Privacy Policy

Last updated: 18 May 2026

This Privacy Policy describes how StudyMate Ltd ("StudyMate", "we", "us" or "our") collects and processes your personal data when you visit our website, complete an enquiry form, or otherwise communicate with us. We are committed to protecting your personal data and handling it responsibly, in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Who we are

StudyMate Ltd is a student advisory and recruitment company registered in England & Wales, with its place of business in Alfreton, Derbyshire, United Kingdom. For the purposes of data protection law, StudyMate Ltd is the data controller responsible for your personal data.

If you have any questions about this policy or how we handle your data, you can contact us at:

• Email: contact@study-mate.co.uk
• Phone: +44 7516 338217
• Post: StudyMate Ltd, Alfreton, Derbyshire, England, United Kingdom

2. The data we collect

When you submit an enquiry or consultation request through our website, or contact us by email or phone, we may collect the following information:

• Identity data — your first and last name.
• Contact data — your email address and telephone number.
• Enquiry data — your intended level of study, the course or subject area you are interested in, and any details you choose to share in your message.
• Technical data — basic information collected automatically by our website, such as your IP address, browser type and the pages you visit, used to keep the site secure and working correctly.

We do not ask for, and you should not send us, sensitive financial information such as bank details or card numbers through our website forms.

3. How we use your data and our lawful basis

We only use your personal data where the law allows us to. In most cases, we rely on the following lawful bases:

• Consent — when you submit an enquiry form, you give us your consent to contact you about your education enquiry. You can withdraw this consent at any time.
• Legitimate interests — to respond to your questions, provide advisory services you have asked for, keep records of our communications, and keep our website secure.
• Legal obligation — where we are required to retain certain records to comply with the law.

Specifically, we use your data to: respond to your enquiry and arrange a consultation; advise you on suitable higher education pathways and courses; support you through the application and enrolment process; and communicate with you about the services you have requested.

4. Marketing and Meta (Facebook) advertising

We may advertise our services on platforms such as Facebook and Instagram (Meta). If you reach our website through one of these adverts and submit a form, your details are sent directly to StudyMate and handled as described in this policy. We will only use your contact details to follow up on the enquiry you made. We will not send you unrelated marketing unless you have separately agreed to receive it, and every marketing message will include a clear way to opt out.

5. How we share your data

Your personal data is used internally within StudyMate for the purposes of providing our advisory and recruitment services. We do not sell your personal data to third parties.

We may share limited, relevant information in the following circumstances:

• With UK universities, colleges or education providers only where necessary to progress an application you have asked us to support, and with your knowledge.
• With trusted service providers who help us operate our website, email and form systems, under contracts that require them to keep your data secure and use it only for the purposes we specify.
• Where we are required to do so by law, a court order, or a regulatory authority.

6. How long we keep your data

We keep your personal data only for as long as is necessary for the purposes set out in this policy. Enquiry data is retained for the period needed to support your education journey and for a reasonable time afterwards in case you return to us. When your data is no longer needed, it is securely deleted or anonymised.

7. How we protect your data

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorised access, loss or misuse. Access to enquiry data is restricted to authorised personnel within StudyMate who need it to carry out their role.

8. Your rights

Under UK data protection law, you have the right to:

• Request access to the personal data we hold about you.
• Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data.
• Request erasure of your personal data ("the right to be forgotten").
• Request that we restrict or object to certain processing of your data.
• Request the transfer of your data to you or another provider, where applicable.
• Withdraw consent at any time, where we are relying on consent to process your data.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at contact@study-mate.co.uk. We will respond within one month.

9. Cookies

Our website uses a small number of cookies to function correctly and to understand how the site is used. You can find full details in our Cookie Policy.

10. Complaints

If you have a concern about how we handle your personal data, please contact us first so we can try to put things right. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK supervisory authority, the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), at ico.org.uk.

11. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Any changes will be posted on this page with a revised "last updated" date. We encourage you to review this page periodically.