IIE Website Privacy Policy

Personal Information is any data relating to you from which you can be reasonably identified. Examples of Personal Information may include your full name, date of birth, gender, email address, postal address, telephone number, job title, educational institution, financial information and your employer.

When you communicate your Personal Information to us through the Website, we will tell you at each collection point what information is required and the purpose of its collection. You can choose not to enter some or all Personal Information, but if you do so, we may not be able to adequately respond to your inquiry, communicate further with you and/or provide requested services.

We may share your Personal Information with:

• our IIE offices and affiliates
• our service providers and other third parties that make the Website available, enhance its functionality or otherwise provide services to IIE or its service providers
• any other person or entity about which we tell you when you provide your Personal Information
• any other person or entity necessary for protecting the rights or safety of IIE or others

We will not sell, market, share, rent or otherwise distribute your Personal Information to others in ways different from what is disclosed in this Policy. Except as otherwise expressly stated in this Policy, we will release Personal Information to another person or company only with your consent or if required or permitted by law. If your Personal Information will be disclosed to any other recipients than are stated in this Policy, we will inform you at the time we collect your Personal Information and obtain your consent.

We do reserve the right to transfer your Personal Information and other information to our successors in business and purchasers or transferees of any of our assets.

You may visit the Website without being required to provide your name, email address or other Personal Information. Some features of the Website might include features or services that permit you to enter contact information and other information about you, such as your name, address and e-mail address. Depending on why and how you communicate with us via the Website, we will use your Personal Information in the following way(s):

• To answer your questions and/or provide requested information if you inquire about IIE programs or services
• To advise when we need your Personal Information to execute an agreement with you or your organization or to comply with a legal obligation if you inquire how your organization could support or work with IIE
• To respond to your inquiry if you are a member of the public with questions about IIE employment and/or general inquiries
• To verify your identity, organization and/or role if we are not yet familiar with you or your organization
• To publish your comment on the grounds that by clicking “Submit,” you consent to our posting your Personal Information on a Bulletin Board or Chat Area you selected (if/when you submit a comment on a Bulletin Board or Chat Area). You may withdraw your consent for IIE to use your Personal Information this way by amending or deleting your comment or by submitting a request via the Data Subject Request Portal. If you withdraw your consent, it will not change how we used your Personal Information before you withdrew consent, but the comment will not be displayed in the future.
• To share information about our programs, services, news and events if you opt-in to receive marketing communications. When you enter your contact details for this reason and click “Sign Up,” you will have consented that we may contact you for these purposes. We will only send you marketing communications upon your consent.

When you opt-in to receive marketing communications from us, you are granting consent for your Personal Information to be used to contact you by email, direct mail and/or telephone to deliver personalized website experiences and to share information about relevant products, services, best practice information, industry news and events. You may withdraw your consent or amend your communication preferences via the Data Subject Request Portal or clicking the “Unsubscribe” button at the bottom of any email you receive from us.

If you later decide you do not want to receive correspondence from us, such as communications regarding available Programs, press releases, newsletters, marketing, promotions, or other topics, simply click the “Unsubscribe” link provided in that email message. Withdrawing your consent will not affect our use of the Personal Information prior to your withdrawal, but it signifies that we will not contact you about available Programs, press releases, newsletters, marketing, promotions or other topics in the future.

While we undertake every reasonable effort to prevent unauthorized Internet access to Personal Information we collect, we cannot ensure or warrant the security of information you transmit to us, information provided online, or information stored by us or our service providers. Personal Information is submitted at your own risk. We are not liable for disclosures of your Personal Information due to errors in transmission or the acts of our service providers or other third parties, which means that you accept all risks associated with any data transmission and Internet usage, including the risk that your Personal Information may be intercepted in-transit.Information Retention, Storage and Deletion

IIE retains Personal Information in alignment with our corporate retention requirements and policies. We will only save your personal data under the following circumstances: 1) for as long as it is necessary and relevant for the purpose it was originally collected, 2) until we have no further legitimate interest in the data, 3) until you withdraw your consent, or 4) we no longer need to comply with a legal obligation that requires us to retain your Personal Information. More specific information regarding retention periods for processing of personal data in connection with Programs will be provided to you when we collect your Personal Information. 

You have the option to request that the Personal Information we hold on your behalf be deleted at any time. However, we may retain a record of the existence of the relationship, to the extent that and for so long as we are required to do so by law (e.g. We will retain a record of your Personal Information deletion request to ensure that we comply with this request). We may also retain some or all Personal Information for record-keeping or legal purposes, to enforce our Terms and Conditions, or as a result of such information being stored on our systems through routine backup or archival processes. All deletion requests should be submitted via the Data Subject Request Portal. Please note that IIE is not responsible for removing your Personal Information from the lists or systems of any third-party not connected to us who has previously been provided your information in accordance with this Policy.

We may use email to communicate and send information that you have requested or to send surveys or information about other products or services developed or provided by us or our vendors or business partners. We will not give your email address to another party to promote products or services directly to you. If you do not wish to receive these types of emails from us, you may “opt-out” by submitting a request via the Data Subject Request Portal; however, please understand that we may continue to send emails related to any existing account with us, any submitted application, or any existing transaction or agreement with us. There might be a brief delay between when you submit your request to “opt-out” and when it is processed and reflected in our systems, so you may continue to receive certain communications from us for a limited time after you unsubscribe. Any communication or material you transmit to us by email or otherwise via the Website, including any data, questions, comments, suggestions or the like, is, and will be treated as, non-confidential and nonproprietary.

We comply with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act of the United States and similar laws around the world where applicable. Our Site is not specifically targeted to children, we do not actively solicit information from children, and we do not knowingly collect Personal Information from children without proper parental consent. Except in rare cases (such as an inquiry from a university student who is under the age of 18), the Website is not intended for users under the age of 18. If you believe that we may have collected Personal Information from someone under the applicable age of consent without parental consent, please submit a request via the Data Subject Request Portal, and we will promptly address the issue.

We store and process your Personal Information in the United States and various countries worldwide. We may transfer and access such information from around the world, including the United States and other countries in which we operate or in which our hosted service providers’ cloud servers are located so that we can use the information as described in this Policy.

As IIE operates this Website from the United States, please note that when you provide your Personal Information to us via this site, you are explicitly consenting to the transfer of your Personal Information outside the EEA which may include areas which have not yet been deemed by regulators to offer adequate data protection You can withdraw your consent to such international transfers by submitting a request via the Data Subject Request Portal; however, if you choose to withdraw consent, we will not be able to contact you about our Programs and services in the future. When we pass your Personal Information from an IIE entity or office inside the EEA to IIE parties located outside the EEA that do not offer adequate protection as determined by the European Commission, we do this under a data-sharing agreement that includes the appropriate EU model international data transfer clauses to  ensure your Personal Information is protected. When IIE makes transfers of Personal Information from IIE to another organization and if they are not subscribed to an approved data protection framework (e.g. EU-US Privacy Shield) that permits the transfer of Personal Information to them from the EEA, we rely on the use of the EU model international data transfer clauses if the country of the receiving organization is not listed as ‘adequate’ by the European Commission. A copy of the terms of these agreements, signed by the recipient, can be obtained by submitting a request via the Data Subject Request Portal.

The Website contains links to third-party websites. Unless we state otherwise in writing, IIE makes no representations whatsoever concerning the content or privacy practices or data protection standards of those websites. Our link to a site is not an endorsement, authorization, sponsorship, or affiliation regarding the website, its owners, or its providers. There are risks associated with using any information, software, or products found on the Internet; IIE advises that these risks be acknowledged before retrieving, using, relying upon, or purchasing anything via the Internet. If you leave the Website and visit other sites, we recommend that you carefully read the privacy statements of other websites that collect Personal Information. These other websites may collect or solicit personal data or send their own cookies to your computer. IIE is not responsible for the privacy practices of other websites.

This Policy applies only to this Website and not to any webpages or hyperlinks from this Website to another site. As an example, you may decide to connect with us through social media that is hosted by third parties. As IIE is not liable for the actions of third parties, the collection, processing, or use of information by these entities is subject to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy of applicable third parties.

Visitors of the Website are solely responsible for the content they post online (which includes public forums). These forums include, but are not limited to, chat rooms, bulletin boards, blogs or other publicly accessible forums that may be viewed and used by anyone with available access. Please be aware that when you voluntarily disclose and transmit Personal Information within a public forum, your information may be collected and used by others. We cannot control such uses of your Personal Information, and by using such services, you assume the risk that your provided Personal Information may be viewed and used by third parties.

The laws of the State of New York govern this Policy regardless of your location. By using this Website, you explicitly consent to exclusive jurisdiction and venue in the federal and state courts located in New York, New York, for all matters or disputes arising out of or relating to this Policy or your access or use of the Website.

If you are a resident of the state of California that is under the age of 18 and are a registered user of our Website, you may request that we remove any content you post to our Website that can be accessed by another user (regardless of his/her registration). To request removal of content under this provision, please submit a request via the Data Subject Request Portal and provide a description of the content, its location on our Site and any other pertinent information to consider your request. Please note that our removal of content under this paragraph does not ensure complete or comprehensive removal of the information you posted on the Website.

In this Policy, “European Data Protection Legislation” means all applicable legislation relating to data protection in the European Economic Area (“EEA”), including the EU General Data Protection Regulation 2016/679 (“GDPR”) and all laws adapted under or replacing the GDPR.

This Policy applies to the Personal Information collected via the Website. Under the European Data Protection Legislation, IIE assumes the role of the Data Controller, the entity that is responsible for the processing of your Personal Information collected via the Website. IIE remains the sole owner of any information collected on the Website. Conversely, IIE is a Data Processorof Personal Information that is collected from applicants, participants, partners and others in connection with certain Programs we administer for sponsors. IIE Programs and sponsored Programs under our administration may have additional or different data privacy policies and practices that are disclosed at the point where data is collected for those Programs. Please refer to the IIE Program Privacy Statement  for more information.

If you are a resident of the EEA or Switzerland, the following applies to you when using our Website:

Purposes of processing and legal basis for processing Personal Information: We process Personal Information in various ways depending upon your use of the Website. We process Personal Information on the following legal bases: (1) with your consent; (2) as necessary to perform our agreements; and (3) as necessary for our legitimate interests in providing services where those interests do not override your fundamental rights and freedom related to data privacy.

Individual Rights: If you are a resident of the EEA or Switzerland, you have certain rights under the GDPR. To verify your identity, we may require that you provide us with Personal Information prior to accessing any records containing information about you.

The right to access. You have the right to obtain information about our processing of your personal data and a copy of your personal data that we store.

The right to rectify your data. You have the right to request that we update your personal data if it is inaccurate or incomplete.

The right to request data erasure. You have the right to have your Personal Information erased from our files if the data is no longer necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, you withdraw your consent and no other legal basis for our processing your data exists, or your fundamental rights to data privacy and protection outweigh our legitimate interest in continuing our processing.

The right to restrict or object to processing. You have the right to restrict or object to our processing if we are processing your data based on legitimate interests or performance of a task in the public interest as an exercise of official authority (including profiling); using your data for direct marketing (including profiling); or processing your data for purposes of scientific or historical research and statistics.

The right to lodge a complaint. If you think we have processed your Personal Information unfairly or unlawfully, or we have not complied with your rights under GDPR, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the appropriate authority in your home country or relevant jurisdiction.

To submit any request to us under the GDPR, please contact us via the Data Subject Request Portal.

The Schedules below describe modifications of certain parts of this Policy that might apply to you if you reside in a country identified in a Schedule or if you submit information to an IIE office located in a country identified in a Schedule. Please review the Schedules to determine if any of the modifications apply to you.

Schedule A- Hong Kong

Schedule A applies if you are submitting information to IIE’s Hong Kong office (otherwise, Schedule A does not apply to you). Schedule A modifies certain provisions within the Privacy Policy. All provisions of the Privacy Policy that are not expressly modified in this Schedule continue to apply. The following provisions within the Privacy Policy are modified as follows: 

For further details on direct marketing, please refer to the paragraph headed “Communications, Direct Marketing and Opting Out” below. You may contact us by submitting a request via the Data Subject Request Portal at any time regarding your Personal Information and to request access or corrections to such information. We have the right to charge a reasonable fee for the processing of any data access or correction request.

Communications, Direct Marketing and Opting Out

From time to time, we may use your Personal Information (including but not limited to name, address, email address and telephone number) or transfer your Personal Information to our representatives, program sponsors or grantors, the affiliates or associated companies or offices of IIE, our business partners in the education sector, our authorized third-party services providers, or other person or entity about which we inform you when you provide your Personal Information, for use in promoting and marketing any of our or their events and/or programs (including alumni events and/or promotions) and any other of our or their products or services of which we notify you when you provide your Personal Information. For direct marketing, we may not so use or transfer your Personal Information unless we have received your consent (which includes an indication of no objection). You may indicate your consent when providing us with your Personal Information through the Website or other means. If at any point in time you do not wish us to use your Personal Information for any direct marketing purposes, you may exercise your opt-out rights (without charge to you) by notifying our staff via the Data Subject Request Portal. However, please understand that we may continue to send emails related to any account you have with us, any application you have submitted, or any transaction or agreement you have entered with us. Please note that there might be a brief delay between when you submit your request to “opt-out” and when it is processed and reflected in our systems; accordingly, you may continue to receive certain communications from us for a limited time after you unsubscribe. We apologize for any inconvenience and appreciate your patience. Except for Personal Information submitted as part of an application or a purchase, any communication or material you transmit to us by email or otherwise, including any data, questions, comments, suggestions or the like, is, and will be treated as, non-confidential and nonproprietary.

Schedule B – India

Schedule B applies if you are submitting information to IIE’s India office (otherwise, Schedule B does not apply to you). This Schedule B modifies certain provisions within the Privacy Policy. All provisions of the Privacy Policy that are not expressly modified in this Schedule continue to apply. The following provisions within the Privacy Policy are modified as follows: 

This Privacy Policy (“Policy”) covers the treatment of all Personal Information, including the sensitive personal data or information, that the Institute of International Education, Inc. (“IIE”) collects when you visit this website (the “Website”). 

Sensitive Personal Data or Information (SPD). As part of your Personal Information, we may sometimes require your Sensitive Personal Data or Information (“SPD”) from you for certain purposes. The following SPD may be collected from you:

i. passwords;
ii. financial information such as bank account or credit card or debit card or other payment instrument details;
iii. physical, physiological and mental health condition;
iv. sexual orientation;
v. medical records and history;
vi. biometric information; and
vii. any detail relating to the above (except where any such information listed above does not constitute SPD under applicable law).

Please note that we do reserve the right to transfer your Personal Information and other information to our successors in business and purchasers or transferees of any of our assets. If such transfer involves the transfer of SPD, we will only transfer such SPD if we have obtained your prior consent in writing.

You also have the option, at any time while availing yourself of the services or otherwise, to withdraw your consent given earlier to IIE. Your withdrawal of consent shall be sent in writing to IIE. In case of withdrawal of your consent, IIE reserves the option not to provide the services for which the Personal Information, including the SPD, was sought. To withdraw your consent, you may submit a request via the Data Subject Request Portal. Your withdrawal will become effective upon your receipt of an acknowledgment from us. 

Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Policy, we will delete your SPD when it is no longer required to be retained for the purposes for which it was collected or otherwise required under any law. When obtaining your consent for collecting the SPD, we will also prescribe the retention period of your SPD. 

We strive to ensure the security, integrity, and privacy of your Personal Information against unauthorized access or unauthorized alteration, disclosure or destruction. We use reasonable security techniques for handling your Personal Information, including the SPD. These techniques and requirements are fully compliant with the guidelines set forth under applicable laws. Your information logged under this Privacy Policy is shared with respective personnel only on need-to-know basis and/or to provide the services you have requested. All representatives that handle information under these provisions hold confidentiality obligations to us.

Grievance Officer

If you have any grievance regarding the processing of your information, please contact our Grievance Officer at the contact information below:

Name: Priya Ranjan Pradhan
Direct Landline: +91.11.26516870
E-mail: ppradhan@iie.org

Schedule C – Mexico

Schedule C applies if you are a resident of Mexico or submitting information to an IIE office in Mexico (otherwise, Schedule C does not apply to you). This Schedule C modifies certain provisions within the Privacy Policy. All provisions of the Privacy Policy that are not expressly modified in this Schedule continue to apply. The following provisions within the Privacy Policy are modified as follows:

You may contact us via the Data Subject Request Portal  at any time regarding your Personal Information and to request access, corrections to such information, to limit its use and disclosure, or to object to the processing of your Personal Information. Please note that limits you place on, or objections you make to, the use, disclosure or processing of your Personal Information may result in your no longer being eligible for, or continuing your application for, certain grants or programs (where the Personal Information is required for such grants, programs or applications).

Schedule D- Russia

Schedule D applies if you are submitting information to IIE’s office in Russia or if you reside in Russia (otherwise, Schedule D does not apply to you). This Schedule D modifies certain provisions within the Privacy Policy. All provisions of the Privacy Policy that are not expressly modified in this Schedule continue to apply. The following provisions within the Privacy Policy are modified as follows: 

Personal Information Examples

Aside from standard cookie data, the only data we collect about you is the Personal Information that you knowingly provide to us on the Website. Personal Information can include your name, birth date, gender, email address, physical address and telephone number, financial information, marital status, passport information, Individual Taxpayer Number, information about your education, health condition and medical records (only from applicants who become participants) and/or other Personal Information you may provide. Except as provided otherwise by law or pursuant to this Policy, IIE is the sole owner of any information collected on the Website. 

Governing Law

This Privacy Policy is governed by the laws of the Russian Federation. 

When you submit your Personal Information to us, we request that you provide specific consent to our operations with it. If you do not want to provide us with your Personal Information, you are not required to do so; however, while you may still access the Website, certain services may not be available to you.

While providing your Personal Information to us via the Website, you may additionally consent to receive information and updates from us, our representatives or our authorized third-party service providers (except where prohibited by law). Such consent can be expressed through the electronic form on the Website or by any other means (email, paper format, etc.). If you do not wish to receive such information, you may inform us about this decision by submitting a request via the Data Subject Request Portal.

Please also note that you may contact us via the Data Subject Request Portal  any time if you have any questions, queries or correction requests about your Personal Information.

Security of Personal Information

While we undertake all necessary and sufficient legal, organizational and technical measures required by the Russian legislation on personal data protection to ensure security of data we collect from you, we cannot ensure or warrant the absolute security of any information you transmit to us or any information provided online or stored by us or our service providers. Such Personal Information is submitted at your own risk. You agree that we are not liable for disclosures of your Personal Information due to errors in transmission or the acts of our service providers or other third parties. You accept all risks associated with any data transmission and Internet usage, including the risk that your Personal Information may be intercepted in-transit.

Retention, Storage and Deletion of Information

You have the option at any time to revoke your consent for processing of your Personal Information and to request deletion of your Personal Information held by us. All deletion requests should be submitted via the Data Subject Request Portal, and we will process your request within a reasonable time after receipt. We are not responsible for removing your Personal Information from the lists or systems of all other third parties who have previously been provided your information in accordance with this Policy.

Please note that in some cases we may retain some or all your Personal Information, even after you request us to delete it, if we are obligated to do so by applicable legislation.

Communications and Opting Out

By providing your email address to us, you consent that we may use your email to communicate with you and to send information that you have requested. At the same time, we will not use email for marketing and promoting purposes such as sending surveys or information about other products or services developed or provided by us or our vendors or business partners without your specific consent. Such consent can be expressed through the electronic form on the Website or by any other means (email, paper format, etc.). If you do not wish to receive these types of emails from us, you may inform us about this decision by submitting a request via the Data Subject Request Portal.

Please understand that we may continue sending you nonmarketing emails related to any account you have with us, any application you have submitted, or any transaction or agreement you have entered with us.

Please note that there might be a brief delay between when you submit your request to unsubscribe and when it is processed and reflected in our systems; accordingly, you may continue to receive certain communications from us for a limited time after you unsubscribe. We apologize for any inconvenience and appreciate your patience. Except for Personal Information submitted as part of an application or a purchase, any communication or material you transmit to us by email or otherwise, including any data, questions, comments, suggestions or the like, is, and will be treated as, non-confidential.

IIE cares about the feedback of our visitors and users of the Website regarding our services and policies. If you have any questions, concerns or complaints about this Policy, or wish to comment about our services, please contact us using the following information:

IIE.org Site Manager
Institute of International Education
One World Trade Center, 36th Floor
New York, NY 10007
E-mail: siteinfo@iie.org