Privacy Policy
1. Who We Are
IQF Education Ltd is a UK-registered company that operates under two trading brands — IQF Education (iqf.education) and IQF Awards (iqfawards.com / app.iqfawards.com). Both brands are the same legal entity. We are the data controller for all personal data processed in connection with our programmes, website, and services.
Note on our two brands: IQF Education and IQF Awards are both operated by IQF Limited. Whether you apply through iqf.education or app.iqfawards.com, the same company is responsible for your personal data and this Privacy Policy applies to both websites.
2. What Personal Data We Collect
We collect the following categories of personal data, depending on how you interact with us:
Applicants and Prospective Students
- Full name, email address, telephone number (with country code), postal address / postcode
- Date of birth and nationality / country of residence
- Education history, academic qualifications, transcripts, and certificates
- English language evidence (IELTS, TOEFL, or equivalent)
- Curriculum vitae (CV) and professional work history
- Passport or government-issued identity documents (where required for enrolment or awarding-body verification)
- Agent details (where you apply through an authorised agent), including your consent to communicate through that agent
- Application responses, personal statements, and supporting documents
Enrolled Students
- LMS (Learning Management System) login, engagement data, and academic activity
- Assessment submissions, grades, feedback records, and academic integrity records
- Payment data (tuition fees, deposits, instalment records) — card details are processed by our payment provider and are not stored by IQF
- Support and welfare records, including disability/learning-need disclosures where provided voluntarily
- Complaint, appeal, and disciplinary records
- Communications with tutors, support staff, and administrative teams
Website Visitors
- IP address, browser type, and device information collected via cookies and analytics (see our Cookie Policy)
- Contact enquiry form submissions (name, email, message)
Agents and Partners
- Contact details for authorised agents and partner centre representatives
- Applicant referral records and commission-related data
- Signed agreements and correspondence
3. Why We Use Your Data & Our Lawful Basis
Under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), we must have a lawful basis for processing your personal data. The table below sets out our purposes and the basis we rely on.
| Purpose | Lawful Basis (UK GDPR Art. 6) |
|---|---|
| Processing your application and assessing your eligibility | Pre-contractual steps / Contract (Art. 6(1)(b)) |
| Enrolment, registration with awarding bodies, and programme administration | Contract (Art. 6(1)(b)) |
| Collecting tuition fees and managing payment records | Contract (Art. 6(1)(b)) |
| Delivering course content, assessments, and academic support | Contract (Art. 6(1)(b)) |
| Student welfare, disability, and learning-support services | Vital interests or legitimate interests (Art. 6(1)(d)/(f)) |
| Safeguarding — especially for under-18 applicants | Legal obligation / Vital interests (Art. 6(1)(c)/(d)) |
| Academic integrity and disciplinary processes | Legitimate interests (Art. 6(1)(f)) |
| Complaints and appeals handling | Legitimate interests / Legal obligation (Art. 6(1)(f)/(c)) |
| Regulatory compliance and responding to official requests | Legal obligation (Art. 6(1)(c)) |
| Agent administration, commission, and referral management | Contract / Legitimate interests (Art. 6(1)(b)/(f)) |
| Marketing and promotional communications (where you have opted in) | Consent (Art. 6(1)(a)) |
| Website analytics and performance monitoring | Consent (cookies) / Legitimate interests (Art. 6(1)(a)/(f)) |
4. Sensitive and Special Category Data
Certain categories of personal data receive stronger legal protection under UK GDPR Article 9. We will only collect such data where it is strictly necessary, and we will document our lawful basis and Article 9 condition for doing so. Examples of where this may arise at IQF include:
- Disability and health information — where you voluntarily disclose a condition to request a reasonable adjustment or learning-support arrangement
- Equality and diversity data — collected on an optional, anonymised basis for statutory monitoring purposes
- Safeguarding records — relating to the welfare of under-18 applicants and students
- Identity verification — passport or national ID document data used to verify identity for awarding-body registration
We do not require you to share special category information to apply or enrol. Where you do share it, we will store it with enhanced security controls and strictly limit access.
5. Who We Share Your Data With
We do not sell your personal data. We share it only with the following categories of recipients, and only to the extent necessary:
- IQF staff — admissions, academic, finance, and student-support teams
- Awarding bodies and university partners — including CMI, University of Essex, University of Liverpool, and any other awarding organisation through which your qualification is offered, for registration, assessment, and certification purposes
- Authorised recruitment agents — only agents who have signed a Data Processing Agreement or Data Sharing Agreement with IQF and who are permitted to access only their own referred applicants' data
- IT and LMS providers — the platforms used to deliver your learning, hosted in a secure environment
- Payment processors — to collect tuition fees securely; we do not store card details
- Professional advisers — legal, financial, and audit advisers, under professional confidentiality obligations
- Regulatory bodies and law enforcement — where required by law or court order
6. International Data Transfers
IQF operates with regional support offices in Bangladesh and Uzbekistan, and works with agents and technology providers in multiple countries. Some of these arrangements involve the transfer of personal data outside the UK. Where we transfer personal data internationally, we ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place, such as:
- UK adequacy regulations (where the destination country has been recognised as providing adequate protection)
- UK International Data Transfer Agreements (IDTAs) or UK Addendum to EU Standard Contractual Clauses
- Written Data Processing Agreements or Data Sharing Agreements with agents and offices
We do not permit agents or staff to store or transfer student personal data via personal WhatsApp accounts, uncontrolled email, or other unsecured channels. For further information, please contact info@iqf.education.
7. How Long We Keep Your Data
| Data Category | Retention Period |
|---|---|
| Application (unsuccessful / withdrawn) | 12 months from the date of the decision, then securely deleted |
| Enquiry / prospective student records | 24 months from last contact, unless you opt out sooner |
| Enrolled student academic records | 7 years from the end of the programme |
| Financial / payment records | 7 years (UK tax and accounting obligations) |
| Assessment and academic integrity records | 7 years from the end of the programme |
| Complaint and appeal records | 6 years from resolution |
| Agent / partner records | Duration of the agreement + 6 years |
| Marketing / mailing list data (with consent) | Until you withdraw consent or opt out |
| Website analytics data (cookies) | As set out in our Cookie Policy |
8. Your Data Protection Rights
Under UK GDPR, you have the following rights regarding your personal data:
To know how and why we use your data — this Privacy Policy fulfils that obligation.
To request a copy of the personal data we hold about you (Subject Access Request).
To ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete personal data.
To request deletion of your data, where we no longer have a lawful basis to keep it.
To ask us to pause processing your data in certain circumstances.
To receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format (where applicable).
To object to processing based on legitimate interests or for direct marketing.
To withdraw consent at any time where we rely on consent as our lawful basis.
To exercise any of these rights, please contact info@iqf.education. We will respond within one calendar month. If you are unhappy with our response, you may complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk or on 0303 123 1113.
9. How We Protect Your Data
Our security measures include: HTTPS/SSL across all IQF websites; multi-factor authentication (MFA) for all administrative accounts; role-based access controls; encryption of sensitive files at rest and in transit; secure document upload systems for applicant file exchange; regular security scanning of our WordPress installation; audit logging on app.iqfawards.com; staff and agent data-handling training; and a written data breach incident response procedure including ICO notification within 72 hours where required.
10. Under-18 Applicants and Children's Privacy
Applicants under 18 are asked to provide a parent or guardian's contact details. A safeguarding policy governs our responsibilities to under-18 students. Agents may not communicate with under-18 applicants about sensitive matters without parental knowledge. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 13 without verified parental consent. If you believe we have inadvertently collected data from a child without appropriate consent, please contact info@iqf.education immediately.
11. Cookies
We use cookies and similar technologies on our website. Please refer to our separate Cookie Policy for full details of what cookies we use, why, and how to manage your preferences.
12. Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we make material changes, we will update the "Last reviewed" date at the top of this page. The current version will always be available at iqf.education/privacy-policy/.
13. Contact Us
- Email: info@iqf.education
- Website: iqf.education