Caltech
Undergraduate Admissions

Privacy Notice for Students and Prospective Students

 

Scope of the Privacy Notice

This Privacy Notice applies to Caltech's collection, use, processing and retention of the Personal Information of students and prospective students. Personal Information is any information that identifies or can be used to identify an individual (Personal Information). This Privacy Notice contains important information regarding Caltech's privacy practices that apply to your Personal Information. You are expected to read this Privacy Notice in its entirety to understand Caltech's privacy practices in advance of submitting any Personal Information to Caltech or its third parties acting on its behalf. By providing your Personal Information to Caltech, you consent to the collection, processing and retention of your Personal Information consistent with the terms of this Privacy Notice.

Collection of Personal Information

Caltech may collect Personal information from or about you in a number of ways. For instance, information is collected when you voluntarily provide us information when you first express interest in Caltech, apply to Caltech, provide information to the health and counseling center, communicate information to Caltech through telephone, email or through our website, and for various other purposes outlined in this Privacy Notice. Information may also be collected through disciplinary and grievance procedures, surveys and feedback mechanisms, and the administration of student housing. Caltech may collect information from third party entities that you have requested or authorized to provide information; this may include your previous or current school, university, employer, or other third-party individual or entity that may provide information about you.

The Personal Information that may be collected, includes but is not limited to:

  • Contact information, such as name, mailing address, email address, phone number, place of birth and date of birth;
  • Information relating to education, including high school education, exam scores, assessments of work, educational programs or institutions attended, and any other academic or extracurricular interests;
  • Information collected from other students, faculty, or third parties about you;
  • Information relating to criminal convictions;
  • Financial information, such as credit card or bank account information;
  • Tax information, such as a government identification number or social security number;
  • Health information, such as disability and dietary needs;
  • Demographic information, such as gender and disability;
  • Citizenship and immigration Information, such as a passport number, national identity card details, visa details, country of domicile, nationality and citizenship status;
  • Sensitive information collected with your consent, including racial or ethnic origin, religious beliefs related to requests for accommodations, genetic data, biometric data, data concerning health, and sexual information, including orientation;
  • Employment history;
  • Photographs;
  • Military information; and
  • Dependent and emergency contact information.

Purposes for which Personal Information is Collected and Processed

Caltech may use Personal Information it collects from and about you for purposes related to your admission into Caltech and your life cycle as a Caltech student, including but not limited to:

  • Recruiting and/or admitting you as a student;
  • Recruiting and/or hiring you as a student employee at Caltech;
  • Maintaining student, employment and program records;
  • Facilitating the maintenance of academic matters, such as our learning, teaching and research services;
  • Providing you with information and technology services, such as computer and email access, library, media, and other information services;
  • Providing student support and services, including disability and other required accommodations, authorized leaves of absence, health and wellbeing services, training and career development;
  • Providing support for the management of housing, social media and facilities;
  • Providing administrative functions, such as carrying out research and statistical analysis and audits to ensure compliance with regulatory and legal obligations;
  • Participating in research studies and surveys;
  • Responding to legal claims;
  • Promoting our services;
  • Preventing and detecting crime;
  • Monitoring equal opportunities and promoting equality and diversity throughout the university;
  • Dealing with grievance and disciplinary actions or with complaints and inquiries; and
  • Administering finances, such as financial aid.

Legal Basis

The legal basis for collecting and processing your information varies based on the circumstances. Caltech has a legitimate interest in collecting and processing Personal Information from students and prospective students in order to carry out the Institute's activities, consider individuals for admission, and facilitate and fulfill legal and other obligations related to Caltech's relationship with its students. We also may process your Personal Information where it is necessary for emergency medical purposes and protecting your or another person's vital interests. Caltech may elect to obtain a student or prospective student's consent as an additional lawful basis for collecting Personal Information in connection with any of its student, prospective student or other business related processes. Caltech may process your personal information because it is necessary to the performance of a contract, for example, to interact with you before enrollment, as part of the application process by sending information, answering questions, providing you with services as outlined in our various policies and procedures, addressing any concerns or feedback you may have, and facilitating any other purpose for which you provides us with your Personal Information.

Recipients of Your Personal Information

For the purposes referred to in this Privacy Notice and relying on the bases for processing as set out above, we may share your Personal Information with certain third parties. In some cases you may be asked to opt in to these data sharing arrangements. In those cases, you should carefully consider the possible impact that not opting in will have to you in our provision of services to you. Third party recipients may include:

  • Our affiliates, vendors and contractors, where there is a legitimate reason for them receiving the information, such as third parties who work with us to provide services related to recruitment and student processes, accommodations, support services (e.g. after-hours counseling services), off-hours IT services, and internal and external audits;
  • Those with an interest in tracking student progress and attendance, such as sponsors, current or potential education product and service providers, and current or potential employers; and
  • Professional and regulatory bodies in relation to the confirmation of qualifications, professional registration and conduct, and the accreditation of courses, including:
  • Governmental departments and agencies where we have a legal obligation to provide information;
  • Crime prevention or detection agencies;
  • Parents, guardians and next-of-kin (where there is a legitimate reason for disclosure);
  • Third parties conducting surveys;
  • Third party communication providers; and
  • Third party data services providers.

Data Retention

We will retain your Personal Information for as long as necessary to meet the uses described above and in compliance with legal and business document retention requirements and policies.

Individuals Located in the European Economic Area

Consistent with the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation, Caltech is providing this Privacy Notice to students and prospective students that are located within the European Economic Area, which consists of the European Union, Iceland, Norway, and Lichtenstein. Caltech is committed to safeguarding your personal information consistent with the requirements of the General Data Protection Regulation. If you want more in depth detail about the General Data Protection Regulation, you can read the full text of the EU legislation [PDF].

Some of the Personal Information we process about you will be transferred to, and stored at, a destination outside the European Economic Area. This happens, for example, where, outside the European Economic Area, Personal Information is being processed by our staff, by one of our suppliers, by one who works for us or our suppliers, or is being stored in storage facilities.

In these circumstances, your Personal Information will only be transferred on one of the following bases:

  • Where you have provided explicit consent for the transfer;
  • Where the transfer is occasional and necessary in relation to a contract or a legal claim;
  • Where the transfer is made on the basis of an adequacy decision;
  • Where the transfer is subject to one or more appropriate safeguards for international transfers prescribed by applicable law; and
  • Where the transfer is necessary for the execution of a contract with you or in order to take steps at your request prior to entering into a contract.

Students and prospective students located in the European Economic Area are provided with the following rights:

  • The right to be informed about the collection and use of your personal data;
  • The right to access your personal data;
  • The right to object to the processing of your personal data under certain circumstances;
  • The right to rectify any of your personal data that is inaccurate or incomplete;
  • The right to request the deletion of your personal data;
  • The right to restrict or limit the ways in which we process your personal data;
  • The right to transfer or obtain a copy of your personal data in an easily accessible format;
  • The right to withdraw consent;
  • The right to withhold consent to automated individual decision-making processes; and
  • The right to complain to a supervisory authority.

Please note that the above rights are not absolute. Caltech may be entitled to refuse requests where certain exceptions apply. Even where you have exercised one of the rights listed above with respect to your Personal Information, we may have the right to retain your Personal Information for various purposes, including compliance with a legal obligations, for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest, for archiving purposes in the public interest, for scientific or historical research purposes, for statistical purposes, or for the establishment, exercise, or defense of legal claims.

To submit a request, please send an email message to [email protected].

Privacy and Children

This Privacy Notice is not directed to "children" as defined by member state implementation legislation and we do not seek nor do we knowingly process Personal Information from children. When a prospective student or student is classified as a child, we will make reasonable efforts to verify that consent is given or authorized by the holder of parental responsibility for the child where Personal Information of the child is to be processed.

Contact Information

Questions regarding this Privacy Notice should be referred to Caltech's Director of Compliance, Tye Welch, who may be contacted at +1 626-395-8633 or [email protected].