Legal entity: UNIBEE LIMITED
Company number: 17073422
Registered office: Flat 5 Kinfauns House, 51-53 Goodmayes Road, Ilford, England, IG3 9UF
Privacy contact: privacy@unibee.co.uk
UNIBEE LIMITED ("UNIBEE", "we", "us" or "our") is a UK higher-education student recruitment and education consultancy business. We help prospective students explore study options and support enquiries, eligibility discussions, applications, admissions and related student-support services. This Privacy Policy explains how we handle personal information and is designed to be read alongside any privacy information provided by a university, college, education provider, funding body or other organisation involved in your application.
We aim to handle personal information lawfully, fairly and transparently in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018, the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003 (PECR), and applicable amendments introduced by the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 (together, "Data Protection Law").
1. Purpose of this Privacy Policy
This policy applies to prospective students, applicants, students, website visitors and other individuals who contact or use UNIBEE in connection with our education consultancy and student recruitment services. It explains what information we may collect, where it comes from, why we use it, the lawful bases we rely on, who we may share it with, how long we keep it and the rights available to you.
2. Who we are and our role
UNIBEE LIMITED is the controller of personal information where we decide why and how that information is used. In some parts of an application journey, a university, college, education provider, application platform or funding organisation may be a separate controller and will have its own privacy notice. In limited circumstances, where we process information only on another organisation's documented instructions, UNIBEE may act as a processor.
3. What personal information means
Personal information is information relating to an identified or identifiable living person. It may include direct identifiers, such as a name or contact details, and information that can identify a person when combined with other data. Information that has been irreversibly anonymised so that an individual can no longer be identified is not personal information.
4. How we collect personal information
We may collect information directly from you when you complete a website form, request information, speak with a counsellor, use an eligibility or application service, attend an event, submit documents, or communicate with us by telephone, email, messaging service or social media.
We may also receive information from other sources where lawful and relevant to your enquiry or application, including:
- universities, colleges, education providers and admissions or application partners;
- referral partners or lead sources where you have asked to be contacted or the disclosure is otherwise lawful;
- employers, referees or sponsors where relevant and appropriately authorised;
- publicly available sources where use of the information is lawful; and
- technology, analytics or communications providers used to operate our services.
Where Data Protection Law requires us to provide privacy information because we received your data from another source, we will do so within the applicable period.
5. Personal information we may collect
| Category | Examples |
|---|---|
| Identity and contact data | Name, title, date of birth, postal address, email address, telephone number and other contact details. |
| Residency and eligibility data | Nationality, country of residence, immigration or residency status and information relevant to home-fee or funding eligibility, where applicable. |
| Education data | Qualifications, transcripts, education history, English-language information, certificates and other academic evidence. |
| Employment data | Employment history, work experience, CV information and professional background where relevant to entry requirements. |
| Application data | Course choices, preferred location and intake, personal statement or supporting information, identification documents and application status or outcome. |
| Funding-related data | Information you provide for guidance about Student Finance England, the Student Loans Company or another funding route. We do not determine funding eligibility. |
| Service and communication data | Enquiry records, counselling notes, correspondence, call or messaging records where retained, appointment details and support history. |
| Technical and usage data | IP address, browser and device information, pages visited, website interactions and cookie or analytics information where those technologies are used. |
| Marketing preferences | Your choices about receiving course, intake, event or service communications and records of consent or opt-out requests. |
6. Special category and other sensitive information
Some applications or support requests may involve information given additional protection under Data Protection Law, for example health or disability information, racial or ethnic origin, religious or philosophical beliefs, or other equality-monitoring information. We apply data minimisation and only process this information when it is genuinely needed and both an Article 6 lawful basis and an appropriate Article 9 condition apply.
Depending on the circumstances, this may include your explicit consent or another condition permitted by law. Where a Schedule 1 condition under the Data Protection Act 2018 requires an appropriate policy document, we will maintain one. We do not use special category information for direct marketing.
If criminal-offence information is ever required for a particular education or safeguarding purpose, we will process it only where the law permits and with the additional safeguards required by Data Protection Law.
7. How we use your information and our lawful bases
We use personal information only where we have a lawful reason. The basis may differ according to the service, the stage of your application and the type of information involved.
| Purpose | Typical lawful basis | Why this may be necessary |
|---|---|---|
| Responding to enquiries and discussing study options | Legitimate interests; and, where applicable, steps taken at your request before entering into a contract for our services. | To answer your request and provide relevant course, intake and admissions information. |
| Assessing your circumstances against published entry or eligibility requirements | Legitimate interests; pre-contract steps where applicable. | To help identify potentially suitable study options. Final eligibility decisions remain with the relevant institution or funding body. |
| Preparing, submitting and progressing an application at your request | Pre-contract steps and/or performance of a contract; legitimate interests; legal obligation where applicable. | To provide the application support you have requested and communicate with the relevant institution or application partner. |
| Providing funding or Student Finance guidance | Legitimate interests; pre-contract steps where applicable; consent where required for a specific disclosure. | To explain possible funding routes or support you with information you choose to provide. Funding decisions are made by the responsible funding body. |
| Supporting disability-related adjustments or other needs involving special category data | An Article 6 basis plus an Article 9 condition, such as explicit consent where appropriate, or another condition permitted by law. | To communicate support needs or reasonable-adjustment information when you ask us to do so and it is necessary. |
| Maintaining application, service, audit and complaint records | Legitimate interests; legal obligation where applicable. | To operate responsibly, evidence services provided, handle disputes and meet accountability requirements. |
| Preventing fraud, misuse and protecting our systems | Legitimate interests; legal obligation where applicable. | To protect applicants, UNIBEE, partner organisations and our technology from misuse or unlawful activity. |
| Improving our website and services | Legitimate interests; consent where required for non-essential cookies or similar technologies. | To understand service performance and improve user experience while respecting applicable cookie rules. |
| Sending direct marketing about relevant courses, intakes or services | Consent where required; or legitimate interests/PECR soft opt-in only where the legal requirements are met. | To provide relevant updates while respecting your marketing choices and right to opt out. |
Where we rely on legitimate interests, we consider the purpose, necessity and impact on your rights and freedoms. Where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time without affecting processing that was lawful before withdrawal.
8. If you do not provide information
You are not required to provide every item of information we may request. However, some information may be necessary to answer a specific eligibility question, verify an application requirement, submit an application or provide a requested service. If required information is not provided, we may be unable to complete that part of the service. We will explain where information is mandatory and why, where appropriate.
9. Personal information received from third parties
| Possible source | Information we may receive |
|---|---|
| Universities, colleges and education providers | Application progress, requests for further documents, admissions decisions and other information relevant to an application we are supporting. |
| Application or admissions platforms | Application status, document requests and information required to progress an application. |
| Referral or marketing partners | Contact details and the nature of your enquiry where you have asked to hear from us or another lawful basis applies. |
| Employers, referees or sponsors | Employment, reference or sponsorship information where relevant and appropriately authorised. |
| Public sources | Information that is lawfully available and relevant to a legitimate business, verification or compliance purpose. |
10. When and how we share personal information
We share information only where there is a lawful basis and the disclosure is reasonably necessary for the relevant purpose. Depending on your circumstances, recipients may include:
| Recipient category | Why information may be shared |
|---|---|
| Universities, colleges and education providers | To assess or progress an enquiry or application, verify supporting information and communicate an admissions outcome. |
| Application and admissions partners or platforms | To submit or administer an application you have asked us to support. |
| Student Loans Company or another relevant funding body, where applicable | Only where a disclosure is necessary and lawful in connection with support you have requested. UNIBEE does not make funding decisions. |
| IT, CRM, hosting, communications and other service providers | To operate our systems and services. Where they act as our processors, they may use information only for agreed purposes and subject to appropriate contractual controls. |
| Professional advisers, insurers, auditors and accountants | Where necessary for professional advice, business administration, audit, insurance or legal claims. |
| Regulators, courts, law-enforcement bodies or public authorities | Where disclosure is required or permitted by law, or necessary to establish, exercise or defend legal rights. |
| A purchaser or successor organisation | Where necessary in connection with a genuine corporate sale, restructuring or transfer, subject to appropriate confidentiality and data-protection safeguards. |
UNIBEE does not sell personal information.
11. Partner institutions and separate privacy notices
When your information is sent to a university, college, education provider, application platform or funding body, that organisation may use the information for its own purposes as a separate controller. Its privacy notice will explain its processing. You should read the relevant partner's privacy information as part of your application journey.
12. International transfers
Some education partners or service providers may process personal information outside the United Kingdom. Where this amounts to a restricted transfer under UK Data Protection Law, we will ensure that an appropriate transfer mechanism applies, such as UK adequacy regulations, appropriate safeguards (which may include approved contractual mechanisms), or another lawful exception where permitted. You may contact us for more information about the safeguards relevant to your information.
13. Marketing communications
We may send information about relevant courses, intakes, events or services where permitted by UK GDPR and PECR. For electronic marketing to individuals, we will obtain consent where required or rely on the products-and-services soft opt-in only where all legal conditions are satisfied. We will provide a clear opportunity to opt out where required.
You can stop direct marketing at any time by using the unsubscribe option in a message, where provided, or by contacting privacy@unibee.co.uk. We may keep a minimal suppression record so that we can respect your request not to receive further marketing.
14. Cookies and similar technologies
Our website may use cookies or similar technologies. Technologies that are strictly necessary for the operation or security of the website may be used where permitted by law. If we use non-essential analytics, advertising or similar technologies that require consent, they should not be activated until the required consent has been obtained. Where applicable, further details and controls will be provided through our cookie information or consent mechanism.
15. Automated decision-making and profiling
UNIBEE does not currently make admissions, funding or other decisions that produce legal or similarly significant effects on you solely by automated means. We may use tools to organise enquiries, match stated preferences or support counsellors, but meaningful decisions about your support remain subject to human involvement. Universities, colleges and funding bodies may operate their own systems and should explain any relevant automated decision-making in their own privacy notices.
16. How long we keep personal information
We keep personal information only for as long as necessary for the purpose for which it was collected and for any related legal, regulatory, audit, complaint or legal-claims requirements. The period will depend on the nature and sensitivity of the information, the stage and outcome of an enquiry or application, our relationship with the relevant education provider, and applicable legal or contractual requirements.
When information is no longer required, we will delete, anonymise or securely dispose of it where appropriate. If you ask us to stop marketing, we may retain limited suppression information so that we can continue to honour that request.
17. Security of your information
We use appropriate organisational and technical measures designed to protect personal information from accidental or unlawful destruction, loss, alteration, unauthorised disclosure or access. Access is limited to staff, contractors and service providers who have a legitimate need to use the information and who are subject to appropriate confidentiality or contractual obligations.
We maintain procedures for responding to suspected personal-data breaches and will notify affected individuals and the ICO where Data Protection Law requires us to do so.
18. Children and younger applicants
Our higher-education recruitment services are primarily intended for adults. If we provide a service to an applicant under 18, we will take account of the applicant's age, capacity and best interests, provide privacy information in an appropriate way, and involve a parent or guardian where this is appropriate and lawful. We do not knowingly use children's personal information for behavioural advertising.
19. Your data protection rights
Depending on the circumstances and the lawful basis used, you may have rights to:
- request access to your personal information;
- ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information;
- request erasure in circumstances where the right applies;
- request restriction of processing;
- object to processing based on legitimate interests;
- object at any time to direct marketing;
- request data portability where the right applies;
- withdraw consent where processing is based on consent; and
- raise concerns about qualifying solely automated decisions, where applicable.
To exercise a right, email privacy@unibee.co.uk. We may ask for information reasonably necessary to verify your identity. Rights are not absolute and may be subject to legal exemptions or limitations.
20. Data protection complaints
If you believe we have handled your personal information incorrectly, you can make a data protection complaint by emailing privacy@unibee.co.uk or writing to our registered office. We will provide a clear route for complaints, acknowledge a data protection complaint within 30 days, take appropriate steps to investigate it without undue delay, keep you appropriately informed and communicate the outcome.
You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), the UK's data protection regulator. We would appreciate the opportunity to address your concern first, but this does not affect your right to contact the ICO.
21. Third-party websites
Our website may link to universities, colleges, education providers or other third-party websites. We do not control those organisations' privacy practices. Please read their privacy notices before providing personal information directly to them.
22. Changes to this Privacy Policy
We may update this policy to reflect changes in our services, legal requirements, technology or data-handling practices. The current version will be published on this page with its latest update date. Where a change materially affects how we use personal information, we will take reasonable steps to bring it to the attention of affected individuals where required.
23. Contact us
Company number: 17073422
Registered office: Flat 5 Kinfauns House, 51-53 Goodmayes Road, Ilford, England, IG3 9UF
Privacy enquiries and rights requests: privacy@unibee.co.uk