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Your privacy
The information you provide to us is managed according to relevant privacy legislation. You can apply to get access or make amendments to your personal information at any time.
The University of Sydney ('the University', 'we') is committed to your privacy. This privacy notice explains how we collect, use, disclose your personal information and your rights in relation to your personal information. Read this together with our website privacy collection statement.
What is personal information?
Personal information (also known as personal data) is any information that identifies you. It includes:
- a written record that may include your name, address and other details about you
- photographs, images, video or audio footage of you
- your health information such as blood or DNA samples, or information about a health service provided to you.
Health information is a specific type of personal information which may include information about your physical or mental health or, disability.
Collection of personal information
We collect and hold personal information about you and your application, enrolment, candidature, academic progression, graduation and the provision of services to you.
The University will collect your personal information during the enrolment process and throughout your time as a student with the University. After your enrolment, when you are using University websites, or requesting or applying for a University service, you may be asked to provide information about yourself such as your UniKey, name, contact details or other personal information.
We will tell you of any consequences that not providing personal information requested by the University may have for your application, enrolment, academic progression, graduation, or the provision of services to you.
We will mainly collect information directly from you. There may be circumstances where information may be provided on your behalf, such as from the Universities Admissions Centre ('UAC') or, if you have applied for a sponsorship or admission through an agent. We will only collect information from other sources with your consent or in accordance with the law.
Personal information about you, in hardcopy or digital format, is stored in systems owned and managed by the University, such as Sydney Student. It is also stored in other systems under license or by agreement, such as Microsoft 365. These service providers are bound by the University's privacy and security requirements.
We retain your personal information in accordance with the State Records Act 1998 (NSW).
Use and disclosure of personal information
We will only use or disclose your personal information:
- for the purpose for which it was collected (such as to meet the object and functions of the University of Sydney Act 1989 (NSW))
- for a directly related purpose
- when we have the appropriate consent to do so, or
- as otherwise required, permitted or authorised by law.
We will use and/or disclose your personal information in administering and managing your application, enrolment, candidature, academic progress and graduation. We will also use and/or disclose your personal information to administer and manage the provision of services to you, to support your learning and for other directly related purposes that you would reasonably expect, such as to facilitate student support, strategic planning, infrastructure and providing sustainable resources.
The following are examples of instances where we will use and/or disclose your personal information:
- A digital photograph of you is stored by the University and is reproduced on your University student card. These photographs are available to University staff for University purposes but not for publication without your consent.
- To attempt to contact or locate you or to notify the relevant authority or your emergency contact if there are reasonable grounds to be concerned about your welfare or safety.
- For learning and business analytics to assist the University to make better decisions regarding operations and services, your learning experience and outcomes and the promotion of academic excellence. Analytics may also be used to offer you personalised services and support, or for approved research. For more information see the Principles for using student information (pdf, 142KB).
- In compliance with the law we will disclose your personal information to Services Australia, the Department of Education, Skills and Employment, the Department of Home Affairs, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Australian Taxation Office
- If you hold a concession Opal card, we will disclose your name, student ID, date of birth, course expiry date (if applicable) and your assessed eligibility for concession to travel to Transport for NSW for the purpose of determining eligibility for and administering concessions and for directly related purposes such as audit, management and operational activities for concessions.
- Each year, an electoral roll of students at the University is provided to recognised student organisations to enable the conduct of student organisation elections. Your contact details will also be provided to the student organisations that you have expressed a desire to join.
- For particular purposes the University engages external service providers who will have access to your personal information. Such service providers are bound by the University’s privacy and security requirements.
- To contact you about particular employment opportunities. No employer or sponsor will be provided with your personal information without your consent.
- To contact you via email to invite you to participate in approved research or surveys, while you are a student and when you have graduated.
- To contact you about opportunities to support the University through giving or volunteering, while you are a student and when you have graduated.
- To confirm your graduate status (only your name, degree(s) conferred and date(s) awarded will be disclosed). Your name and award will also be published in a University graduation booklet for your graduation ceremony.
Other examples of the University’s use and/or disclosure of personal information that may be applicable to you include:
If you were admitted to the University via UAC, the University returns a portion of the data originally supplied by that organisation as confirmation of your acceptance of the offer of enrolment they made to you on behalf of the University.
If you are undertaking an approved program of study that leads to registration as a health practitioner, the University is required to provide the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency with certain information collected as part of your enrolment, and about your enrolment status. The University is also required to provide NSW Health with certain information regarding students who will be undertaking placements in NSW Health facilities. This information is reported directly via the ClinConnect Student Module and is used to assign students to placements and to record students’ compliance with NSW Health policy and legislative requirements.
If you receive assistance from the Indigenous Student Success Program, the University may disclose your personal information with the Commonwealth Government for the purpose of the Commonwealth administering the Program.
If you are a resident at one of the residential colleges affiliated with the University, your college will request that you authorise the University to provide a copy of your results to them each semester. The University will then supply your results to the college.
If you are a postgraduate research student, your name and current working topic may be published in electronic or printed media highlighting research at the University. If you do not want these details published you should inform the dean of your faculty in writing.
The University may share your information with other Australian or overseas educational institutions. For example, if you are engaged in cross-institutional study, global mobility arrangements, or, you apply to transfer studies.
We collect and use the information you provide on the academic transcript request form to process your request for an official academic transcript or certificate of graduate status.
We will share your information with our service providers where necessary to enable us to process your request electronically, including Nelnet International Pty Ltd (Xetta) and Australia Post (Secure Pay) for payment processing, and Higher Ed Services Pty Ltd (My eQuals) to issue your transcript or certificate. We will not use or share your information for any other purpose without your consent unless we are required or authorised to do so by law.
You do not have to provide your personal information to us, however we will not be able to process your request without it.
In limited circumstances we may need to collect identification documents from you to verify your identity before issuing your transcript. If we request identity documents from you, we will hold them for a short timeframe and then dispose of them securely. We will not share your identity documents with our service providers.
We handle personal information in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
To learn more about how our service providers handle personal information, please refer to:
Your rights in relation to your information
Under NSW privacy laws, you have the right to request access to and correct any personal information concerning you held by the University.
If you reside, or are located, in the European Economic Area, under the European Union General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), where your information is collected, used or disclosed as a result of your express consent, you may withdraw that consent at anytime. Further, you have the right to request the erasure, portability or restriction of processing of your personal information, and, to object to the processing of your personal information.
You can view and update most of your personal information in Sydney Student. Your student file contains information relating to general student administration matters including applications for credit or cross-institutional study, deferral requests and approval, exclusion and re-admission and re-enrolment. To inquire about accessing your student file, contact privacy.enquiries@sydney.edu.au.
Privacy Complaints
If you believe that the University or a member of staff has not handled your personal information in a way that you expect, you can make a complaint. Find out more about making a privacy complaint.
For more information
Find out more about privacy and the University.
If you have a question in relation to the University's compliance with GDPR, please contact our Data Protection Officer at privacy.enquiries@sydney.edu.au
Last updated: 27 September 2024
