Privacy Policy

USFA Limited is a company registered in England and Wales under company number 16355830. Our registered office is at:

For data protection enquiries, please contact us at: [email protected]

We are the data controller for personal data collected through this website and in connection with our services.

We may collect and process the following categories of personal data:

• Identity data: full name, date of birth
• Contact data: email address, telephone number, postal address
• Application data: academic history, course preferences, personal statements, financial information relevant to student finance applications
• Communications data: records of correspondence between you and USFA Limited
• Technical data: IP address, browser type, pages visited, time spent on site (collected via cookies — see Section 9)
• Usage data: information about how you use our website and services

We do not knowingly collect data from children under the age of 13 without verifiable parental consent. If you believe we have inadvertently collected such data, please contact us immediately.

We collect personal data through:

• Enquiry and contact forms on our website
• Email, telephone, and video consultations
• Documents and information you provide as part of our service
• Automated technologies (cookies and similar tracking tools) when you browse our website

We use your personal data for the following purposes and on the following legal bases:

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes set out in this policy:

• Client records: 6 years from the end of our engagement, in line with standard UK limitation periods
• Enquiry records (non-clients): 12 months from the date of enquiry
• Marketing consent records: until you withdraw consent
• Website analytics data: up to 26 months

After the applicable retention period, data is securely deleted or anonymised.

We do not sell your personal data. We may share it with:

• Student Finance England / Student Loans Company — where required to process your student finance application on your behalf
• Universities and higher education institutions — where required to submit your application
• IT and software service providers — who process data on our behalf under data processing agreements (e.g. email platforms, cloud storage)
• Legal and regulatory authorities — where required by law

All third parties are required to handle your data securely and in accordance with applicable data protection law.

We primarily store and process data within the United Kingdom and the European Economic Area. Where data is transferred outside these areas, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place (such as Standard Contractual Clauses or adequacy decisions) in accordance with UK GDPR.

Under UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, you have the following rights:

• Right of access — to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
• Right to rectification — to request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data
• Right to erasure — to request deletion of your data in certain circumstances
• Right to restrict processing — to request that we limit how we use your data
• Right to data portability — to receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format
• Right to object — to object to processing based on legitimate interests or for direct marketing
• Rights related to automated decision-making — we do not use solely automated decision-making that produces legal or similarly significant effects

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at [email protected]. We will respond within one calendar month. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk or by calling 0303 123 1113.

Our website uses cookies and similar technologies to improve your browsing experience and analyse site traffic. A cookie consent banner is displayed on your first visit, and you may withdraw or update your preferences at any time.

We use the following types of cookies:

• Strictly necessary cookies: essential for the website to function — these cannot be disabled
• Analytics cookies: help us understand how visitors use our site (only set with your consent)
• Preference cookies: remember your settings and choices

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorised access, loss, or disclosure. These include encrypted data transmission (HTTPS), access controls, and regular security reviews. However, no method of transmission over the internet is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The "Last updated" date at the top of this page will reflect any changes. We encourage you to review this policy periodically. Continued use of our website or services after changes are posted constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how we handle your data, please contact us: