Governance and Compliance

We collect personal information from you as part of the application/enrolment process and during your studies in order to provide our Services. The categories of personal information that we may collect, store and use about you include (but are not limited to):

• Name, address, telephone number & email address
• Passport details including your date of birth, gender, nationality, country of birth
• Immigration and Visa information
• School records, qualifications and work experience history
• Supporting documentation in relation to your application, including references, personal statements, interview notes etc
• Information about any dependents and whether you are a care leaver
• Any disability/access requirements or medical issues
• Any information you provide to access specialist support/services at UoL
• Tuition fee and payment details
• Visual images / photographs (including CCTV)
• Computing and email information including login details, network access and library usage
• Information relating to your attendance, engagement, assessments/exams and any student contention processes you may be involved in
• Special category data including ethnicity, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, health & disability information etc
• Criminal convictions or offences data, where you provide as part of your application, or where a DBS check is required for the programme of study you are applying to

In addition to the personal data we collect directly from you, the University may process personal information about you from a range of sources, which include:

• Third parties such as UCAS, Student Loans Company or from sponsors
• Recruitment agents (if applicable)
• Referees such as previous employers, your school/college etc
• Data generated by University staff, such as during tutorials/lectures/seminars/workshops, open days and recruitment fairs, and information related to your attendance and accommodation at UoL
• CCTV use around campus
• Interactions you have with Services at UoL including Student Wellbeing, Student Support etc
• Immigration authorities
• Enquiries and complaints from individuals or organisations

We use your personal information for the following purposes:

• To consider your eligibility for your chosen programme of study and if appropriate, make you an offer of a place at UoL
• For the administration of your studies including maintaining your student record, assessing your progress, recording information about your assessments/results and any placements you attend, recording engagement with any relevant student contention processes relating to your study
• Process all financial transactions to and from UoL, including tuition fee payments, grants & benefits
• Manage studentships for students on Research Programmes
• Provide appropriate careers/employability, learning, health and wellbeing support
• The administration of bursaries, scholarship & hardship funds
• To facilitate our role as a Tier 4 Sponsor
• To monitor your attendance and engagement in order to personalise your academic experience, improve your learning outcomes and target appropriate support
• To carry out our contractual obligations with you which will include the operation and delivery of any services you have requested, deal with requests and enquiries
• To communicate relevant information relating to your studies or student experience, including via post, email or phone. This includes contacting you (or your next of kin) in emergency situations
• To deliver various facilities and services, such as the provision of your student ID card, ICT facilities (such as providing you with a University account), access to the Library and Sports Centre etc
• To enable your attendance at UoL events, such as Graduation & Careers Fayres
• To provide you with information on products or services that you may request from us, or which we feel may be of interest to you. This will include disclosing personal data to the Students’ Union, employability services, accommodation providers, student health providers and other third parties, such as appointed service providers, from time to time.
• To administer UoL Governance, Student Contention, Audit and Quality Assurance Processes
• For security, safety and disciplinary purposes (through use of CCTV etc)
• For safeguarding and wellbeing purposes, including contacting your nominated person where the University has serious concerns about your wellbeing
• To understand student satisfaction and preparedness at UoL
• Following graduation to provide you with information about our Alumni services
• To notify you about changes to our services
• To collage information and statistics in order to fulfil statutory reporting requirements
• To manage and develop the University’s business and student experience
• To support local authorities in fulfilling their public obligations
• To ensure we meet our statutory obligations, including those related to diversity and equal opportunities
• Where it is necessary to comply with a legal obligation

Cookies

The University occasionally uses cookies and other technologies on its website that collect data about you when you use them. Where this occurs, further information will be available in a cookies policy. The cookies policy for the University website can be found here

The University processes your personal information because it is necessary:

• For performing the contract you have with the University (providing and managing your studies, accommodation services, library access)
• For the performance of tasks carried out by the University in the public interest (providing higher education, teaching, research, and public funding i.e. tuition fees and other payments)
• For compliance with any legal or regulatory obligation placed upon the University (equalities monitoring, providing information to the Government or governmental bodies, providing information to local authorities, track and trace contacting)
• For fulfilling the legitimate interests of the University, students, or others (to plan, deliver and review UoL services and facilities)
• To protect the vital interests of the data subject or of another personal (e.g. in cases of medical emergencies)
• Because you have consented to the processing (i.e. special category information provided by yourself to support an extenuating circumstances application). If we require your consent, we will obtain your consent at the point we collect the data and will tell you how we will use it, why we’re using it and how you can withdraw your consent

Where the University processes criminal convictions or offences data, it does so in order to fulfil its public task in providing higher education, to comply with legal or regulatory duties, or to detect and preventing unlawful acts. This information will be processed in order to:

• comply with a programme’s regulatory requirements in order to determine your suitability to study or to practise in a regulated profession;
• ensure that we adequately assess any risk posed to the wider University community and put any appropriate supportive measures in place.

We may share your personal information within the University or with other third parties/organisations where necessary to provide Services or conduct our business operations. We share personal information in accordance with data protection and information security requirements. The University may share your information with the following:

• University staff – those who require the information for administrative, teaching, research, assessment & student support purposes
• University of Lincoln Students’ Union (ULSU) – when you enrol, unless you opt-out, you will become a member of the ULSU. We share your information to enable the ULSU to provide services and support to you
• Office for Students (OfS)/HESA/ESFA – the University has a legal obligation to provide information regarding students to these organisations
• National Student Survey (NSS) – your contact details may be passed to survey contractors to carry out the National Student Survey (NSS) and surveys of student finances, on behalf of some organisations to help carry out public functions connected with education in the UK.
• Student Loans Company and other external scholarship/funding providers
• UK Visas and Immigration – in conjunction with Tier 4 visa holders and students that are not UK nationals
• Office of the Independent Adjudicator – in relation to a complaint made to the OIA, all information held that is relevant to your complaint will be shared with the OIA upon their request
• Professional and Regulatory Bodies – related to the confirmation of qualifications, professional registration and accreditation of courses
• Sponsors and Employers – necessary in cases where you are being funded to undertake your course
• Placement providers – where your course requires you to undertake a placement with another organisation, we may share some of your information with that provider
• Partner Organisations – in cases where a course is being delivered jointly, or collaboratively with another institution
• Study Group – if you are a former student of Study Group, we may need to pass your personal data to SG in the form of an invoice or progress report
• Debt Collection Agency – in relation to unpaid University fees
• Auditors – UoL has a statutory obligation to be audited each year by a registered audit firm. It may be necessary to share student information in relation to such audits
• Payment System Providers- in relation to online payments
• Examination Providers – to allow external providers to manage examinations for specific subject areas
• Local Authorities – if eligible for council tax exemption, the University is required to provide your details to the relevant local authority

The above list is not exhaustive.

We use a number of suppliers who process personal information on our behalf. These include suppliers of software services. These act strictly on our instructions and must not use the information for their own purposes.

In exceptional circumstances we may be asked to share your information with police or other investigators if it would prevent or detect crime or safeguard a person’s wellbeing. Each instance will be judged on its own merit and any sharing of information will be done within the law.

We will only retain your personal information for as long as it is necessary to fulfil the purpose(s) for which it was collected (unless otherwise advised) and in accordance with the University’s records retention schedule.

Most student information is held for the duration of your course plus one further academic year. Some personal information is held for audit purposes beyond this time and the relevant retention period depends on the type of audit (usually up to 7 years). Some personal information will be held for statistical reporting purposes and analysis for a further 6 years. Data from complaints, appeals, disciplinary, fitness to practice and fitness to study cases are kept for 6 years in case of further queries or actions. Your core student record, including details of your award is kept permanently so that your award can be verified in the long-term to future employers and educational providers.

Data will be kept securely and destroyed when no longer required. The University may also decide to archive some data. For more information regarding the retention of your personal data please contact the Information Compliance team at compliance@lincoln.ac.uk

In some circumstances the University may need to transfer your personal data outside the European Economic Area (EEA). If this is the case the University will make every effort to ensure that there are adequate levels of protection and safeguards in place so that your data is handled appropriately and securely in accordance with data protection laws.

You have a number of rights relating to your personal information. These include:

How to object or withdraw consent

If you object to our use of your personal information, then we must stop unless we can demonstrate compelling legitimate grounds for continuing. Please contact the Information Compliance team and explain your objection.

If you have provided your consent for the use of your personal information then you can withdraw this consent at any time. Consent can be withdrawn by contacting the Information Compliance team who will consider your request in accordance with data protection laws.

For general enquiries please call 01522 88 2000 or write to University of Lincoln, Brayford Pool, Lincoln, LN6 7TS.You can find contact details for individual teams and staff by visiting https://staff.lincoln.ac.uk

If you have a query about your personal information rights then please contact the Information Compliance team by email on compliance@lincoln.ac.uk

How to complain

If you feel that we have let you down in relation to your information rights, then please contact the Information Compliance team on the details above. You can also make complaints directly to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). The ICO is the independent authority upholding information rights for the UK. Their website is ico.org.uk and their telephone helpline number is 0303 123 1113.