This privacy notice explains when and why we collect personal information about you when you apply to study at BNU and when you enrol on a course with us and how we will use this information including the ways we might share this with others.  It also explains how we keep your information secure and the rights you have in relation to the information we hold about you.

Data collected at application will be used for the purposes of enrolment into the university. If your application is successful and you then accept an offer you enter into a contract with the university. You will be asked to confirm or edit data collected within your application form and agree to the terms and conditions of enrolment at BNU.

The enrolment process must be completed annually, before or at the start of each academic year of study throughout the duration of study with the university.

We collect and use your information for the following purposes as part of the application and enrolment process.

Purpose 1: Provision of academic courses and programmes.

We collect and use your information to: 

• maintain student records (to ensure we have the correct data for current students)
• provide core teaching, learning and support services (e.g. enrolment, attendance, managing progression, academic misconduct investigations, assessment, certification and graduation)
• enable the provision of teaching and learning, on campus and/or using Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs), which may include the recording of teaching sessions
• produce student ID cards
• provide advice and support to you, including careers guidance and information about educational programmes and services
• providing mental health and wellbeing support
• register your details with relevant professional bodies if the course of study you are enrolled on is accredited
• deal with appeals, complaints, and disciplinary matters promptly and fairly.
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Purpose 2: Provision of support services for academic courses and programmes.

We collect and use your information to: 

• provide additional support services for those who wish to receive it, including disability services and any reasonable adjustments required under Equalities legislation
• fulfil statutory obligations related to disability, protected characteristics, and other priority groups
• undertake an occupational health assessment to make sure that you can safely take part in course activities
• where required completing fitness to practice assessments
• to protect your vital interests e.g., in an emergency situation.

Purpose 3: Carrying out immigration checks and providing immigration advice and support.

We collect and use your information to: 

•  provide support and assistance to you if you are an international student and have received an offer from BNU, with regard to your immigration status and visa applications
• fulfil our sponsor duties for those students studying with us on a UKVI Student Route Visa.

Purpose 4: Administration of funding and fees.

We collect and use your information to: 

• identify your fee status
• administer and collect payment of course fees from you, or your sponsor
• assist you with, and contact you about your entitlement to financial support, bursaries, scholarships and discretionary funds and make arrangements for the payment of these to you in the event you are successful
• administer and collect payments for use of university resources and over payment of any student support funds.

Purpose 5: Provision of IT and Library services.

We collect and use your information to: 

• provide access to library, IT and information services (for example, access to email, Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) and library services).

Purpose 6: Completing statutory returns and statistical analysis.

We collect and use your information to: 

• complete statutory returns to external bodies such as the Higher Education Statistical Agency (HESA) and the Office for Students (OfS)
• for other administrative purposes, including carrying out internal statistical analysis for academic standards, student support, quality assurance and enhancement, business management and improvement purposes.

Purpose 7: Criminal records information and disclosure and barring checks.

For courses that require you to undertake a placement in a healthcare or clinical setting or work with vulnerable individuals we collect and use your information to:

• carry out DBS checks to make sure that you are not barred from this type of work.

Purpose 8: To manage your application to study at BNU. 

We collect and use your information to:

• create a student application record
• assess your application to study at BNU, including your fees status
• assess your eligibility to study on your chosen course
• form a decision about your application with a view to accepting or rejecting your application
• communicate with you about your application.

The legal bases that we use in order to legally process the information you provide to us during the enrolment process is:

Contract Article 6 (1)(b). The Purpose is necessary for the performance of a contract with you or to take steps, at your request, before entering into such a contract. This is the contract between the University and its students research staff and other parties to provide educational and other products and/or services and ensuring you can take part in key aspects of your course.  It can also relate to the contact the University has with UCAS.

This legal basis will be used to achieve the following purposes:

• Purpose 4: Administration of funding and fees
• Purpose 8: To manage your application to study at BNU

Legal Obligation Article 6 (1)(c). The processing is necessary for compliance with a legal obligation. This includes the return of statistical data and reports to satisfy various agencies that the University’s academic standards and funding arrangements are sufficient, and our obligations are being met.

This legal basis will be used to achieve the following purposes:

• Purpose 3: Carrying out immigration checksand providing immigration advice and support
• Purpose 6: Completing statutory returns
• Purpose 7: Criminal records information and disclosure and barring checks

Public Task Article 6 (1)(e). BNU will process your personal data in order to carry out our tasks in the public interest in our capacity as a Higher Education Institution to achieve the following purposes:

• Purpose 1: Provision of academic courses and programmes
• Purpose 2: Provision of support services for academic courses and programmes
• Purpose 5: Provision of IT and Library services

Special Category Data

The data being used includes special category data. Our legal reasons for using this special category data, where you provide it to us, are:

Purpose 2: Provision of support services for academic courses and programmes.

As part of your enrolment you may disclose sensitive personal data. Processing is necessary for reasons of substantial public interest Article 9 (2)(g). This data will be used for the purposes of support and protection as required under the university’s statutory obligations as enacted in the Further & Higher Education Act 1992, Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 and Equality Act 2010. The processing may also be required for the purposes of employment law or assessing the work capabilities of individuals (including working on placement or in practical elements of study).

Purpose 6: Completing statutory returns and statistical analysis.

BNU will provide special category data to the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). We share data on the basis that it is necessary for reasons of substantial public interest on the basis of law Article 9 (2)(g) as required by the Further & Higher Education Act 1992.

Purpose 7: Criminal records information and disclosure and barring checks.

BNU is required to conduct a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) and other safeguarding checks for some of its courses to protect the public. The University is required to process special category and criminal convictions data as it has a legal obligation Article 9 (2)(c) to undertake such checks and protect the public.

Our legal basis for processing any criminal data disclosed by a DBS check is for reasons of substantial public interest Article 9 (2)(g) to meet the university’s statutory requirement to fulfil its duties under the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006. BNU also has a requirement to ensure that students meet the regulatory standards for professional study and practice as set by the relevant professional body.

Data collected at application will be used for the purposes of enrolment into the university. This means that you only have to provide your information to us once. If you are offered a place on a course and accept the offer, information you provide in your application form will be prepopulated into your student record.

The personal information we collect includes:

• personal contact details, including address, email, and telephone numbers
• date of birth
• equalities monitoring information, such as marital status and whether you are care experienced
• information about your residency status and nationality
• education qualifications
• information about your funding status
• identification and visa documents
• next of kin and emergency contact details

We also ask for some ‘special category data’. This is personal information which is more sensitive. You only have to provide this information to us if you want to. We will ask you about:

• gender
• sexual orientation
• ethnicity
• disability and health data which includes mental health and learning support

This allows us to carry out statistical analysis to ensure we are advancing equality of opportunity and treatment for all student groups. This enables the University to meet its duties under the Equality Act 2010. The Data Protection Act 2018 also allows us to process your information for this purpose (but only where you have chosen to provide this data).

If you are on a course of study that requires you to undertake a placement in a healthcare or clinical setting or work with vulnerable individuals we will collect Criminal Conviction Information including DBS checks.

Most of the information above will have been provided by you and will have been collected through the application/enrolment process or when you enquire about our services in person, on the phone or by email. Other information may be added to your student record when you provide it throughout your student life.

Some information, such as references, will have been provided by named contacts that you have given to the University. Other information may be provided to us by relevant third parties, such as medical professionals, UCAS or the Disclosure and Barring Service.

The above lists are not exhaustive but are indicative of the main types of personal information processed by the University about you.

Your personal information will be shared with the organisations listed below. Any information will be disclosed in accordance with the provisions and obligations of the Data Protection Act. Please note this is not an exhaustive list and your data may also be shared in accordance with the wider university privacy notices which can be accessed here .

We may transfer you personal data outside the UK in the following circumstances:

Where we use a cloud-based IT system to hold your data, and the data in the cloud is stored on servers located outside the UK in a country which is not subject to an adequacy decision.  In these circumstances we safeguard your data through undertaking appropriate checks on the levels of security offered by the cloud provider and entering into a contract with them which applies protections of the same type and level required by data protection laws within the UK.

Your data will be retained for six years after the end of the academic year in which you studied the course you have enrolled for. Further information on retention is available in the Records Lifecycle Management Scheme; a summary of which can be accessed at https://bnu.ac.uk/policies.

The following rights apply to the personal data collected in this notice. Please contact dpofficer@bnu.ac.uk if you wish to exercise your rights: 

• Right of access to confirmation of processing and copies of your personal data 
• Right to rectification if personal data we hold about you is incorrect
• Right to restrict processing of your personal data 
• Right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office about how we handle your data. 

In some circumstances you also have the following rights: 

• Right to object to our processing of your personal data 
• Right to request erasure of your personal data (deletion) 
• Right to data portability

If you have any concerns with regards to the way your personal data is being processed or have a query about this Notice, you can contact the Data Protection Officer directly by e-mail dpofficer@bnu.ac.uk  or by post. 

Data Protection Officer 
Buckinghamshire New University 
Queen Alexandra Road
High Wycombe 
Buckinghamshire
HP11 2JZ 

If you remain unhappy with any aspect of the way your personal data is being processed then we ask that you discuss this with us first, however if you remain dissatisfied then you have the right to complain to the Information Commissioners Office: 

Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane 
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF 

https://ico.org.uk  

BNU is registered as a controller with the Information Commissioner’s Office. Our registration number is: Z772474X

We review our privacy notices on an annual basis or more regularly if required. 

This notice was last reviewed on 13 September 2023.