Data protection policies
1. What is the Data Protection Act got to do with my records?
Information held on you by the institution is governed by the Data Protection Act (1998) UK. Information can be released to a third party (e.g. your employer who may sponsor your studies) only with your written agreement.
2. What sort of information are you talking about?
All information which is held about you, including your student status, name, address, qualifications achieved, assessment results and dates of study. This includes information held electronically and in hard copy.
3. So you don't tell anyone anything?
Not quite! We are required to report to certain bodies and organisations (these are called our statutory reporting requirements) such as local councils to aid in the collection of taxes and the Higher Education Statistics Agency to confirm student enrolments and other statistical information. When you register each September you are advised of the University's statutory reporting requirements. Your completion of Online Registration is your consent to the disclosure of your information in line with these requirements . The University’s Data Protection Policy is available on our website.
4. What about my parents?
We will not release information about you or your studies to any other individuals, this includes your parents and other family members. This means that if you are out of the country, we cannot release information about your studies at the request of someone else – you need to either contact us directly, or complete and return a "Permission to Disclose" form.
5. What if I want you to tell someone about my studies, for example a potential employer?
Student Records & Registry do not hold information which would allow us to complete a request for a personal reference for you. This includes information on suitability for employment, timekeeping and attendance. Please note that the University Registrar does not hold information which would allow completion of a personal reference. You should ask a member of staff, for example a personal or year tutor, if he/she is willing to act as a referee for you. By doing so, you are telling that person that you are permitting him/her to release information about you. Please make sure that you give any potential employer the name and contact details of the member of staff who has agreed to provide the reference. If that member of staff is no longer employed by the University, you should identify and contact another current member of staff.
6. What if I want you to confirm my dates of attendance, programme of study etc for an employer, or sponsor?
If your award certificate and transcript are not sufficient for confiming your studies or you have lost these documents, you can request a Transcript / Official Letter via the Abertay Online Store at: https://onlinestore.abertay.ac.uk/ which will include information such as programme of Study, qualification achieved, dates of study, date of graduation etc. This type of information cannot be released by telephone, fax or e-mail. An official letter will normally be issued within ten working days. Please note that in busy periods, particularly between June and October, it can take longer and you should ensure that you order such documents in good time. If someone else is completing the request form on your behalf (e.g. a potential employer), you will be required to complete and submit our "Permission to Release Confidential Information" form, which you can find on our website. This is to ensure we comply with the Data Protection Act (1998) UK. You can help us speed up the processing of your request by ensuring you complete and submit the form if you know that an employer, or other individual, company or institution will be requesting information about you. There is a charge of £40 for any search of the electronic or manual records to confirm dates of attendance, programme of study, qualifications, graduation dates etc. The request will be processed once payment has been received. If you are making payment yourself, the "Permission to Release Confidential Information" form is not required.
7. What about releasing information on my performance?
A transcript of your studies can be provided. You can request this from the Abertay Online Store at:
https://onlinestore.abertay.ac.uk/ A transcript will be produced, normally within ten working days. Please note that in busy periods, particularly between June and October, it can take longer and you should ensure that you request such documents in good time. Transcripts cannot be issued by e-mail or fax and we will not confirm details of study records by telephone. If an employer, sponsor or other individual, company or institution requests information about you, you will be required to complete and submit our "Permission to Release Confidential Information" form, which you can find on our website. This is to ensure we comply with the Data Protection Act (1998) UK. There is a charge of £40 for production of a transcript. The request will be processed once payment has been received. Where you are making payment yourself, the "Permission to Release Confidential Information" form is not required.
8. ... and my course content?
You can request this via the Abertay Online Store at:
https://onlinestore.abertay.ac.uk/. This type of information cannot be released by telephone, fax or e-mail. Syllabus information will be issued, normally within ten working days of request. Please note that in busy periods, particularly between June and October, it can take longer and you should ensure that you request such documents in good time. If an employer, sponsor or other individual, company or institution requests information about you, you will be required to complete and submit our "Permission to Release Confidential Information" form, which you can find on our website. This is to ensure we comply with the Data Protection Act (1998) UK. There is a charge of £40 for Course/Module information. The request will be processed once payment has been received. Where you are making payment yourself, the "Permission to Release Confidential Information" form is not required. Where it is not possible to provide information requested, the charge will be refunded.
9. I studied with you many years ago - can you help?
The University of Abertay was awarded university status in 1994. The Open University has custody of all CNAA records – the awarding body for the institution prior to the award of university status. We will endeavour the assist with any such requests however complete information may not be available from us. The Data Protection Act applies no matter when you studied with us, and you should follow the advice given above.
10. This all sounds very complicated!
We are required to comply with the Data Protection Act (1998) UK. The "Permission to Release Confidential Information" form can be found on our website and you can help us to help you by ensuring you follow the advice given above.
