As a QUT student, we collect personal information about you. This policy explains what personal information we collect, the purpose of collecting the information, whether the information is required or authorised by law, and third parties the information is routinely disclosed to. This policy should be read in conjunction with QUT’s Privacy Collection Notice, Information Privacy Policy, Privacy webpage, our Alumni, donors and partners and Staff privacy policy, which further outline how QUT handles personal information.

What personal information QUT collects

The type of personal information we collect from you includes your contact details, education background, course, unit, and class choices. Sometimes your sensitive information may need to be collected to ensure we can assist and provide you with medical services as required by relevant laws.

Legal basis for the collection and processing of your information

QUT collects and processes your personal information to perform its functions and activities defined in the Queensland University of Technology Act 1988, and in accordance with its obligations under tax, higher education funding and Australian migration law. This includes, but is not limited to, the Higher Education Funding Act 1988 (Cwth), the Higher Education Support Act 2003 (Cwth), the Education Services for Overseas Students Act 2000 (Cwth), and the Migration Act 1958 (Cwth).

QUT is governed by the Information Privacy Act 2009 (Qld) when processing your personal information. To the extent that they apply to our activities, QUT is also subject to the requirements of the Privacy Act 1988 (Cwth) and the European Union General Data Protection Regulation 2016/679 (which relates to individuals located in the European Economic Area). (Together, ‘Privacy Laws’).

How QUT collects personal information

Whenever possible, we collect your personal information directly from you. In some circumstances, we may collect your personal information from third parties including schools, the Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre (QTAC) or equivalent interstate or overseas bodies, or from other tertiary education institutions. In addition, QUT may collect information about you through our information technology systems and website.

We take all reasonable steps to make you aware at the time we collect your personal information, why it is being collected, whether it is required by law, and how it is intended to be used. If you do not provide your information to us, we may not be able to provide you with assistance or support services you require at QUT.

What we use your personal information for

We use your personal information to administer QUT’s functions, activities, and to provide you with services and assistance you require. They include:

Academic administration

Your personal information is principally used to administer your admission, enrolment, and academic progress. QUT collects additional information from international students to assist with visas and other requirements for study in Australia.

Financial administration

Tax file numbers, bank account details and credit card details are collected only where necessary to enable you to discharge fee or Commonwealth support or assistance liabilities, or where you make payment online (for example, ordering from the bookshop).

Learning and support services

Information about you as a student is used to facilitate your access to student support services, and to library and information technology facilities including email, online tutorial allocations, library resources and online teaching web sites. Your personal information will be used to enable you to study with other students. This will include providing class lists to other students enrolled in the same unit and giving you and other students access to collaborative learning platforms.

Certain types of information will be collected when you interact with our information systems. This information is used, together with other information we hold about you; to support your study or to improve and develop the services we provide to our students more generally.

Quality assurance

We may use your information for quality assurance and evaluation purposes to help ensure that our courses and programs are of high quality. This will include surveys and questionnaires that ask you about your experience at QUT.

Keeping in touch when you graduate

We may also use the information we hold about you to inform you of QUT services and activities, to advise you of other study opportunities at QUT and to maintain contact with you upon graduation.

Recording lectures

We record lectures and teaching activities to aid student learning activities. This may involve the collection of personal information about you if your image or voice is captured during participation. Recordings will be disseminated to other QUT students and that may be through internet sites that are hosted outside of Australia.

Online examinations

QUT offers examinations both on-campus and online. In order to ensure academic integrity and fairness, QUT has implemented a digital invigilation examination tool. We use information that we hold about you to create accounts with our vendor, ProctorU. During the online examinations, this technology will be required to verify your identity, monitor and record examination sessions to ensure academic integrity. These recordings and your information are managed in accordance with QUT’s privacy policy and retention schedule.

Student elections

As a QUT student you are entitled to vote for student members of the QUT Council and in other student elections. We will use your personal information to administer nominations and voting.

Research and statistical analysis

When necessary, we may use information for conducting research or statistical analysis for the public interest. In this case, the information is aggregated and is not individually identifiable.

To whom do we disclose your information?

When we collect your personal information, we inform you of any entities we will usually disclose your information to and the purpose for the disclosure. They may include:

Student academic records

We disclose personal information about our students to:

  • education providers to administer cross-institution enrolments (where you are a cross-institution student or student enrolled with QUT and another provider under an approved arrangement)
  • education providers, postgraduate@QTAC, My eQuals and admission centres to verify academic information or transcripts.
  • scholarship providers and student sponsors where there is a written agreement between the student and the provider or sponsor, or the student has authorised the release.
  • the Australian chapter of the Golden Key Honour Society (an organisation which recognises high achievement in university studies).

Verification of qualifications

We disclose personal information about our graduates to any member of the general public via the online verification of qualification service. The public register of graduates is maintained in the student information system.

Required by law

We are required by law to provide certain information to relevant departments of the Australian Government and other bodies. This includes:

  • statistical information about your enrolment and educational background
  • financial information in relation to your HECS-HELP, FEE-HELP, and other loan schemes where you may defer fee payments through the taxation system.
  • personal, identifying data, including your Tax File Number for the allocation of a unique identifier - USI (Unique Student Identifier), CHESSN (Commonwealth Higher Education Student Support Number) and the management of your Commonwealth assistance (you will be asked for your consent to this by submitting an electronic Commonwealth Assistance Form (eCAF) via HiQ)
  • on all matters to do with international student visa conditions
  • information to monitor domestic student entitlements to Centrelink benefits
  • to the Fund Manager of the ESOS Assurance Fund, for international students
  • to health care providers (Medibank Private and/or Worldcare Assist) if international students undertake to pay Overseas Student Health Cover through QUT
  • to other governments and private loan schemes where students are granted approved loans
  • to the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) for students enrolled in relevant courses under the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law Act 2009
  • law enforcement, including intelligence gathering and investigation of improper conduct
  • court proceedings, including the preparation, conduct and implementation of proceedings of a court or tribunal.

Authorised by you

You may authorise QUT to release information to a third party (for example, a relative or insurer), or enable someone to collect student information on your behalf, by completing the Third-Party Authorisation For Student Information (TPA form).

Permitted under the Information Privacy Act 2009 or relevant privacy laws

In limited circumstances, privacy principles permit disclosure without consent or prior notification. Examples include: if we are asked for the information in connection with a police investigation; if we receive a writ, subpoena or similar document legally requiring us to disclose the information; or if disclosing the information will prevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat to a person's life or health.

Transfer of your information outside Australia and data in the cloud

We process your personal information in Australia. In some circumstances, we may transfer it to a country that does not have the same levels of privacy protection as apply in Australia. This may happen when you undertake studies with an institution outside Australia, or where QUT stores your information using an external data hosting or cloud service. Any transfer outside Australia will be subject to a legally binding agreement that upholds principles for the fair handling of personal information or otherwise be in compliance with the Information Privacy Act 2009 and other relevant privacy laws.

How long does QUT retain your information

As a Queensland government agency, QUT must maintain records for its legitimate business use or to support other legal, corporate, or evidential requirements. The personal information we hold about your admission, enrolment, academic progress, and graduation will form part of an official record. We will hold the information in these records for as long as that record must be retained under the relevant retention and disposal schedule authorised under section 26 of the Public Records Act 2023 (Qld) or for as long as required under another relevant law.

For more information about privacy at QUT

QUT takes reasonable steps to ensure the personal information we use or disclose is accurate, up to date, and complete. We ask that you keep your personal information up to date during your studies and engagement with us. More information about how you may access your personal information held by QUT and seek the correction of the information is available at Requesting access to your information.

If you believe that QUT has not dealt with your personal information in line with privacy principles and obligations set out in the Information Privacy Act 2009 (Qld), you can lodge a privacy complaint in writing to the QUT Privacy Officer.

Contact

QUT Privacy Officer


(07) 3138 5883

Privacy collection notice updated 25 August 2025