Privacy Collection Notice (Admission)

This notice should be read in conjunction with the Student Privacy Statement and the University’s General Privacy Statement.

Why we collect your personal information

The University of Melbourne (University) collects personal information to:

• consider your application for admission to the University;
• determine if you have previously applied for admission with us;
• communicate with you about courses in which you have expressed interest, including notifying you of the outcome of your application;
• if your application is successful, commence the enrolment process on your behalf and deliver our core functions under the University of Melbourne Act 2009 (Vic), including: the provision of teaching, learning and assessment; education and training programs; research and innovation activities; and related student infrastructure, facilities and services; and
• inform general business analysis, quality assurance, reporting and planning activities.

For the purposes of this Notice, the “processing" of personal information refers to activities relating to its management by the University, from collection, use, and disclosure, to storage and disposal.

How we process your personal information

We will process your personal information as necessary for our legitimate interests, in accordance with applicable privacy laws, and only under the following circumstances:

• for the purpose for which it was collected; or
• a related purpose which you might reasonably expect; or
• where you have consented to the processing; or
• if we are required or permitted to do so by law.

We will collect your personal information directly from you wherever possible. However, where this is not practicable, we may collect information through other avenues such as:

• Employment history from nominated professional referees;
• Academic performance from nominated academic referees;
• contracted service providers or partners engaged by us to perform legitimate functions on our behalf, such as marketing, IT services, VISA application services, Overseas Student Health Cover services;
• nominated referees to confirm employment history and academic performance; or
• external education or health providers for the purposes of results or documentation verification.

Who will my personal information be shared with?

The University will only use or disclose your personal data in the following instances:

• for the purpose for which it was collected;
• a related purpose which you might reasonably expect;
• with your permission (consent) to the disclosure;
• if we are required or permitted to do so by law;
• with your permission (consent) to the disclosure; or
• to enable our contracted service providers or partners to perform functions on our behalf.

The University does not sell your personal information to third parties under any circumstances and will not permit third parties to sell personal information we have shared with them.

The University may disclose your personal information to government agencies and departments when permitted or required by law, including:

• to the Commonwealth agency responsible for higher education, and that they will allocate me a Unique Student Identifier (USI) with which to collect and store my personal information in the Tertiary Collection of Student Information (TCSI);
• Services Australia (Centrelink) to facilitate government programs, such as the Higher Education Loan Program (HELP) and Youth Allowance (Austudy and ABSTUDY), and related student support services administration;
• the Department of Education supporting and reporting on Commonwealth assistance schemes for eligible students, such as Commonwealth Supported Places (CSP) and HELP, including using Unique Student Identifiers (USI) where necessary;
• the Department of Education to administer the Australian Government’s information management system relating to overseas student enrolments, including for the purpose of monitoring student compliance with visa conditions and the University’s compliance with its obligations to provide courses and related services, support and programs;
• the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) administering the Australia Awards Scholarships program, and the University’s preferred service providers facilitating this, such as our travel agency and health insurance provider; and
• the Department of Home Affairs, Department of Education, Australian Taxation Office (ATO), or state and federal regulatory agencies, receiving necessary personal information, including (if relevant to your course) regulators responsible for registering and regulating students against professional standards, such as the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA), or worker screening authorities.

The University may also disclose your personal information:

• to other tertiary institutions or tertiary admission centres administering the transfer of your studies, including the provision of necessary information about your academic progress and any Government funded research training entitlement; and
• external organisations such as education or health providers for the purposes of results or documentation verification, including English language testing verification.

How will the University use my personal information after the application process? 

If your application for admission is successful, the University will use your personal information to enrol you as a student of the University.  Your information will also be used for ongoing student engagement, support services, and compliance, as outlined in the Student Privacy Statement.

Once your personal information is no longer required for the purpose it was collected, or for another legitimate purpose, it is securely destroyed in compliance with the University’s retention and disposal authority. Your academic record, however, is retained indefinitely so that details of your academic achievements can be confirmed and for compliance, statistical or historical research purposes.

Accuracy, storage and security 

The University takes reasonable steps to ensure that any personal information we (or parties operating on our behalf) collect, transmit, store or otherwise process, is accurate and complete, and that technical and organisational measures are in place to protect it from accidental or unlawful destruction, misuse, loss, alteration, or unauthorised access or disclosure.

Access to your personal information is limited to authorised University staff and representatives of our affiliates, and contracted third parties, for the purpose of carrying out necessary duties in supporting the University’s functions and activities. This may include internal University departments or support services based on the information submitted in your application.

Where personal data is disclosed to third parties, it will be done so only to the extent necessary to fulfill the purpose of such disclosure. Where required, we ensure we have appropriate information sharing and/or processing agreements in place before sharing your personal data with any third parties.

In some instances, your personal information may be transferred outside of Victoria or Australia. For example, where providers are located internationally or use a cloud-based system with servers based in international jurisdictions. We take reasonable steps to ensure that the interstate or overseas transfer of personal information is in accordance with our privacy obligations as outlined in the University’s General Privacy Statement, relevant University policies and applicable Privacy Laws.

What are the consequences of not providing personal information to the University? 

If you choose not to provide the personal information requested, you will not be able to submit your application.

Further privacy information

Refer to the University’s General Privacy Statement or other privacy statements for general information about how we process and protect personal information, including:

• our lawful basis for processing personal information;
• collection, use and disclosure of personal information;
• accuracy, security and storage of personal information;
• retention and disposal of personal information;
• your individual rights; and
• applicable privacy laws.