Privacy Policy

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the collected information for legitimate educational and service purposes, including to:

1. Create, authenticate, and manage your student account;
2. Provide college search, comparison tools, rank predictions, and mock test evaluations;
3. Process payments for paid Services and dispatch transaction confirmations and GST invoices;
4. Facilitate counselling session bookings and connect you with verified academic Counsellors;
5. Send administrative notices (OTP verifications, order confirmations, policy updates);
6. Send personalized admission alerts, scholarship updates, and newsletters (with opt-out at any time);
7. Personalize recommendations, college cutoffs, and AI counselling chatbot queries;
8. Detect, prevent, and mitigate fraud, spam, or security anomalies;
9. Analyze aggregate usage trends to optimize user experience across all devices;
10. Comply with applicable legal, statutory, tax, and regulatory requirements in India.

3. Legal Basis for Processing

We process your personal data based on: (a) your explicit consent, given at the time of account creation or service purchase; (b) the performance of our contract with you; (c) compliance with legal obligations under Indian law; and (d) our legitimate business interests in maintaining and improving Platform services, balanced against your privacy rights.

4. Sharing & Disclosure of Information

We do not sell or rent your personal data to third parties. We only share information with:

• Payment Gateway Partners: Strictly to execute transactions. All payment partners are independently PCI-DSS compliant and regulated by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
• Verified Counsellors: Information strictly necessary to deliver a booked counselling session (student name, target stream, academic preferences).
• Technology Service Providers: Cloud hosting, notification infrastructure (SMS/WhatsApp/Email), analytics, and customer support tools operating under confidentiality agreements.
• Partner Colleges & Universities: Only where you explicitly submit an admission inquiry or application to that institution through our Platform.
• Legal & Regulatory Authorities: Where required by valid legal process, court summons, or regulatory compliance.
• Corporate Restructuring: In the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, with equivalent confidentiality standards maintained.

5. Payment Security

All digital transactions on the Platform are processed through trusted, third-party payment gateways compliant with PCI-DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard) and regulated by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). Credit card numbers, CVVs, net banking credentials, and UPI MPINs are encrypted end-to-end and are never stored on SuggestMyCollege's servers.

7. Data Retention

We retain your personal data for as long as your account remains active or as needed to deliver services, comply with accounting and statutory obligations (such as the 8-year financial transaction record retention mandated by Indian tax and commercial laws), resolve disputes, and enforce agreements.

8. Your Rights Under DPDP Act, 2023

Under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 and relevant regulations, you hold the right to:

• Right to Access: Request a summary of your personal data processed by us;
• Right to Correction & Erasure: Request updating of inaccurate information or deletion of your profile, subject to legal record retention;
• Right of Grievance Redressal: Register concerns directly with our Grievance Officer;
• Right to Nominate: Nominate an individual to exercise your privacy rights in the event of death or incapacity;
• Withdraw Consent: Revoke consent for optional communications or processing at any time.

To exercise any of these rights, email us at Contact@suggestmycollege.com.

9. Data Security

We implement industry-grade technical and organizational safeguards — including TLS/SSL encryption for data in transit, encrypted databases, role-based access limits, and periodic vulnerability reviews — to protect your data. While we take every reasonable measure, no digital system is entirely immune to security threats.

10. Children's Privacy

Our services are intended for students preparing for higher education. Users under 18 years of age are expected to access paid features with the consent and oversight of a parent or guardian. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 13 without verifiable parental approval.

11. Data Storage & Hosting

Your personal information is hosted on secure cloud infrastructure located within India. In scenarios where certified third-party service providers process data internationally, we verify that comparable data protection standards are enforced.

13. External Links

Our Platform may contain hyperlinks to educational portals, government counselling bodies, or university websites. We do not endorse or control the privacy policies of third-party websites; users are encouraged to review their independent privacy disclosures.

14. Policy Updates

We may revise this Privacy Policy from time to time. When significant modifications occur, we will post the revised document on this page and refresh the "Last Updated" date. Continued access to the Platform constitutes acceptance of the modified terms.