Dumfries & Galloway College (the College) is providing you with this information to comply with data protection law to ensure that you are fully informed and that we are transparent in how we collect and use your personal data.
Your privacy and trust are very important to us and this Privacy Notice provides essential information about how the College handles your personal data and the rights you have in relation to how we use your data. The College is committed to complying with all applicable Data Protection legislation.
Who are we?
Dumfries & Galloway College is the ‘Controller’ and is responsible for looking after the personal data that you provide.
Registered office:
Dumfries & Galloway College
Bankend Road
Dumfries
DG1 4FD
For any queries or concerns about how your personal data is being processed you can contact the Data Protection Officer (DPO) at DPO@dumgal.ac.uk.
This privacy notice relates to the following process: Student Funding Application process
This process applies to Bursaries, Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA), Discretionary and Childcare applications.
We use the information you provide when you make an application for funding so that we can identify and communicate with you about your application and assess your application for funding support.
Purpose for processing – why do we collect information about you?
We collect and use your information for the following purposes:
This data is collected in order to process your Funding Application(s). The College administers Education Maintenance Awards (EMAs), National Further Education Bursary Awards, Childcare applications, and Discretionary Funding applications on behalf of the Scottish Funding Council and this Funding Application will determine your eligibility for these awards.
For students studying a Higher Education (HE) course, these awards are administered on behalf of the Students Award Agency for Scotland (SAAS) and this application will determine your eligibility.
The information collected may be used for approved audit purposes and to ensure compliance with SFC and SAAS policies.
The College may use your contact details to contact you to offer help with your application if you start to fill in the application form but do not complete it. In the event that any of the data is optional, the online application form will make this clear. If you provide us with personal data about a third party (for example details of your household income), you are responsible for getting the express consent from the third party for the disclosure and use of their personal data.
Our lawful bases (reasons) for processing your information are:
The College collects this data under official authority from the Further and Higher Education (Scotland) Act 2005 (FHESA 2005) and Post-16 Education (Scotland) Act 2013.
- Where the data collected is categorised, under data protection law, as “special category data this processing is necessary for reasons of substantial public interest as part of our obligation to provide the information to the Scottish Funding Council or SAAS– Equality and Diversity Act 2010.
What information do we collect about you?
We collect the following personal data as part of your Funding Applications:
- Login details (including secure password)
- Contact information, including your name, date of birth, address, email, phone number
- Gender
- Demographic information such as postcode
- Information relating to other household members – Parent’s or Partner’s details, including name, address, marital status, income and employment details, details of other dependents;
- Dependents’ details including name, date of birth, relationship to you, student award details; •
- Financial details about your income, Current and previous benefit claims, income from employment or any other income and bank details for payment.
- Employment history details – Previous and current employment details such as name and address of employer, previous and current levels of income
- Education history – Previous education details such as institution, attendance dates, previous funding award;
- Medical history – Evidence of medical condition necessary if alternative form of transport requested or reduced attendance pattern necessary
- Childcare providers details – address, email, phone number, bank account details.
- UK residency details such as country of birth, nationality, residency, country you normally live in;
We also ask for some “special category data” or “sensitive data:”
Learning disability information to be considered for any additional support needs costs. This information may be shared with the Student Support & Guidance Team and the Student Funding Team. This enables the College to meet its duties under the Equality Act 2010. You are not obliged to provide this information but without such, you cannot be considered for any additional support needs costs from student support funds such as taxi transportation, specialist equipment, scribes for in class support.
Ethnic origin for the purpose of reporting to our Funders. You are not obliged to provide this information. If you choose to withhold this information this will not have any negative impact on the outcome of your funding application.
Evidence of having been looked after by a local authority and potential benefit entitlement must be submitted by those students wishing to apply for the Care Experienced Bursary. You are not obliged to provide this information but without such, you cannot be considered for this higher rate non-means tested award.
How do we collect it?
The Student Funding Department collects the information you provide on the online Bursary /EMA Application, Discretionary Application or Childcare Application form with additional information requested and/or provided by you in a number of ways including digital formats, email, telephone and face-to-face enquiries.
You are contractually bound to provide your personal information for the purpose of applying for financial support whilst enrolled at College. The provision of any “special category data” or “sensitive data” is optional.
If you were to withhold the information we require for this process, the consequences would be:
We would not be able to assess your funding application or provide access to financial support.
Who do we share your information with?
The Student Funding Department has to meet its legal obligations as part of its business function. This includes sharing your information with other organisations. For statistical reporting internally and for some external reporting purposes, we remove your personal information before sharing your data so that it is anonymous and you cannot be identified.
The organisations we share your personal data with include:
- Bursary/EMA Applications: this data is shared with the Scottish Funding Council, under the above provisions, via various statistical returns which are audited by College appointed auditors.
- Childcare Fund Applications: Childcare Providers if consent given this data is also shared with the Scottish Funding Council, under the above provisions, via various statistical returns which are audited by College appointed auditors.
- Discretionary Fund Applications: For students studying a Further Education (FE) course, this data is also shared with the Scottish Funding Council. For students studying a Higher Education (HE) course, this data is also shared with Students Award Agency for Scotland (SAAS)
- Department of Work and Pensions (DWP): only if a student withdraws from a course a request may be made for payment details
- Data may also be shared with other relevant government agencies where the processing is necessary for reasons of substantial public interest as required of the College to comply with the Equality Act 2010.
- In the event that a third-party payment is required for a taxi then your name and address will be shared with the taxi provider as necessary pick-up information.
- In the event of a system failure or other software error, your data may be shared with one of our suppliers, Inisoft Ltd. As the Data Controller, the College will make sure that any third-party information we share your data with are compliant with GDPR. The College will not share your information with any other third parties and your data will not be held outside of the EU.
- Other college departments: Student Support & Guidance Team have limited access to Student Funding database
- We may also share your information with other third parties, specifically your parent or partner, but only if you have given your specific named consent on the Bursary/EMA Declaration to share this.
Details of data transfers to any third countries or international organisations
The College will not share your personal information with any third parties or use the information provided for any purpose other than outlined above.
How do we look after your information and how long do we keep it for?
We will take all reasonable steps to prevent the loss, misuse or alteration of information you give us. Your personal information will be stored securely and will only be accessed by authorised staff, agents, contractors and other organisations who have a business need to know. They will only process your personal information on our instructions and they are subject to a duty of confidentiality and must comply with data protection law.
We have put in place procedures to deal with any suspected data security breach and will notify you and any applicable regulator of a suspected breach where we are legally required to do so.
We will take all reasonable steps to prevent the loss, misuse, or alteration of information you give us. Your personal information will be stored securely and will only be accessed by authorised staff, agents, contractors and other organisations who have a business need to know. They will only process your personal information on our instructions, and they are subject to a duty of confidentiality and must comply with data protection law.
We have put in place procedures to deal with any suspected data security breach and will notify you and any applicable regulator of a suspected breach where we are legally required to do so.
The length of time your information will be kept for depends on what funds you have applied for or have been awarded. The table below details how long your information will be retained and then will be destroyed confidentially. The retention period commences from the end date of the academic session.
| Fund Type | Retention Period |
| Bursary | 1 year from the end date of your academic session |
| Education Maintenance Allowance | 6 years from the end date of your academic session |
| Childcare | 1 year from the end date of your academic session |
| Discretionary | 1 year from the end date of your academic session |
Automated decision making processes, including profiling
We do not use any automated decision-making about you.
Your rights
Under data protection law you have certain rights in relation to how the College manages and uses your personal information:
- The right to be informed (this is the Privacy Notice)
- The right to access your personal data
- The right to rectification if the personal data we hold about you is incorrect
- The right to restrict processing of your personal data
In addition the following rights apply only in certain circumstances:
- The right to withdraw consent at any time (if consent is our lawful basis for processing your data)
- The right to object to our processing of your personal data
- The right to request erasure (deletion) of your personal data
- The right to data portability
- The right not to be subject to automated decision-making including profiling.
For more information about your rights please see www.ico.org.uk.
Contact us
If you have any issues about this notice or the way the College has handled your personal information, please contact our Data Protection Officer in the first instance:
email DPO@dumgal.ac.uk
Telephone: 01387 734 364 or write to:
Data Protection Officer
Dumfries & Galloway College
Bankend Road
Dumfries
DG1 4FD
Complaints to UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO)
If you are dissatisfied with the response from the College you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office about our handling of your data:
You can do this online: ICO Online
By telephone: 0303 123 1113
Or write to:
Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF