Data Privacy

1. Our Commitment

At Mastersscholarship.org, we are fully committed to safeguarding the privacy and confidentiality of all personal information shared with us by applicants. All data collected during the application process will be handled in strict accordance with applicable data protection laws — including India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, and relevant UK/EU data protection regulations where applicable — and our internal privacy policies.

2. Data We Collect

Depending on the stage of your application, we may collect the following categories of personal data:

• Identity & Contact Information: full name, date of birth, phone number, email address, and postal address.
• Academic Records: transcripts, grades, CGPA, standardised test scores, and details of your intended course and university.
• Financial Information: details relevant to funding sources, family income bracket, or loan requirements, where voluntarily shared as part of your application.
• Identification Documents: passport, national ID, or other government-issued identification submitted for verification purposes.
• Interview & Assessment Data: notes, scores, and evaluations generated during the Student Bursary interview or Merit Scholarship examination process.

3. Purpose of Collection

Personal data is collected solely for purposes directly connected to your scholarship journey, specifically to:

• Evaluate your eligibility for the Student Bursary, Merit Scholarship, or other listed scholarship opportunities.
• Process your application, conduct interviews or examinations, and communicate outcomes.
• Facilitate communication with you throughout the scholarship journey, including deadline reminders and status updates.
• Verify enrollment and process disbursement where a scholarship has been awarded.

4. Disclosure to Third Parties

This information will not be disclosed to third parties except in the following circumstances:

• When required by law or requested by authorised governmental authorities.
• With trusted partners or service providers directly involved in the scholarship process — such as partner universities verifying enrollment, or financial institutions processing a loan referral — under strict confidentiality and Data Processing Agreements.
• With your explicit consent, for any purpose not already covered above.

We do not sell personal data to advertisers or unrelated third parties under any circumstances.

5. Data Security Measures

All electronic and physical data storage systems are protected by appropriate technical and organizational security measures to prevent unauthorized access, misuse, or loss.

• Access to personal data is restricted to authorized personnel only, on a need-to-know basis.
• Data in transit and at rest is protected using industry-standard encryption and secure infrastructure providers.
• In the event of a data breach affecting your personal information, we will notify affected applicants and relevant authorities as required under applicable law.

6. Data Retention

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes described in this policy, including evaluating your application, administering an awarded scholarship, and meeting our legal and regulatory obligations. Where data is no longer required, it is securely deleted or anonymised.

7. International Data Transfers

As Masters Scholarship operates across India, the United Kingdom, and connects applicants with universities in multiple destination countries, your personal data may be transferred to and processed in countries outside your country of residence, including for the purpose of sharing your application with a partner university abroad. Where such transfers occur, we take reasonable steps to ensure your data continues to receive an appropriate level of protection, consistent with this policy.

8. Consent and Your Rights

By submitting an application, you consent to the collection, processing, and secure storage of your personal data for the scholarship-related purposes described above. You have the following rights in relation to your data, in accordance with applicable data protection regulations:

• Right to Access: request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Right to Correction: request that inaccurate or outdated personal data be corrected.
• Right to Deletion: request that we delete your personal data, subject to any legal or contractual obligations that require us to retain it.
• Right to Withdraw Consent: withdraw your consent to data processing at any time, which may affect our ability to continue evaluating or administering your application.