Privacy and Data Protection Policy

Thank you for choosing to be part of our community at the International College of Seville (“ICS”, “we”, “us” or “our”). We are committed to protecting your right to personal information and your right to privacy in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (GDPR) and the Spanish Organic Law 3/2018 on the Protection of Personal Data and Guarantee of Digital Rights (LOPDGDD).

If you have any questions or concerns about our Privacy Notice, or our practices about your personal information, please contact us at admissions@ics-seville.org.

Lawful Basis for Collecting and Processing Personal Data

ICS’s lawful basis for collecting and processing your personal information includes any of the following:

• Legitimate Business Purpose: Necessary for the legitimate interests pursued by ICS in providing educational programs and services.
• Contractual Necessity: For the performance of an agreement and/or contract to which you are a party, to evaluate applications, and to manage enrollment.
• Legal Obligation: Necessary for compliance with Spanish tax, accounting, and administrative laws, as well as local safety regulations.
• Consent: You have given explicit consent for the processing of your personal data for one or more specific purposes (e.g., marketing communications, processing health data).

Types of Personal Data We Collect

The personal information we collect takes different forms. Examples include:

• Contact and Identity Information: First and last name, email address, physical address, phone numbers, and passport/ID details.
• Academic Information: Transcripts, academic history, and home university details.
• Technical Data: IP addresses, browser types, and website usage data collected via cookies.

Sensitive Personal Information. ICS recognizes that certain laws require higher protection of sensitive personal information. We collect health and dietary information exclusively to ensure accurate placements in our Spanish homestays and to secure comprehensive local health insurance. We seek explicit consent to process this sensitive data.

Why We Collect Personal Data

As a Data Controller, ICS collects and processes personal data only as necessary to provide our programs and services to you.

ICS collects and processes your personal information to correspond with you prior to entering into a contractual relationship, to answer your questions, and to process your application. Furthermore, we use this data to enroll you in our programs located strictly in Seville. Your data is also processed to act as an intermediary with partner organizations and your home university, as our official U.S. credit transfers apply to any attending student from any university. We also use this information to keep a record of your academic achievements, coordinate your private Spanish homestay (whether immersive or shared), and provide you with health, safety, and cultural excursion support while participating in our programs.

How We Collect Personal Data

• Information you provide to us: When you fill out forms on our website, apply for a program, or communicate with our staff.
• Information that is automatically collected: We use cookies and web tracking technologies to help us analyze how users interact with our site. We distinguish between strictly necessary cookies and analytics cookies (such as Google Analytics). Non-essential tracking only occurs if you explicitly provide consent via our website’s cookie consent banner.

When and How We Share Personal Data With Others

ICS does not sell personal data. The provision of our programs requires us to process and share your personal information with carefully selected third-party partners to provide our services. This includes:

• Local host families in Seville to ensure a precise lifestyle fit.
• Authorized health insurance providers.
• Partner academic institutions and home universities to facilitate credit transfers.
• Museums and excursion partners (such as the Museo del Baile Flamenco) solely when necessary for ticketing and logistics.

Data Subject’s Rights

Under the GDPR and LOPDGDD, you maintain absolute control over your personal data. You reserve the right to:

• Access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Rectify: Request corrections to inaccurate data.
• Erase: Request the deletion of your personal data.
• Restrict or Object: Object to our processing of your data.
• Data Portability: Receive your data in a commonly used format.
• Withdraw Consent: Opt out of marketing communications at any time.

To exercise these rights, please email admissions@ics-seville.org with the subject “Data Protection Rights”. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Spanish Data Protection Agency (AEPD) at www.aepd.es.

Transferring Personal Data to the United States

Because ICS bridges operations between Seville and North American institutions, we transfer academic and program data back to your home university. When personal information is transferred to servers outside the European Economic Area (EEA), we ensure it is protected by appropriate legal safeguards, utilizing Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) approved by the European Commission to guarantee your data remains protected to EU standards.

Data Storage and Retention

ICS retains personal data only for as long as a valid legal or operational purpose exists:

• Academic Records: Retained indefinitely to fulfill future transcript requests and verify academic history.
• Financial and Administrative Data: Retained for a period of 4 to 6 years following the completion of the program to comply with Spanish law.
• Alumni and Marketing Data: Retained until the user explicitly withdraws their consent or requests deletion.

Once a retention period expires without a valid legal justification, the corresponding data is securely destroyed.

Contact Information

For further information or comments on our Privacy Notice, please contact ICS at the following address: