Student Financial Services Privacy Statement
The mission of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology is to advance knowledge and educate students in science, technology, and other areas of scholarship that will best serve the nation and the world in the 21st century. To help provide financial services to such students, it is necessary to collect and process certain personal information about students and their families. This Privacy Statement explains how MIT collects, uses, and processes personal information about prospective students and their families for purposes of student financial services.
What personal information we collect
We collect, use, store, and transfer different kinds of personal information about you, including the following:
- Biographic information – name, gender, gender identity, marital status, citizenship, race, religious affiliation, ethnicity, sexual orientation,01 These categories of personal information are <em>only</em> collected with your explicit consent. The provision of such information is entirely optional and voluntary. Whether you consent to provide such information has no bearing on the admissions decision or any other action MIT takes with respect to your application. visa status, and passport numbers and/or photos
- Contact information – home and business addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, and social media information
- Education and test scores – previous educational institutions, standardized test scores, school activities, prior disciplinary history
- Family information – family member names, employment, and education
How we collect personal information about you
We collect information about you from a variety of sources. A significant portion of the information we maintain is that which you have provided to us. We may also augment the information we collect about you from other sources, such as third-party testing services, recommenders, alumni, and current students with whom you may have a personal connection.
How we use your personal information
We collect, use, and process your personal information (1) to process transactions requested by you and meet our contractual obligations; (2) to facilitate MIT’s legitimate interests, and/or (3) with your explicit consent, where applicable.
If you have concerns about any of these purposes, or how we communicate with you, please contact us at sfs@mit.edu. We will always respect a request by you to stop processing your personal information (subject to our legal obligations).
When we share your personal information
We may share your personal information with other MIT offices to provide the services listed above and in the furtherance of MIT’s legitimate interests. We may also share your personal information with third parties performing services under contract with us.
How your information is stored and secured
MIT uses risk-assessed administrative, technical, and physical security measures to protect your personal information. Only authenticated users with specific permissions may access the data using a virtual private network. We use firewalls and regular monitoring to evaluate any attempts at accessing the systems without permission.
How long we keep your personal information
We consider the relationship with the MIT community to be lifelong. This means that we will maintain a record for you until such time as you tell us that you no longer wish us to keep in touch. After such time, we will retain a core set of information for MIT’s legitimate purposes, such as archival, scientific, and historical research, and for the defense of potential legal claims.
Rights for Individuals in the European Economic Area
You have the right in certain circumstances to (1) access your personal information; (2) to correct or erase information; (3) restrict processing; and (4) object to communications, direct marketing, or profiling. To the extent applicable, the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation provides further information about your rights. You also have the right to lodge complaints with your national or regional data protection authority.
If you are inclined to exercise these rights, we request an opportunity to discuss with you any concerns you may have. To protect the personal information we hold, we may also request further information to verify your identify when exercising these rights. Upon a request to erase information, we will maintain a core set of personal data to ensure we do not contact you inadvertently in the future, as well as any information necessary for MIT archival purposes. We may also need to retain some financial information for legal purposes, including US IRS compliance. In the event of an actual or threatened legal claim, we may retain your information for purposes of establishing, defending against or exercising our rights with respect to such claim.
By providing information directly to MIT, you consent to the transfer of your personal information outside of the European Economic Area to the United States. You understand that the current laws and regulations of the United States may not provide the same level of protection as the data and privacy laws and regulations of the EEA.
Additional information
We may change this Privacy Statement from time to time. If we make any significant changes in the way we treat your personal information we will make this clear on our website or by contacting you directly.
The controller for your personal information is MIT. We can be contacted at dataprotection@mit.edu.
MIT’s EU Representative can be contacted via MIT Press London 1 Duchess Street, London W1S 6AN.
This policy was last updated in August 2018.
- These categories of personal information are only collected with your explicit consent. The provision of such information is entirely optional and voluntary. Whether you consent to provide such information has no bearing on the admissions decision or any other action MIT takes with respect to your application. back to text ↑