Privacy Policy

AVG Education

Privacy Notice (UK GDPR)

Last updated: 8 May 2026

1) Who We Are

AVG Education is the trading name of AVG EDUCATION SERVICES LIMITED.

Company number: 11258964

VAT number: 402 4957 10

Registered/office address: 28 Beaufort Court, Admirals Way, London, England, E14 9XL

Email: info@avgeducation.com

Phone: (+44) 7916 208 666 / (+44) 020 8491 1296

We are committed to protecting your personal data and complying with the UK GDPR, the Data Protection Act 2018, and PECR (Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations).

2) Controller and How to Contact Us

For data protection purposes, AVG EDUCATION SERVICES LIMITED is the data controller.

To contact us about privacy matters:

Email: info@avgeducation.com | Subject line: Data Protection

Post: AVG EDUCATION SERVICES LIMITED, 28 Beaufort Court, Admirals Way, London, England, E14 9XL

3) What This Notice Covers

This notice explains what personal data we collect, why we use it, the lawful bases we rely on, who we share it with, how long we keep it, international transfers, security, cookies, and your rights under the UK GDPR.

4) Personal Data We Collect

4.1 Data You Give Us

Depending on your interaction with us, we may collect the following categories of personal data:

Identity and contact data: Name, address, email address, phone number, date of birth, nationality, and gender if you choose to provide it.
Education and admissions data: Course interests, preferred institution, education history, qualifications, transcripts, certificates, references, CV, personal statement, English language results, and related admissions information.
Application and compliance data: Copies of identity documents (such as passport or ID card), immigration or visa-related documents where relevant, right-to-study information, and other supporting documents needed for your application.
Communication data: Emails, phone call notes, WhatsApp messages, contact form submissions, online application form submissions, and meeting notes.
Marketing preference data: Your preferences about receiving updates, promotions, event information, or service-related communications.

4.2 Data We Collect Automatically When You Use Our Website

Technical data: IP address, browser type, device type, operating system, pages visited, date and time of access, and basic website usage information.
Cookie-related data: Preferences, consent choices, and analytics data where cookies are accepted.

4.3 Data We Receive from Third Parties

We may receive personal data from:

Universities, colleges, and education partners, where you ask us to communicate with them on your behalf.
Referral or lead partners, where data is shared lawfully.
Referees or representatives, where relevant to your application or enquiry.

5) Special Category Data

We try to avoid collecting special category data unless it is genuinely necessary. In some cases, we may need information such as health or disability details — for example, where reasonable adjustments are required during the admissions or study support process.

Where we process special category data, we will:

Explain why we need it.
Apply extra safeguards.
Identify both the Article 6 lawful basis and the relevant Article 9 condition before processing.
Normally rely on your explicit consent where health or disability information is provided for reasonable adjustments, unless another valid Article 9 condition clearly applies.

6) Why We Use Your Data and Our Lawful Bases

We only process personal data where we have a lawful basis to do so under the UK GDPR. The table below sets out the main purposes for which we process your personal data, examples of the data used, and the specific legal basis under Article 6 of the UK GDPR that we rely on for each purpose.

Purpose of Processing	Examples of Data Used	Lawful Basis (UK GDPR)
Responding to enquiries	Name, contact details, enquiry details, messages and notes.	Legitimate interests (Article 6(1)(f)); and where you ask us to take steps before entering into a contract, Article 6(1)(b).
Assessing your request before services begin	Identity data, education history, course interests, supporting documents, and communications.	Steps at your request before entering into a contract (Article 6(1)(b)).
Providing counselling, admissions support, and related services	Identity and contact data, education and admissions data, application documents, and communications.	Performance of a contract (Article 6(1)(b)).
Communicating with universities, colleges, partners, referees, or representatives on your behalf	Application details, supporting documents, and relevant communications.	Performance of a contract (Article 6(1)(b)), or steps at your request before entering into a contract (Article 6(1)(b)).
Carrying out identity, right-to-study, immigration, or compliance checks where required	Identity documents, visa-related documents, right-to-study information, and related records.	Compliance with a legal obligation (Article 6(1)(c)) where a legal requirement applies. Where not legally required but necessary to deliver the service safely, legitimate interests (Article 6(1)(f)).
Managing ordinary service communications by email, phone, forms, or WhatsApp	Contact details, messages, call notes, meeting notes, and service records.	Performance of a contract (Article 6(1)(b)) where the communication relates to services; otherwise legitimate interests (Article 6(1)(f)).
Operating, securing, and improving our website and systems	Technical data, IP address, device and browser data, pages visited, and security logs.	Legitimate interests (Article 6(1)(f)).
Using analytics cookies and similar tools	Cookie-related data, consent choices, and website usage information.	Consent (Article 6(1)(a)), where consent is required under PECR.
Sending direct marketing by email, SMS, or WhatsApp	Name, contact details, and marketing preferences.	Consent (Article 6(1)(a)), or where permitted, legitimate interests (Article 6(1)(f)) together with PECR soft opt-in rules.
Maintaining records, handling complaints, defending legal claims, and dealing with regulators or authorities	Correspondence, account records, complaint files, financial records, and compliance records.	Compliance with a legal obligation (Article 6(1)(c)) and/or legitimate interests (Article 6(1)(f)).

Where we rely on legitimate interests (Article 6(1)(f)), we carry out a balancing test to consider and weigh any potential impact on your rights and freedoms before processing your personal data. You may request further information about this balancing test by contacting us.

Where we rely on consent (Article 6(1)(a)), you may withdraw that consent at any time by contacting us or using the opt-out mechanisms described in this notice. Withdrawal of consent does not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

6A) Article 13 UK GDPR – Whether Providing Personal Data Is Required

Where we collect personal data to take steps before entering into a contract with you, or to perform a contract, providing that data is necessary for us to assess your enquiry or deliver the agreed services. If you do not provide the required information, we may be unable to process your application or provide the requested support.

Where we collect personal data on the basis of a legal obligation, you are required to provide it and we will inform you of this at the point of collection where relevant.

Where we ask for personal data on the basis of consent or legitimate interests (for example, marketing preferences), providing it is voluntary and you may decline or withdraw at any time without affecting your access to our core services.

7) Marketing and Your Choices

We may send marketing communications about our services, events, promotions, and relevant updates. We will only send marketing by email, SMS, or WhatsApp where permitted under PECR, usually:

With your consent, or
Under the soft opt-in rule where it applies.

You can opt out at any time by:

Clicking the unsubscribe link where available.
Replying to ask us to stop.
Emailing info@avgeducation.com.

8) Cookies

Cookies are small files placed on your device when you visit a website. We use the following types:

Strictly necessary cookies: Essential for website functionality and security. These do not require your consent.
Analytics cookies: Help us understand how people use the website. We only use these where you have given consent.
Marketing or other non-essential cookies: Only used where you have given consent.

You can manage cookies through your browser settings and, where available, through our website cookie banner or consent tool.

9) Who We Share Your Data With

We may share your personal data with the following categories of recipients:

Universities, colleges, and education partners: Where you ask us to support your enquiry or application. These organisations will usually act as independent data controllers and will have their own privacy notices.
Service providers acting as processors: Such as website hosting providers, email systems, CRM tools, cloud storage providers, document management systems, analytics providers, and IT support providers. These providers are only permitted to process your data on our instructions.
Professional advisers and authorities: Including legal advisers, accountants, regulators, law enforcement, or other public authorities where required by law or where necessary to protect rights, safety, or prevent fraud.

We do not sell personal data.

10) International Transfers

Some of the universities, colleges, partners, or IT service providers we work with may be located outside the UK. Where personal data is transferred outside the UK, we use appropriate safeguards, such as:

The UK International Data Transfer Agreement (IDTA).
The UK Addendum to the EU Standard Contractual Clauses.
Adequacy regulations made under the UK GDPR.
Other lawful transfer mechanisms recognised under UK data protection law.

11) How Long We Keep Your Data

We only keep personal data for as long as necessary for the purpose for which it was collected. Typical retention periods are:

General enquiries with no further engagement: Up to 24 months from last contact.
Student and application files: Up to 7 years after the last interaction or completion of services, where this is needed for support, record keeping, audits, or legal issues.
Marketing records: Until you opt out or after a reasonable period of inactivity. We may keep a minimal suppression record to honour your opt-out.
Accounting and finance records: Usually 6 years, or longer where legally required.

We may retain information for longer where necessary to establish, exercise, or defend legal claims.

12) Automated Decision-Making

We do not make decisions about you that produce legal or similarly significant effects based solely on automated processing.

13) Security

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data, including:

Restricted access to systems and records.
Staff confidentiality obligations.
Secure systems and account controls.
Document handling procedures.
Measures designed to reduce the risk of loss, misuse, or unauthorised access.

No method of storage or transmission is completely secure. We take data protection seriously and continually work to safeguard your information.

14) Children

Our services are generally intended for individuals aged 16 and over. Where we knowingly process the personal data of younger individuals, we will do so only where appropriate and lawful. If we become aware that personal data has been collected improperly, we will take steps to delete it.

15) Your Rights

Under the UK GDPR, you have the following rights:

Right of access: To request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Right to rectification: To request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data.
Right to erasure: To request deletion of your personal data where applicable.
Right to restriction: To request that we restrict processing of your data in certain circumstances.
Right to object: To object to processing based on legitimate interests, including profiling.
Right to object to direct marketing: To object at any time to processing for direct marketing purposes.
Right to data portability: To receive your personal data in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format in certain cases.
Right to withdraw consent: To withdraw consent at any time where consent is the lawful basis, without affecting the lawfulness of prior processing.

To exercise any of these rights, please email info@avgeducation.com with the subject line: Data Protection. We may ask for proof of identity before acting on your request, to protect your personal data.

16) Complaints

If you are unhappy with how we handle your personal data, please contact us first so we can try to resolve the issue.

Email: info@avgeducation.com | Subject line: Data Protection Complaint

You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO):

Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF
Telephone: 0303 123 1113
Website: ico.org.uk

17) Changes to This Notice

We may update this privacy notice from time to time. The latest version will always be published on our website with the updated date shown at the top of this document.