Privacy notice - Student admission

The University of Tampere and Tampere University of Technology were merged on 1 January 2019 to create the new Tampere University. Together the new Tampere University (Tampere University Foundation sr) and Tampere University of Applied Sciences Ltd comprise Tampere Universities. Each institution acts as an independent data controller that processes personal data about its own applicants.

Why we process personal data

When you apply for admission to Tampere Universities (including individuals applying for degree programmes, doctoral programmes, exchange programmes, specialist training programmes, professional development programmes or the Open University, Open University of Applied Sciences), we may process your personal data, which you provide by filling out an application, for the following purposes:

to communicate information about studies and student admission results
to manage the student admission processfor study-related marketing purposes or other special purposes
for research purposes
to collect and process applicant’s feedback.

Automated decision-making and profiling

We do not carry out automated decision-making or profiling activities.

Why we are allowed to process your personal data

The right of Tampere Universities to process personal data in the role of data controller is based on the following provisions:

Processing is necessary for the purpose of performing a public task or exercising official authority (GDPR, article 6, paragraph 1e).
Processing is necessary to comply with the data controller’s legal obligation (GDPR; article 6, paragraph 1c).
Processing is based on a contract (GDPR; article 6, paragraph 1b).
Data subjects have provided their consent for processing their personal data (GDPR; article 6, paragraph 1a).
Processing is necessary for purposes of public interest or to exercise official authority (GDPR, article 6, paragraph 1g).

Main regulations:

The Finnish Universities Act (558/2009) and related Government Decrees
The Government Decree on University Degrees (794/2004) and the subsequent amendments thereof
The Finnish Universities of Applied Sciences Act (932/2014) and related Government Decrees
Government Decree on Universities of Applied Sciences (1129/2014)
The Act on National Study and Degree Registers (884/2017, chapter 5)
The EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (2016/679) and related national regulations
Act on the Openness of Government Activities (621/1999)

The types of personal data we collect

We process the following types of personal data about applicants:

Applicant information:

identifiers (name, personal identity number, date of birth, application/applicant number)
background information (nationality, gender, first language)
contact information (email address, phone number, postal address).

Application:

preferred programmes

information about seeking admission to a programme

information about meeting the requirements for admission:

qualifications, degrees and work experience, possible CV or motivation letters
health reasons affecting student admission (yes/no)
admission results (entrance exam results and other results, such as the admission score)
information about accepting an offer of admission
consent/refusal to the publication of the admission results online.

Applicant information that may include special category data (sensitive personal data):

information about special arrangements
descriptions of disturbances relating to student admission and their consequences
possible interviews included in the admission process.

How we collect personal data

We collect personal data directly from you and from the following sources:

nationwide or institution-specific application and admission systems
international application and admission systems
other higher education institutions in Finland and abroad (for example, in connection with student exchange programmes)
electronic payment and registration services
university staff.

In addition, we retrieve up-to-date personal data through the population information system.

We may also process personal data that is observed or retrieved based on your use of our IT services or equipment or collected by different control and surveillance services (such as video surveillance).

How we process your personal data

Your personal data stored in our information systems will only be processed for the purposes for which the data were initially collected. Applicants’ personal data will only be processed by our employees or partners who are authorised to process students’ personal data. The right to access and view data stored in a specific information system is only granted in the extent necessary to persons who need the data in the performance of their job duties.

Personal data may also be used for statistical and research purposes. As a rule, personal data that is used for statistical or research purposes is anonymised so that individuals cannot be identified. All personal data will be stored in compliance with data protection requirements.

Information provided by students concerning their special needs will only be used for the original specified purpose. Heightened security measures are in place to provide additional protection for this type of data (concerning, for example, accessibility).

Who we may share your data with

We may provide the following parties with applicants’ personal data if necessary:

The Studyinfo system maintained by the Finnish National Agency for Education
university records for national and international joint degree programmes
Ministry of Education and Culture (nationwide study and degree records)
internationalisation services of the Finnish National Agency for Education
the social security institution Kela (via a technical interface)
the National Supervisory Authority for Welfare and Health (Valvira) via a technical interface (data retrieved from the nationwide database of Finnish higher education institutions)
employment authorities
the register of aliens maintained by the immigration authorities
TE Office (inquiries)
other higher education institutions in Finland and abroad in connection with student exchange or educational collaboration in order to confirm your student status and transfer your academic records
to higher education institutions outside the EU/EEA area in connection with student exchange, the implementation of double or joint degree programmes or the transfer of academic records.

In addition, Tampere Universities may disclose applicants’ personal data:

for research purposes
owing to our obligations under the Act on the Openness of Government Activities (621/1999) or other legal obligations, we may disclose data pertaining to student admission or the right to study to other Finnish higher education institutions or foreign higher education institutions, including institutions located outside of the EU/EEA
with applicants’ consent, we may disclose contact information to external parties for marketing purposes or other special purposes.

Transfer or disclosure of data outside the EU/EEA

We are committed to taking special data protection measures in the event that personal data is transferred outside of the EU or the European Economic Area (EEA) to countries that are not covered by the GDPR. Personal data will not be transferred outside of the EU/EEA unless it is necessary. Such transfers will be managed in strict compliance with the GDPR.

Data may, for example, be transferred in case applicants:

take an entrance examination in a location outside of the EU/EEA. Their personal data may be disclosed to the exam organiser.
apply for admission by presenting a degree certificate awarded by an institution located outside of the EU/EEA. The University may verify the authenticity of the degree certificate by contacting the institution that issued the certificate.

How long we retain your personal data

The retention periods of personal data and other materials stored in our information systems are based on applicable legislation and our data management plan.

Permanently retained data (884/2017 sections 25 and 27):

admitted applicants: national learner ID, personal identity number or other personal identifier
admitted applicants: information about an individual’s right to study for a degree and his or her acceptance of a study place.

Based on a decision issued by the National Archives of Finland, it is possible to also store applicants’ other personal data on a permanent basis.

The following types of personal data will be retained on a temporary basis:

entrance exams and applicant scores: at least 1 year
rejected applications: at least 1 year
approved applications: at least 5 years
sensitive data will only be retained for as long as is necessary (no more than 4 years)

The retention period for personal data about individuals who seek admission to professional development programmes may vary and may also be reconsidered.

We will retain personal data which we collect or process based on your consent (until you withdraw your consent) until further notice or for the duration of a specifically defined retention period, unless there is a lawful basis for processing this data.

Rights of data subjects

Right of access (GDPR, Article 15)

You have the right to know what personal data we process and hold about you. Many of the University-provided information systems allow you to view the data that we have stored about you when you are logged in.

Right to rectification (Article 16)

You have the right to have any incorrect, inaccurate or incomplete personal details that we hold about you revised or supplemented without undue delay. You are also entitled to have any unnecessary personal data erased from our records.

Right to be forgotten (Article 17)

In certain circumstances, you have the right to have your personal data erased from our records. The right to erasure does not apply, if the processing is necessary for us to comply with our legal obligations or perform tasks carried out in the exercise of official authority.

Right to restrict processing (Article 18)

In certain circumstances, you have the right to request us to restrict processing your personal data until the accuracy of your data, or the lawful basis for processing your data, has been appropriately reviewed and potentially revised or supplemented.

Right to data portability (Article 20)

You have the right to obtain a copy of the personal data that you have submitted to the University in a commonly used, machine-readable format and transfer the data to another data controller. This right applies to situations where data is processed automatically on the basis of consent or contract.
This means that the right to data portability does not apply to data processing that is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or to fulfil legal obligations imposed on the data controller. Consequently, this right does not generally apply to the higher education institution’s personal data registers.

Right to object (Article 21)

You may at any time object to the processing of your personal data for special personal reasons, if the basis for processing is a task carried out in the public interest, the exercise of official authority, or the higher education institution’s legitimate interests. After receiving such a request, we will no longer process your personal data unless we can demonstrate compelling legitimate grounds for processing your data.

Right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority (Article 77)

You have the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority, if you consider that the processing of your personal data violates the provisions of the GDPR (2016/679). In addition, you may follow other administrative procedures to appeal against a decision made by a supervisory authority or seek a judicial remedy.

Office of the Data Protection Ombudsman

Street address: Lintulahdenkuja 4
Postal address: PO Box 800, FI-00531 Helsinki, Finland
Email: tietosuoja [at] om.fi
Switchboard: +358 2956 66700

Who do I contact with questions about data protection?

The data controller is Tampere University Foundation sr (Business ID 2844561-8), visiting address Kalevantie 4, 33014 Tampere University, Tampere Finland (Tampere University) or Tampere University of Applied Sciences Ltd (Business ID 1015428-1), visiting address Kuntokatu 3, 33520 Tampere, Finland (TAMK).

You can view the personal data we hold about you by logging into many of the information systems owned or maintained by Tampere Universities. You can request to have any inaccurate personal data rectified in connection with the admissions process where the data is generated. Please contact the Admissions Office at Tampere University by email at hakijapalvelut.tau [at] tuni.fi or the Admissions Office at Tampere University of Applied Sciences at hakijapalvelut.tamk [at] tuni.fi

Please deliver all subject access requests to the data protection officer of Tampere Universities (by email at dpo [at] tuni.fi or by post to the following address: Data Protection Officer, Tampere University, FI-33014, Tampere, Finland).

This privacy notice was updated on 27 August 2021.