1. Introduction

M-GIBES College (“we”, “our”, “us” or “the College”) is committed to protecting the privacy and personal information of prospective students, enrolled students, programme participants, website visitors and other individuals who interact with us.

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, protect and share personal information when you visit our website, make an enquiry, apply for a programme, enrol with us or use our services.

By using our website or submitting your personal information to us, you acknowledge that you have read this Privacy Policy.

2. Personal Information We Collect

Depending on your interaction with the College, we may collect the following information:

A. Personal and Contact Information

• Full name
• Email address
• Telephone number and WhatsApp contact
• Residential or mailing address
• Country of residence
• Date of birth, where required

B. Academic and Application Information

• Educational qualifications and academic history
• Programme of interest
• Application forms and supporting documents
• Certificates, transcripts and identification documents
• Employment history and professional experience, where relevant
• Application, admission and enrolment status

C. Payment Information

• Payment records and transaction references
• Programme fees and payment status
• Billing information where required

Payments may be processed through third-party payment providers. We do not intend to collect or store complete payment card details where these are handled directly by the payment provider.

D. Website and Technical Information

When you visit our website, we may automatically collect certain technical information, including:

• IP address
• Browser type and device information
• Pages visited and time spent on the website
• Referral sources and website interaction data
• Cookies and similar tracking technologies

3. How We Collect Your Information

We collect personal information through:

• Enquiry and contact forms on our website.
• Programme application and registration forms.
• Email, telephone and WhatsApp communications.
• Student admission and enrolment processes.
• Online learning platforms and other academic systems.
• Payment and transaction processes.
• Cookies, website analytics and other digital technologies.
• Third-party referral or recruitment partners, where applicable and lawfully permitted.

4. How We Use Your Information

We use your personal information for legitimate educational, administrative and business purposes, including:

1. Responding to programme enquiries and requests for information.
2. Processing applications and determining admission eligibility.
3. Managing student registration, enrolment and academic records.
4. Communicating programme information, schedules, updates and announcements.
5. Managing payments, invoices and financial records.
6. Providing academic support and administering student participation.
7. Issuing certificates, academic documents and other programme-related records.
8. Evaluating and improving our programmes, services and website.
9. Sending relevant promotional information about our programmes and services, where permitted.
10. Meeting applicable legal, regulatory and accreditation requirements.
11. Preventing fraud, maintaining security and protecting our systems.

We will not use your personal information for purposes that are incompatible with the reasons for which it was collected without an appropriate legal basis.

5. Legal Basis for Processing

Where applicable, we process personal information on one or more of the following legal bases:

• Consent: Where you have given permission for a specific use of your information, such as receiving marketing communications.
• Contract: Where processing is necessary to handle your application, enrolment or participation in a programme.
• Legal obligation: Where we are required to retain or disclose information to comply with applicable laws and regulations.
• Legitimate interests: Where processing is necessary for our legitimate educational and administrative interests, provided these interests do not override your rights and freedoms.

You may withdraw consent where we rely on consent as the legal basis for processing. This will not affect processing already carried out before the withdrawal.

6. Sharing Your Personal Information

We do not sell or rent your personal information to third parties.

However, we may share relevant information with trusted third parties where necessary to provide our services or meet our obligations. These may include:

• Awarding and accrediting bodies: Where required for programme registration, assessment, verification and certification.
• Payment service providers: To process and verify programme payments.
• Technology and service providers: Including website hosting providers, email platforms, CRM systems, online learning platforms and cloud storage providers.
• Academic and programme partners: Where necessary to administer or deliver a programme.
• Regulatory and government authorities: Where disclosure is required by law or a lawful request.
• Professional advisers: Such as legal, financial or compliance advisers where necessary.

Where third parties process information on our behalf, we expect them to apply appropriate safeguards to protect that information.

7. International Transfers of Information

As an institution serving students and participants across different countries, some personal information may be transferred to or accessed from countries outside your country of residence.

Where international transfers are necessary, we will take appropriate steps to ensure that personal information receives an adequate level of protection in accordance with applicable data protection requirements.

8. How We Protect Your Information

We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal information against unauthorised access, disclosure, alteration, loss or destruction.

These measures may include:

• Restricted access to personal information.
• Password protection and access controls.
• Secure digital storage and communication systems.
• Appropriate staff confidentiality practices.
• Periodic reviews of our data handling and security procedures.

While we take reasonable steps to protect your information, no method of electronic transmission or storage can be guaranteed to be completely secure.

9. How Long We Keep Your Information

We retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including academic administration, programme delivery, legal, financial and regulatory requirements.

For example:

• Enquiry information may be retained for follow-up and admissions purposes.
• Application and enrolment records may be retained for academic and administrative purposes.
• Student academic records may be retained for verification, certification and regulatory requirements.
• Financial and transaction records may be retained for accounting and legal purposes.
• Marketing contact information may be retained until you withdraw consent or request removal, where applicable.

When information is no longer required, we will take reasonable steps to securely delete, anonymise or dispose of it.

10. Cookies and Website Analytics

Our website may use cookies and similar technologies to improve your browsing experience, understand website traffic and evaluate how visitors interact with our content.

Cookies may be used to:

• Ensure essential website functionality.
• Remember user preferences.
• Analyse website traffic and performance.
• Measure the effectiveness of our marketing campaigns.

You can manage or disable cookies through your browser settings. Where required, we will request your consent before placing non-essential cookies on your device.

Disabling certain cookies may affect some website features.

11. Marketing Communications

We may use your contact information to send programme updates, admission information, newsletters and promotional communications where permitted by applicable law.

You can opt out of marketing communications at any time by:

• Clicking the unsubscribe link in our marketing emails.
• Replying to a marketing message with an appropriate opt-out request.
• Contacting us directly using the details provided in this policy.

Please note that opting out of marketing communications will not prevent us from sending essential administrative messages relating to your application, enrolment, payments or participation in a programme.

12. Your Data Protection Rights

Subject to applicable data protection laws, you may have the right to:

1. Request access to the personal information we hold about you.
2. Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information.
3. Request deletion of your personal information where legally permitted.
4. Request restriction of certain processing activities.
5. Object to certain uses of your personal information.
6. Request a copy of your information in a portable format, where applicable.
7. Withdraw consent where processing is based on consent.
8. Lodge a complaint with the relevant data protection authority.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details in the Contact Information section.

We may need to verify your identity before processing your request. Some information may need to be retained where required by law or for legitimate academic, financial or administrative purposes.

13. Third-Party Websites and Services

Our website may contain links to external websites, platforms or services operated by third parties.

We are not responsible for the privacy practices, content or security of these external platforms. We encourage you to review their privacy policies before submitting personal information to them.

14. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, data processing practices, technology or applicable legal requirements.

Any updates will be published on our website, with the revised effective or updated date indicated at the top of this policy.

We encourage you to review this page periodically.

15. Contact Information

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, wish to exercise your data protection rights or have concerns about how your personal information is handled, please contact us.