What Personal Data Do We Collect?

We collect personal data from you when you register with American Councils: Higher Education Programs and when you enter information to program application and other forms on the American Councils: Higher Education Programs websites.

Registering to Use American Councils: Higher Education Programs

You may anonymously browse some limited information available on the American Councils: Higher Education Programs' login pages. American Councils: Higher Education Programs login account registration is required, however, to view, complete, and submit online forms for the purpose of voluntarily applying or registering for programs and other activities. During registration you are required to give us personal data that includes your name and email address, and to designate your American Councils: Higher Education Programs login username and password. Registration helps us to ensure the security and privacy of the information that you choose to share with us through our online forms. You should not share your American Councils: Higher Education Programs login username or password with anyone. We will not ask you for your password.

Using Online Forms

When you complete and submit online forms via American Councils: Higher Education Programs, you will be asked to share some personal data with us, which may include your:

• name
• gender
• date of birth
• home address
• email addresses
• telephone numbers
• countries of citizenship
• country of birth
• occupation
• educational history
• resume or CV
• personal statement
• prior participation in American Councils' programs
• passport number
• other information you choose to provide us

We might also ask for personal data of your emergency contacts, and recommenders. This can include their names, genders, home addresses, email addresses, telephone numbers, and other information.

You may choose not to submit your personal data to us via American Councils: Higher Education Programs. Doing so, however, may prevent us from fulfilling your request or providing certain services. For example, not providing required information such as your name can prevent the processing of a program application.

How Do We Use Cookies

Cookies help us provide and improve American Councils: Higher Education Programs, such as by personalizing content. The cookies that we use may change from time to time as we improve and update American Councils: Higher Education Programs. We use cookies to verify your account and determine when you are logged in. That way, we can make it easier for you to access American Councils: Higher Education Programs and show you the appropriate experience and features. For example, we use cookies to keep you logged in as you navigate between American Councils: Higher Education Programs pages.

Direct, necessary, session cookies used by American Councils: Higher Education Programs

We use direct cookies that are necessary for the operation of our website and to analyze our traffic. We do not store any personal data in cookies. All direct cookies expire after you log out of your session.

General Use

We may combine personal data that you provide to us with other information that is publicly available or that we receive from other sources, such as grade transcripts.

In some situations, we are required to collect your personal data for legal compliance purposes, such as for compliance with immigration laws in order to obtain a visa.

How Do We Use Personal Data?

It is our practice not to ask you for personal data unless we need it or intend to use it. We use the information you choose to share with us through our American Councils: Higher Education Programs to manage your application or registration process, as well as your program and alumni activities participation. These processes can include:

• Evaluating your program application or registration materials
• Sending you program preparation materials
• Obtaining a visa for you
• Arranging a home and school placement for you while on program
• Arranging transportation, such as airline or train, to and from your program location
• Providing support to you while you are on program
• Contacting you about post-program alumni activities

Our processing of your personal data is based upon your consent.

What Personal Data Do We Share and with Whom?

We may share your personal data with various American Councils' offices, affiliated organization, and third-party business partners. Our third-party business partners may include program funders, service providers, and others located in the United States of America and throughout the world that work with us to process your application or request, and to deliver our program and other services to you. All third-party business partners that we share your personal data with are required to comply with applicable regulations and privacy requirements. We strive to ensure that such third parties will only share this information with other organizations or individuals that are working with them to deliver 'American Councils'-related program and other services. Some examples of why we may provide your personal data to such third-parties are:

• Arranging a home and school placement for you while on program
• Obtaining a visa for you
• Arranging transportation, such as airline or train, to and from your program location
• Offering you additional program or volunteer opportunities

American Councils does not sell, rent, give physical possession of, or otherwise share your personal data with any organization or person that is not a third-party business partner.

In the event we receive a governmental or other official request, your personal data will be made available to the appropriate authorities only if such an obligation will result from the applicable provisions of law, such as decisions of law enforcement agencies, arrest warrants, court verdicts, and the like. We will strive to limit the scope of information that is furnished under these circumstances to only that which is necessary to satisfy the specific request.

How Long Do We Keep Personal Data?

We keep the personal data that you share with us via American Councils: Higher Education Programs and other sources as long as necessary to provide you with our program services, and alumni and other outreach activities.

Your personal data is retained until consent is withdrawn or effective opposition to data processing is filed in cases where the legal basis for data processing is the legitimate interest of American Councils. The data processing period may be extended if the processing is necessary to establish and assert any claims or defend against them, and after that time only if and to the extent required by law.

How Can You Access and Have Control over Your Personal Data?

You can do the following at any time by using the contact information given on American Councils: Higher Education Programs or below:

• See what personal data we have about you
• Change or correct any personal data we have about you if it is inaccurate or incomplete
• Have us delete any personal data we have about you
• Express any concern you have about our use of your personal data

How to Opt Out of Future Communications from Us

We may contact you via email, postal mail, or other means in the future to tell you about other program offerings, alumni activities, or changes to this Privacy Policy. You may opt out of any future contacts from us, such as emails and newsletters, at any time by clicking on the link that may be included in such communications or by using the contact information given on American Councils: Higher Education Programs or below.

For Residents of the European Economic Area (EEA)

Under Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 ("General Data Protection Regulation" or "GDPR"), each resident of the European Economic Area (EEA) whose personal data is processed by American Councils has the following rights to:

• Be informed and to request access to personal data processed by us
• Request correction or update of personal data if it is inaccurate or incomplete
• Request the deletion of personal data
• Request that we temporarily or permanently process all or part of your personal data
• Object, at any time, to the processing of personal data by us
• Request an electronic copy of personal data or to transfer it for use by third parties
• Refuse to be the subject of automatically made decisions
• Not be subject to decisions based solely on automatic decision making, including profiling, if a decision may cause legal effects for the user or have a similar effect
• Withdraw consent at any time without affecting the lawfulness of the processing carried out through consent before its withdrawal
• File a complaint to the European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) if it considers that the processing of personal data violates the provisions of GDPR

How Do We Protect Personal Data?

We take precautions to protect your personal data both online and offline when it is submitted to us via American Councils: Higher Education Programs.

All information that we collect from you via American Councils: Higher Education Programs is encrypted and transmitted to us in a secure way. You can verify this by looking for a lock icon in the address bar and looking for "https" at the beginning of the address of the web page. The database in which all the information you submit to us via American Councils: Higher Education Programs is stored is also encrypted for additional security.

While we use encryption to protect personal data transmitted online, we also protect your personal data offline. Only employees and business partners who need your personal data to perform a specific job, such as program staff, program recruiters, and travel administrators, are granted access to your personal data and only to your personal data that is needed to complete their jobs. Access to data stored in American Councils: Higher Education Programs and the database is subject to authentication with unique username and password. Users are only allowed to access information that relates to their areas of responsibility. The computers and servers on which we store personal data are kept in a secure environment.

American Councils' employees, third-party business partners, and others that have access to personal data are also provided with guidance in its use and protection. They will use the information exclusively for American Councils' activities and the management of American Councils' program and other operations.

Why We Transfer Personal Data Across International Borders

The nature of American Councils' business and operations as an international exchange organization requires us to process and transfer your personal data to our offices, business partners, and data centers that may be located in countries outside of your own. The computer servers that operate American Councils: Higher Education Programs, the database that stores your personal data, and American Councils' headquarters office are all located in the United States of America. We may process and transfer your personal data in and to countries other than the country in which the information was originally collected. Although the data protection and other laws of these various countries may not be as comprehensive as those in your own country, American Councils will take appropriate steps to protect your personal data in accordance with this Privacy Policy and applicable laws.

What to Know About Links to and From Other Websites

American Councils: Higher Education Programs may contain links to other affiliated and unaffiliated websites or be linked to by such websites for your convenience and information. Please be aware that we are not responsible or liable for any content or privacy practices of such other sites. We encourage our users to be aware when they leave our site and to read the privacy statements of any other site that collects personal data.

Updates to this Privacy Policy

We may update this policy from time to time by publishing a new version on our website. We may do this to meet changes in the regulatory environment, for business needs, to satisfy the needs of our visitors, applicants, participants, strategic partners, and others, and to correct errors. Updated versions will be posted to our websites and date stamped so that you are always aware when the Privacy Policy was last updated. You should check this page occasionally to ensure you are happy with any changes to this policy. We will endeavour to inform registered user about any changes.

Have a Question? Have a Concern? Contact Us

If you have any questions or concerns about this policy or our privacy and data security practices, if you want to submit a request, or if you feel that we are not abiding by this Privacy Policy, please contact us immediately, as follows: