Data Protection Notice | Registry

Data Protection Notice

To complete your registration, you will need to submit personal data to Dublin City University (DCU).

Data protection is concerned with safeguarding the privacy rights of individuals in relation to the processing of their personal data. Personal data is defined as any information relating to a living individual which allows the identification of that individual. This may, for example, include your name, your email address, and your date of birth, your academic record  or your contact number. 

DCU must comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Irish Data Protection Acts 1988-2018 when it collects and uses your personal data. DCU acts as a ‘Data Controller’ in respect of your personal data and complies with its responsibilities under the legislation.  

DCU will process your personal data in accordance with the University’s Data Privacy Policy. 

Legal Basis 

The legal basis invoked for the processing of your personal data is consent. If you do not wish to provide your consent you have the right to do so. However, to complete the registration process some personal details are necessary and by completing the registration process you are consenting to your personal data being used and processed by the University. 

Why DCU needs your data 

In addition to the purposes described above under the ‘Confirmation of Registration' section DCU will process, use and retain the personal data for:

(i) registration and administration purposes in connection with your course and modules, including maintaining your student records;

(ii) for purposes connected with the University’s provision to you of programmes of academic study and in accordance with the University’s statutory functions under the University Acts; &

(iii) as necessary for the University to meet certain legal obligations to which the University is subject.

DCU may also obtain personal data relating to you from other sources (e.g. CAO process). Your personal data will at all times be processed, used and retained by the University in accordance with its obligations under applicable data protection legislation and as set out in the Data Privacy Policy. 

Retention of personal data

Your personal data will be retained by the University for the duration of your enrolment on a course of study at the University and for a reasonable period thereafter, including for alumni relations purposes as described in the Data Privacy Policy. Some of the personal data will be retained indefinitely, in line with the University’s legal obligations to maintain academic records. 

While Registry does not generally seek or collect special or sensitive categories of personal data (e.g. medical / health data or data relating to race or ethnicity), in certain circumstances it will do so. Examples include the processing of medical certificates for consideration in relation to the student academic record (e.g. postponements and extenuating circumstances).

Your Data Privacy Rights

For further information about your data privacy rights please refer to the University’s Data Privacy Policy. 

Exercising your rights, queries and complaints

If you have any questions in relation to your personal data, you may contact the DCU Data Protection Officer, Mr Martin Ward, on 01-7007476 or email data.protection@dcu.ie. For further information, please contact the University’s Data Protection Unit. 

The Data Protection Commission (DPC) is the official authority overseeing data protection in Ireland. If you wish to lodge a complaint to the DPC please visit dataprotection.ie

Sharing of Personal Data with the HEA

Please note that your personal data will be shared with the Higher Education Authority (HEA) for funding allocation, statistical analysis and policy formulation purposes. The data shared includes personal data such as name, address, Eircode, PPSN, grant status and CAO data. By completing your registration, you are agreeing to your data being shared with the Higher Education Authority. Full details of what data are shared and how these data are used can be accessed at this link. If you wish to object to the processing of your personal data in this manner, or if you have any queries in relation to the processing of your personal data generally, please contact:

HEA Data Protection Officer - email: dataprotection@hea.ie

Sharing of Personal Data with SUSI

Details about the categories of data and the purposes of processing the data with Student Universal Support Ireland can be found at this SUSI Link.