Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy

1. Who We Are

Pillai University, Navi Mumbai ("Pillai University", "Pillai", "we", "us" or "our"), is the Data Fiduciary responsible for determining the purposes and means of processing the personal data described in this Privacy Notice.

This Notice explains how we collect, use, store, share and protect personal data when you submit an admission enquiry through our website, digital forms, advertising campaigns, telephone enquiries or other authorised channels.

We intend this Notice to be read independently and in clear, accessible language, in accordance with the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 ("DPDP Act") and the applicable rules, as and when the relevant provisions come into force.

2. Personal Data We Collect

When you submit an admission enquiry, we may collect the following personal data:

• Identification information: Your name.
• Contact information: Your mobile number and email address.
• Location information: Your city and state.
• Academic information: Your educational qualifications and other academic details relevant to your enquiry.
• Admission preferences: The programme or course in which you are interested.
• Campaign information: The source of your enquiry, such as a digital advertisement, website, campaign form or authorised marketing channel.

We will seek to collect only the personal data reasonably necessary for the purposes explained in this Notice. Please do not provide unrelated or unnecessary personal information through an enquiry form.

3. Why We Process Your Personal Data

We process your personal data for the following specified purposes:

• Admission counselling: To contact you, respond to your enquiry, provide information about programmes, eligibility, fees, admission requirements and application procedures, and assist you with your admission-related questions.
• Application assistance: To facilitate the next steps in the admission process where you choose to proceed with an application.
• Admission-related communication: To send relevant updates, reminders and information about the programme in which you have expressed interest.
• Campaign measurement and improvement: To identify the source of enquiries, evaluate campaign performance and improve the effectiveness of admission outreach and communication.
• Legal and administrative requirements: To maintain appropriate records, address grievances and comply with applicable legal obligations.

Where processing relies on consent, we will seek consent in the manner required by applicable law. Any optional promotional communications or additional uses that are not reasonably covered by your original choice will be subject to an appropriate separate consent mechanism, where required.

4. How We Obtain and Use Your Consent

Before requesting consent for processing that relies on consent, we will provide this Privacy Notice or an appropriate standalone notice explaining the personal data to be processed, the specific purposes, the means of exercising your rights and the process for raising a complaint.

Your consent, where required, must be free, specific, informed, unconditional and unambiguous, expressed through a clear affirmative action.

Submitting an enquiry does not, by itself, constitute consent to unrelated purposes or unlimited marketing communications.

You may decline optional promotional communications without being required to agree to unrelated processing. Where a particular processing activity is necessary to provide a service you have requested, we will explain that requirement.

5. Who May Process or Receive Your Personal Data

Your personal data may be accessed or processed by:

• Pillai University's admissions team, for responding to enquiries and providing admission counselling.
• Our authorised customer relationship management (CRM) service provider, for managing enquiry records, communication workflows and related administrative functions.
• Our authorised marketing agency and admission partners, for campaign attribution, performance measurement and other specifically authorised activities.

These service providers may process personal data only for authorised purposes and subject to appropriate contractual, confidentiality and security obligations and our instructions.

We do not sell your personal data. We do not authorise our service providers to use your personal data for their independent marketing purposes.

We may also disclose personal data where required or authorised by applicable law or a lawful direction from a competent authority.

6. How Long We Retain Your Personal Data

We intend to retain admission-enquiry personal data until the end of the relevant admission cycle and for a further period of 12 months, unless:

• You withdraw your consent, where consent is the basis for processing, and no other lawful basis permits continued processing.
• The data is no longer necessary for the specified purpose.
• Applicable law requires or permits a different retention period.

When the applicable retention period expires, or the personal data is no longer required, we will erase it or cause it to be erased, subject to applicable legal requirements and any lawful need to retain limited records.

Where necessary, we may retain restricted records to document a consent withdrawal, comply with legal obligations or establish, exercise or defend legal claims, to the extent permitted by law.

7. Your Rights and How to Exercise Them

Subject to the applicable law and its commencement provisions, you may exercise the following rights in relation to your personal data:

• Access: Request information about the personal data being processed and the relevant processing activities, as provided by law.
• Correction and updating: Request correction of inaccurate or misleading personal data and completion or updating of incomplete or outdated data.
• Erasure: Request erasure of personal data where applicable, subject to lawful retention requirements.
• Withdrawal of consent: Withdraw consent at any time where consent is the basis for processing.
• Nomination: Nominate another person to exercise your rights in the event of your death or incapacity, in accordance with applicable law.
• Grievance redressal: Raise a grievance with Pillai University regarding the processing of your personal data or the exercise of your rights.

To exercise these rights, contact us at privacy@pillai.edu.in or use the designated privacy request or opt-out mechanism provided on our website.

We may request reasonable information necessary to verify your identity and locate the relevant records. We will handle requests in accordance with applicable legal requirements.

8. Withdrawal of Consent and Opt-Out

You may withdraw your consent as easily as you gave it, using either of the following methods:

• Email privacy@pillai.edu.in with the subject line "Withdrawal of Consent – Admission Enquiry".
• Use the opt-out or unsubscribe link provided in the relevant communication, where available.

Upon receiving a valid withdrawal, we will stop processing your personal data for the purpose for which consent was withdrawn and will communicate the withdrawal to relevant processors, where required.

We will erase the relevant personal data unless its continued retention or processing is required or otherwise permitted by applicable law.

Withdrawal of consent will not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal. It may affect our ability to provide services or communications that depend on the withdrawn consent.

9. Applicants Under 18 Years of Age

Where an applicant is under 18 years of age, Pillai University will implement the applicable requirements for processing children's personal data, including obtaining verifiable consent from a parent or lawful guardian before processing where required by law.

We will not knowingly undertake processing of children's personal data in a manner prohibited by applicable law. Any applicable statutory exemptions or special requirements will be considered before processing.

10. Security and Personal Data Breaches

We will implement reasonable technical and organisational safeguards appropriate to the nature of the personal data and the risks associated with its processing.

Such safeguards may include:

• Role-based and restricted access to enquiry records.
• Masking or limiting personal data visible to authorised external partners, wherever appropriate.
• Appropriate contractual confidentiality and data-handling obligations.
• Secure systems and access controls.
• Monitoring and procedures for identifying, responding to and managing suspected personal data breaches.

If a personal data breach occurs, we will take appropriate steps to contain and address it and provide notifications to affected individuals and the competent authority, where and as required under applicable law.

11. Grievance Redressal and Contact Details

For privacy-related questions, requests, consent withdrawal or grievances, please contact:

Privacy and Grievance Contact

Name: Dr. Ashish Tripathi

Designation: Associate Director- Admission

Email: privacy@pillai.edu.in

Telephone: +91 881 882 883 7

Postal address: Pillai University, Headquarters at Dr KM Vasudevan Pillai Campus, Plot No 10, Sector 16, New Panvel Maharashtra 410206

Please describe your concern and provide sufficient information to help us identify the relevant enquiry record. We will acknowledge and address grievances within the period prescribed by applicable law and the applicable rules.

12. Complaint to the Data Protection Board of India

If your grievance remains unresolved after you have followed the applicable grievance-redressal process, you may approach the Data Protection Board of India in the manner and subject to the conditions prescribed under the DPDP Act and the applicable rules, once the relevant complaint mechanism is operational.

13. Changes to This Privacy Notice

We may update this Privacy Notice to reflect changes in our admission processes, service providers, data-handling practices or applicable legal requirements.

The latest version will be published on our website with its effective date and version number. Where a change requires renewed or additional consent, we will obtain that consent in accordance with applicable law.

14. Governing Law

This Privacy Notice is intended to operate in accordance with the laws of India, including the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 and the rules made under it, to the extent applicable and in force.