Data for marketing and promotion
We take care to collect and process data responsibly, with your consent, and in compliance with data protection law.
Bath Spa’s people – students, staff, alumni and visitors – are integral to how we tell our story. Your experiences are valuable for applicants, which is why we share them via our website, prospectus and other channels.
It's in the University’s legitimate interest to process your personal data for marketing and promotional purposes. At the same time, we take your privacy very seriously. That’s why we seek your consent before we use images, footage, or audio in which you are clearly identifiable for marketing purposes.
If you have any questions about how your data is handled, please email data-protection@bathspa.ac.uk and we’ll be happy to answer your questions.
About this policy
The types of personal data that we may collect for marketing and promotional purposes include testimonials and case studies (‘profiles’) of current students and alumni; images, video footage and audio files of current, past and prospective students, visitors, and staff. The personal data, which may be held on paper or on a computer or other media, are subject to certain legal safeguards specified in the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) and the UK Data Protection Act 2017-19 and associated legislation.
This policy may be amended at any time.
The data that we may process for marketing and promotional purposes include:
Personal data; defined as any data that can be used to identify a living individual. This could be photos or film footage of you in which you are clearly identifiable; your email address; your name, etc.
Intellectual property created by Bath Spa University students and employees e.g. words, images, audio and video footage of your creations (please note that the University's policies relating to intellectual property created by Bath Spa University employees and students are explained separately in the Student General Regulations, the Terms and Conditions - Academic, and the Terms and Conditions - Professional Services (Intranet login required for these links).
We collect data for marketing and promotional purposes in several ways, including:
- Through filming and photography at events such as Open Days, and during seminars, lectures, talks, and other sessions
- Online, via digital consent forms (e.g. student and alumni profiles)
- Via third parties, such as UCAS.
We collect marketing and promotional data throughout the year on an ad-hoc basis, as well as at specific events such as Open Days and Applicant Visit Days, Careers Fairs, and School and College Visits.
Bath Spa University may use this information, such as text, photos and videos collected as outlined above, in an online student / graduate profile, as part of a web presence for your course and its related web pages, or in our printed prospectus.
We may also use your data for other purposes, including but not limited to:
- Testimonials on the website
- Social media posts
- University magazines and external publications
- Course handbooks
- Internal and external communications e.g. news stories on the Bath Spa University website and email newsletters to staff, students, and alumni
- Other marketing materials e.g. leaflets, prospectuses
- As part of online directories such as UCAS and Findamasters.com
- Advertising campaigns promoting Bath Spa University, including print, digital and audio media.
In addition, if you have granted consent for us to contact you from time to time, we would need to use your data to do so.
“Special category data” is considered more sensitive than personal data, and includes (for example) information about an individual’s race, ethnic origin, politics, religion, trade union membership, genetics, biometrics (where used for ID purposes), health, sex life, or sexual orientation.
We will not ask for special category data for promotional or marketing purposes at Bath Spa University, however if you choose to mention special category data in your submission, you must give explicit consent for its use as part of our processing.
We'll use your data in the ways specified within two academic years from the date you submit it / it is captured. If it's not used within this time, we'll delete or archive it.
We'll continue to use the information for marketing and promotional purposes either in print or online for no longer than six years after publication, during which time you'll have the right of access and rectification as stated below.
We'll retain the data that you provide for marketing and promotional purposes for up to eight years from the date of submission/collection, or until you withdraw your consent - whichever is sooner, at which point it will be archived and only used for historical and research purposes.
We'll process data in accordance with GDPR and data protection law, and only for the purposes specified at the point of data collection. Your personal data will be shared with Bath Spa University Marketing and International recruitment and event teams and related or relevant departments. We may share access to photos and video content to third parties for, including but not exclusive to, design agencies and printers and third party websites for wider promotional distribution.
You have the right to withdraw your consent for the use of your data, and the right to change the details you have provided at any time, however please note that in the case of printed materials, we will not be able to amend your published details after these have been printed. You will, however, have the right to amend your data or withdraw your consent for future printed materials, provided we receive these changes prior to our print deadlines.
If at any time you would like us to amend your record, or if you would like to withdraw your consent, please contact us at data-protection@bathspa.ac.uk.
We reserve the right to amend this policy at any time. Where appropriate, we will notify data subjects of those changes by mail or email. This policy will be reviewed on an annual basis by the Data Protection Officer in conjunction with the Secretariat.