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College student data

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SFC collects personal data of students in Scotland’s colleges in order to carry out our public tasks. These include to appropriately allocate funding to colleges, monitor their performance and to improve the student experience.

Source of the personal data

SFC collects this data directly from colleges.

Categories of personal data collected

SFC collects the following categories of personal data about college students:

  • Demographic information.
  • Information about the course that they undertake.
  • Funding information.
  • Equalities information.
  • Student status.
  • Previous qualifications.
  • Proof of the right to live/work in the UK.
  • Course outcomes.
  • Leaver information including information relating to employment or College after completion of the course.

Purposes of processing

SFC processes college student data so far as it is necessary for:

  • Monitoring College institutions’ educational outcomes.
  • Assessing the financial requirements of colleges.
  • Assessing colleges’ equality and diversity.
  • Monitoring college student leaver destinations in order to monitor the outcomes of the provision of College to students aged 16-25.
  • Monitoring institutional sustainability and governance.
  • Evaluate the quality of College in Scotland.
  • Provide European Social Fund (ESF) funding to College Institutions and monitor and audit their compliance with ESF requirements.
  • Provide statistical data on College in Scotland.

Legal basis for processing

SFC processes college student data so far as it is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in SFC.

SFC processes college student special category data so far as it is necessary for reasons of substantial public interest, on the basis of law under:

  • Further and Higher Education (Scotland) Act 1992.
  • Further and Higher Education (Scotland) Act 2005.
  • Post-16 Education (Scotland) Act 2013.

Recipients of the data

SFC shares student data with other public sector bodies to allow them to carry out their tasks in the public interest and to carry out their statutory functions. SFC may share personal data with:

  • The Scottish Government.
  • The European Commission.
  • Colleges.
  • National Records of Scotland.
  • NHS Education Scotland.
  • Higher Education Statistics Agency.
  • Skills Development Scotland.
  • Higher Education Funding Council for Wales.
  • Regional Strategic Bodies (aka Joint Regional Boards)

SFC uses third parties for some of its IT systems which are used to hold and process personal data.