Privacy Policy

1. Who We Are

Cliftons Study Abroad Pvt Ltd (“Cliftons”, “we”, “us”, or “our”) operates the Cliftons Global Compass platform. Our registered offices are located at Suite 15, First Floor, 213 Kingsbury Road, Jubilee Business Centre, London, NW9 8AQ, United Kingdom and 35/35 C3, Kudiyirickal Towers, Metro Pillar No 528, Palarivattom, Kochi, Kerala – 682025, India.

We are committed to protecting your personal data and respecting your privacy in accordance with applicable data protection laws, including the UK GDPR and India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act.

2. Information We Collect

We collect information you provide directly to us, including:

• Name, email address, and phone/WhatsApp number when you submit a contact form or use our AI planner
• Academic background, preferred study destinations, and budget preferences when using our planning tools
• Messages and interactions with our AI counsellor (Compass)
• Course and university search queries and preferences
• Device information, IP address, browser type, and usage data collected automatically via cookies

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

• Provide personalised study abroad recommendations and university matching
• Connect you with our admissions counsellors
• Send your study plan and relevant information via WhatsApp or email (only when you request it)
• Improve our platform, AI tools, and user experience
• Send updates about courses, scholarships, and visa changes relevant to your profile (with your consent)
• Comply with legal obligations

4. Legal Basis for Processing

We process your personal data on the basis of your consent, the performance of a contract (when you use our services), legitimate interests (improving our platform and providing relevant recommendations), and compliance with legal obligations.

5. Sharing Your Information

We do not sell your personal data. We may share your information with:

• Our authorised counsellors and admissions team who assist with your application
• Trusted service providers (e.g., CRM, email delivery, cloud hosting) under strict data processing agreements
• Partner universities or institutions only when you explicitly request an introduction or application
• Regulatory authorities when required by law

6. Data Retention

We retain your personal data for as long as necessary to provide our services and comply with legal obligations. Enquiry data is typically retained for 3 years. You may request deletion of your data at any time by contacting us.

7. Your Rights

Depending on your location, you may have the right to:

• Access the personal data we hold about you
• Correct inaccurate or incomplete data
• Request deletion of your data (“right to be forgotten”)
• Withdraw consent at any time
• Object to or restrict certain types of processing
• Data portability

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at [email protected].

8. Cookies

We use cookies and similar technologies to enhance your experience on our platform. Please see our Cookie Policy for full details and your options to manage preferences.

9. Security

We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. However, no internet transmission is completely secure; we cannot guarantee absolute security.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy periodically. We will notify you of significant changes by posting a notice on our website or contacting you directly. Continued use of our services after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

11. Contact Us

For any privacy-related questions or concerns, please contact our Data Protection Officer at [email protected] or write to us at our London office: Suite 15, First Floor, 213 Kingsbury Road, Jubilee Business Centre, London, NW9 8AQ.