of pupils taught and the name and contact details of the institution.
Our website uses cookies and similar tracking technologies which are small text files or methods stored on your device. They help us tailor information and marketing messages and contain no personal data that can identify you individually. Most web browsers automatically accept cookies, but you can usually modify settings to decline them if you prefer.
Under the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003 (as amended by the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025), we use cookies and tracking for specific purposes. Some cookies are essential for website functionality and don't require consent, while others (such as marketing cookies) require your consent or can be declined through cookie preference settings.
For detailed information on cookies, and how to manage them, visit www.allaboutcookies.org.
We use cookies to:
Analyse and track website performance: Cookies such as Google Analytics help us to monitor and produce measurable statistics on the performance of the website. Knowing among other things which website pages are most and least popular, which devices visitors are using to view content and page download speeds, allows us to continuously improve the site. Where these analytics cookies are necessary to improve user experience and do not pose significant privacy risks, they may be exempt from consent requirements.
To make our digital advertising more relevant: We use tracking cookies for social media platforms on our website such as for Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. These allow us to provide more tailored and relevant digital advertising, and remarketing campaigns to previous visitors to our site as they browse the internet. These marketing cookies require your consent, which you can provide or decline through our cookie preference settings.
To measure the effectiveness of marketing communications: We use cookies and page tags about usage and user statistics on our website so we can attribute website visits to specific email communications or digital advertising campaigns. We use them to determine the success of campaigns through measuring open rates, links clicked on and the number of website visits generated. This helps us identify content that is the most useful and highlights that which is less popular so it can be improved.
Important: Please note that under the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025, breaches of cookie consent requirements can result in fines of up to £17.5 million or 4% of annual global turnover, whichever is greater. We take cookie compliance seriously and provide clear information and controls for your preferences.
We use your personal data to provide you with tailored marketing information. This may be by post, email, SMS or telephone and may include:
Information about the subject area or course(s) you're interested in or have already applied for.
Invites to events such as Open Days, Offer Holder Days or the Digital Graduate Show.
Asking you to complete feedback surveys following your attendance at an event.
Information about tuition fee discounts to postgraduate courses for Abertay undergraduates.
Scholarships.
Incentives to participate in research that helps us better understand our prospective students.
SMS messages as a reminder of events which you've booked with us.
Information about our facilities, links to virtual tours, the University and the city of Dundee.
Interesting work and projects our current students are involved in.
We will only send you marketing emails or contact you via preference selections you've expressly agreed to. We may personalise content based upon information you've provided. Should you change your mind after having opted in for marketing activity, you can update your preferences or unsubscribe in any direct marketing email.
Abertay outreach staff may keep teachers and careers guidance staff up to date with developments and events of interest to their students, such as subject taster events held at the University, student competitions and invites to the Digital Graduate Show.
Under Article 6 of the UK GDPR, we rely on the following lawful bases:
Contract (Article 6(1)(b)): Where you have submitted an enquiry or registered for a Student Recruitment Event, your personal data will be processed as it is necessary for the performance of a contract (i.e. our responsibility to provide you with the information requested or administer your attendance at an event you have registered for).
Consent (Article 6(1)(a)): Where you have given permission for us to contact you about further events or services, your data will be processed under your consent. You can withdraw this consent at any time.
Under data protection law, you have the following rights:
Right of access: You have the right to ask us for copies of your personal information.
Right to rectification: You have the right to ask us to rectify personal information you think is inaccurate or complete information you think is incomplete.
Right to erasure: You have the right to ask us to erase your personal information in certain circumstances.
Right to restriction of processing: You have the right to ask us to restrict the processing of your personal information in certain circumstances.
Right to object to processing: You have the right to object to the processing of your personal information in certain circumstances.
Right to data portability: You have the right to ask that we transfer the personal information you gave us to another organisation, or to you, in certain circumstances.
Right to withdraw consent: You have the right to withdraw consent for marketing communication at any time by contacting marketing@abertay.ac.uk.
You are not required to pay any charge for exercising your rights. If you make a request, we have one month to respond to you. However, we may pause the response timeline where we need to verify your identity or clarify the nature of your request.
When responding to a data subject access request, the University will conduct reasonable and proportionate searches to locate your personal data. This takes into account the circumstances of the request, any difficulties involved in finding the information, and your right of access to your personal data.
Our digital agency (Anything Is Possible) carry out digital advertising for us. Any personal data we share with them is sent securely using a data encryption tool and securely deleted immediately after use. We provide only the information they need to perform their advertising service and they may use it only for this exact purpose. See Anything Is Possible Privacy Policy.
We use Gecko as our Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system to manage prospective student enquiries and communications. Gecko stores and processes personal data you provide when you interact with our marketing and recruitment activities. This includes contact details, course interests, and communication preferences. Abertay University acts as the data controller, while Gecko operates as the data processor. Gecko processes this data only on our behalf and in accordance with our instructions. Data stored in Gecko is held securely within the European Economic Area. See Gecko's Privacy Policy.
We currently use Akero Engage as a backup CRM platform while our primary Gecko system is being implemented. Akero Engage temporarily stores and processes prospective student enquiries and communication data on our behalf. This includes contact details, course interests, and interaction history. Abertay University acts as the data controller, while Akero Engage operates as the data processor, processing data only in accordance with our instructions.
Abertay University will process personal information about you, collected via our partner platform, Unibuddy. Abertay University acts as the data controller, while Unibuddy operates as the data processor. The information we will request from you includes your first name, last name, email address, password, country of residence, intended level of study, and details regarding whether you have already submitted an application to Abertay University. Additionally, you will be providing personal data through chat conversations and other interactions with our student ambassadors. See Unibuddy's Privacy Policy.
The University will not sell, share or transfer your personal data to other third parties for their own purposes. We will only share personal data to comply with a legal obligation.
We may share personal data to colleagues in the University where an enquiry has been forwarded for a response, such as a specific question about a degree programme that's best answered by an academic.
Our Admissions service shares data of applicants to ensure our marketing communications go only to those who have confirmed or are yet to decide on accepting our offer.
We will hold personal data on prospective students within a secure database for a maximum of three years when used for marketing purposes, or until such time you withdraw consent.
We will hold personal data relating to an enquiry as long as necessary to handle and process it.
We will hold information on school, college and careers guidance staff indefinitely for business needs, although subject to regular review and updates as staff in these organisations change.
If you withdraw your consent to receive marketing communication, we retain your anonymised instruction for audit purposes, after which your information will be securely and permanently erased.
Our website uses Microsoft cloud storage that is load balanced between UK and international data centres. Where data is transferred outside the UK and European Economic Area (EEA), we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place through Standard Contractual Clauses or adequacy decisions.
Our Customer Relationship Management system, Gecko, stores prospective student data on secure servers located within the European Economic Area (EEA). Gecko maintains appropriate technical and organisational security measures to protect personal data and processes information only in accordance with our instructions as data controller. All data transfers and storage comply with UK data protection law requirements.
Data stored on Akero Engage (our temporary backup CRM platform) is stored in the European Economic Area (EEA), specifically in London and Ireland locations. This platform is used as an interim solution while our primary Gecko CRM system is being fully implemented.
The University will only transfer your personal data to countries outside of the EEA when satisfied that appropriate safeguards for personal privacy are in place, in accordance with UK data protection law.
You have the right to make a complaint to the University if you believe that we have not handled your personal data in accordance with data protection law. The University has established a complaints procedure to handle data protection concerns.
If you wish to make a complaint about how we have processed your personal data, you can:
Contact us at marketing@abertay.ac.uk
Contact the Data Protection Officer directly (contact details in Section 12)
Submit a complaint using our online form (available through the website)
We will acknowledge receipt of your complaint and will provide you with the outcome of our investigation within 30 days of receiving your complaint, or as soon as reasonably practicable thereafter.
If you have any concerns about our use of your personal information or wish to exercise your rights, please contact:
Data Protection Officer
Abertay University
Kydd Building
Bell Street
Dundee, DD1 1HG
Tel: 01382 308000
You also have the right to complain to the Information Commission if you are unhappy with how we have used your data.
The Information Commission's address:
Information Commission
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire, SK9 5AF
Helpline: 0303 123 1113
Website: https://www.ico.org.uk
Any changes to this Privacy Notice will be updated on our website. We recommend reviewing this notice periodically to stay informed about how we protect your information.