Data protection information

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Data Protection Information

What kinds of personal data does HESA hold?

We hold coded information on students and staff in universities and higher education colleges in the UK, known as Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). We also hold information on customers and other people who have had contact with HESA where it is necessary to allow HESA to carry out its functions. Our customer information is used for marketing HESA products to our customers and is not passed to anyone else. The HE student and HE staff information is never used to contact individuals for marketing.

Do you hold information about me?

If you have been registered as a student, or employed as a member of academic staff in a publicly funded UK HEI at any time since 1994/95, it is likely that HESA will have a record about you. HESA also hold information on non-academic staff at HEIs from August 2004. If you would like to find out more about this click the relevant link below:
More information for students
More information for staff

Guidance for Institutions

HESA and its statutory customers have produced a document 'Data Protection Guidance for the HESA Records', which aims to provide supporting information for those in HEIs dealing with data protection issues. Please also see the HESA Collection Notices which HEIs must provide to their students and staff. These documents are updated regularly.

Initial Teacher Training In-Year Record

A collection notice has been prepared for all students in England on a course of Initial Teacher Training (ITT) leading to Qualified Teacher Status. HESA administers the collection of ITT student data on behalf of the General Teaching Council for England. The new collection notice must be supplied to all ITT students in England when they begin their course.
ITT In-Year Record Collection Notice
More information about the Initial Teacher Training In-Year Record

DLHE Longitudinal survey

Data protection information for both HEIs and leavers relating to the 2006/07 DLHE Longitudinal Survey to be undertaken in 2010/11 is available from the following links:

Data protection information for the 2002/03 and 2004/05 DLHE Longitudinal Surveys is available from the following links:

Data Protection Register

HESA is registered under the Data Protection Act 1998. The Register of Data Controllers is maintained by the Information Commissioner's Office. To find HESA's registration details use the Data Protection Public Register search facility. (external links open in new window)

Higher Education Statistics Agency Limited (Registration Number Z7475057)
HESA Services Limited (Registration Number Z7899462)

Website privacy policy

The HESA website does not store or capture personal information. See our website privacy policy.

What does HESA do with this data?

The HESA record is used for three broad purposes:

1. Statutory functions

The HESA record is used by the organisations listed below, or agents acting on their behalf, to carry out their public functions connected with education in the UK.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
Welsh Assembly Government
Scottish Government
Department for Employment and Learning, Northern Ireland
Higher Education Funding Council for England
Higher Education Funding Council for Wales
Scottish Further and Higher Education Funding Council
Training and Development Agency for Schools
Research Councils
Department for Education

The HESA record may also be used by the Office for National Statistics and the National Audit Office to fulfil their statutory functions of measuring population levels and monitoring public expenditure.

2. HESA publications

HESA use the HESA record to produce anonymised data in annual statistical publications. These include some National Statistics publications and online management information services.

3. Research, equal opportunity, journalism, other legitimate interest/public function

HESA will also supply anonymised data to third parties for the following purposes:

Equal opportunities monitoring - Your HESA record may contain details of your ethnic group and any disabilities you have. For students domiciled from Northern Ireland and attending an institution in Northern Ireland it may also contain information about religion. This data is only used where it is needed to promote or maintain equality of opportunity or treatment between persons of different racial or ethnic origins, religious beliefs or different states of physical or mental conditions
Research. This may be academic research, commercial research or other statistical research into education where this is of benefit to the public interest.
Journalism, where the relevant publication would be in the public interest e.g. league tables

Anonymised data for the above purposes is supplied by HESA to the following types of user:

Local, regional and national government bodies who have an interest in higher education
Higher education sector bodies
Higher education institutions
Academic researchers and students
Commercial organisations (e.g. recruitment firms, housing providers, graduate employers)
Unions
Non-governmental organisations and charities
Journalists

We will take precautions to ensure that individuals are not identified from the anonymised data which we process.

Further details about the uses of HESA data:
More information for students
More information for staff

Equivalent and Lower Qualifications

For students enrolling at HEIs in England only - HEIs and the Higher Education Funding Council for England may compare data to educational records from previous years to help determine the levels of students' current qualifications. This may in turn affect the fees that students enrolling at HEIs in England are required to pay.

How did HESA get this information?

Each HEI is obliged to send HESA a return every year containing a record for each student, and each member of staff that they have. The UK higher education funding councils, government departments and agencies, and devolved administrations are required to monitor all the HEIs and the higher education sector generally.

Retention

All staff and student records are held indefinitely since they are used to monitor higher education participation over time.

Security

HESA has achieved the ISO 27001 International Standards accreditation for Information Security.

What to do if you want further information

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