Student privacy at UQ

Schedule 5 of the Information Privacy Act 2009 (Qld) defines sensitive information for an individual as:

1. information or an opinion, that is also personal information, about the individual’s—
   1. racial or ethnic origin; or
   2. political opinions; or
   3. membership of a political association; or
   4. religious beliefs or affiliations; or
   5. philosophical beliefs; or
   6. membership of a professional or trade association; or
   7. membership of a trade union; or
   8. sexual orientation or practices; or
   9. criminal record;
2. health information about the individual;
3. genetic information about the individual that is not otherwise health information;
4. biometric information that is to be used for the purpose of automated biometric verification or biometric identification; or
5. biometric templates.

UQ collects sensitive information in limited circumstances, however there will be occasions where it will be required to facilitate student admission into programs. For example, it is necessary to obtain a student's race in order to determine eligibility for an Indigenous scholarship.

UQ collects students’ personal information in order to discharge its functions under the University of Queensland Act 1998, including teaching and learning, research, student recruitment, student administration, student support and alumni relations.

UQ collects personal information directly from you during application and enrolment processes, as well as throughout your time as a student. UQ will only collect personal information that is directly relevant to its legitimate functions and activities, and in a way which is lawful, fair and not unreasonably intrusive to your privacy.

When collecting personal information from you, the University will take all reasonable steps to inform you about:

• why the information is being collected and how it is intended to be used;
• the University’s authority to collect the information; and
• any third parties to whom the University routinely gives the kind of information requested.

For information regarding the types of information that UQ collects in relation to students, please refer to the "Students" section of our Personal Information Register.

UQ uses students’ personal information for the purposes of managing students’ admission, enrolment, progression, graduation, access to academic and support services, and for alumni relations after graduation. Only personal information that is relevant to the proposed activity or function will be used. Before using the information, UQ will take reasonable steps to ensure that the information is up-to-date, accurate and complete.

UQ also uses students’ personal information to inform its strategic objectives and decision-making processes, to improve the student experience, and to ensure continuing compliance with its obligations under TEQSA’s Threshold Standards. This may involve, for example, statistical analyses and analytics processes involving datasets containing students’ personal information.

UQ is required to disclose personal student information to government departments and agencies under:

• the Higher Education Support Act 2003 (Cth);
• the Education Services for Overseas Students Act 2000 (ESOS);
• the National Code of Practice for Providers of Education and Training to Overseas Students 2018; and
• other relevant laws.

UQ is required by law to disclose students’ personal information to:

• The Commonwealth Department of Education, Skills and Employment (DESE) regarding student enrolment, educational background, demographic and geographic data, to assist with administering the Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching (QILT) suite of surveys, including the Graduate Outcomes Survey;
• The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) in relation to HELP loans where students may defer fee payments through the taxation system;
• The Commonwealth Department of Home Affairs, which requires UQ to report on matters relating to international student visa conditions;
• Centrelink / Services Australia in relation to the monitoring of domestic students’ entitlements;
• Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Authority (TEQSA);
• Tertiary Admissions Centres to verify academic information or transcripts.

UQ also routinely discloses students’ personal information to:

• other educational institutions to administer your cross-institutional enrolments and student exchanges;
• Unicard to produce your UQ student identification card with photographic image;
• UQ Sport to confirm your status as a UQ student to access sporting facilities on campus;
• Universities Australia, the Group of Eight and other peak bodies, via surveys and benchmarking data;
• the Social Research Centre (SRC) in relation to the Graduate Outcomes Survey and the Student Experience Survey.

The information being collected may be disclosed to external organisations such as:

• Professional bodies
• Hospitals
• Government agencies

if the disclosure is necessary in order for you to undertake work integrated learning/practical or clinical placement as part of your program.

For details of the type of personal information that may be shared under these circumstances please review our Privacy Policy.

Your information may be collected and held in a variety of ways, including, electronic, written forms, online forms or verbally. UQ protects your personal information from unauthorised access, unauthorised disclosure, loss or other misuse by providing restricted access to only authorised personnel.

Security measures in place to protect the confidentiality, accuracy, completeness and access to your information are set out in our Privacy Policy.

You have a right to access and amend the personal information that UQ holds about you. This right is subject to any exceptions provided for under relevant legislation.

If you wish to seek access to your personal information or have a question about UQ’s handling of your personal information please see our Privacy Policy or contact our Privacy Officer at privacy@uq.edu.au.

As a Queensland government agency, UQ must maintain records for its legitimate business purposes or to support other legal or corporate requirements. The personal information UQ holds about your admission, enrolment, academic progression and graduation form part of an official record.

UQ will hold the information in these records for the period set out in the relevant retention and disposal schedule under section 26 of the Public Records Act 2023 (Qld) or for another period as required under another relevant law.
 

You are not required by law to provide us with your personal information for the above purposes. However, if you elect not to provide the requested information, it may not be possible for UQ to process your enrolment or facilitate your work integrated learning placement.

For further information regarding the management of personal information at UQ, please refer to the University’s Privacy Policy.

For enquiries regarding your personal information at UQ, please contact the Privacy Office on privacy@uq.edu.au.