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Privacy Policy

Privacy Policy

Last modified: September 28, 2025

This privacy policy (this “Policy”), together with our Terms of Use, sets out the basis on which any Personal Data we, Georgetown University in Qatar, collect from you or that you provide to us will be processed by us in compliance with Qatar Law No. 13 of 2016 Concerning Personal Data Privacy Protection (the “PDPPL”). “Personal Data” means any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person. 

Georgetown University in Qatar (GU-Q) is the Qatar campus of the world-renowned Georgetown University located in Washington, DC, having its registered address at Georgetown University in Qatar, Education City – Qatar Foundation, P.O. Box: 23689, Doha, Qatar and with the main objective being to realize the university’s mission of fostering profound intellectual, ethical and spiritual comprehension through meaningful and continuous dialogue among individuals of diverse faiths, cultures and convictions. (hereinafter referred to as the “GU-Q”, “we”, “our” or “us”). 

This Policy applies to the collection and processing of Personal Data by us when you are accessing our websites, applications, portals or any other platform which we own and operate (the “Site”).

Please review this Policy carefully. Your use of the Site constitutes your agreement with this Policy. If you cannot agree with all of these terms, please exit the Site.

  1. Collection of Personal Data 

We do not require registration for access to the Site, but if you participate in any of the activities or services offered on the Site (admission application, website use, social events, etc.), we will collect the personal information that we need in order to provide you with those services, such as your name, identification number, email address and telephone number. When we collect information about you, we will take reasonable steps to ensure that you are made aware of who we are and how to contact us.

We may track certain information about you based upon your behavior on the Site. This information may include, but not be limited to, the URL that you just came from (whether this URL is on the Site or not), which URL you next go to (whether this URL is on the Site or not), your computer browser information and your IP address.

We do not collect information about you from third parties.

We do not collect any Personal Data of a special nature from you on the Site. Personal Data of a special nature includes data relating to racial origin, children, health condition, physical condition, psychological condition, religious creeds, marital relations and crimes.

  1. Purpose for Processing your Personal Data

The purposes for which we may process Personal Data, subject to applicable law, include:

  • Evaluate your eligibility for admission.
  • Assess and appraise our process for evaluating applicants for admission into the GU-Q.
  • Manage and maintain student records.
  • Process any financial transaction with you.
  • Provide you with information regarding GU-Q events and initiatives. 
  • Provide educational or other services at the GU-Q.
  • Participate in any social activities while enrolled at the GU-Q, which may include photos, videos, images and postings.
  • Provide administrative notices or communications applicable to your use of the Site.
  • Respond to your questions and comments and provide customer support.
  • Operate, evaluate and improve our business and the services we offer.
  • Analyze and enhance our marketing communications and strategies (including by identifying when emails we have sent to you have been received and read).
  • Analyze trends and statistics regarding visitors’ use of the Site, mobile applications and social media assets, and the jobs viewed or applied to on the Site.
  • Improve and maintain the quality of the Site, including detecting security incidents and protecting against malicious, deceptive, illegal or fraudulent activities.
  • Comply with applicable legal requirements and our policies.
  1. Lawful Basis for Processing Personal Data

We will only use your Personal Data to the extent the PDPPL allows us to. In processing your Personal Data in connection with the purposes set out in this Policy, we may rely on one or more of the following legal bases, depending on the circumstances:

  • Consent: We may process your Personal Data where we have obtained your prior, expressed consent.
  • Contractual necessity: Where we need to perform any contract that you may enter with us.
  • Compliance with applicable Law: Where we need to comply with a legal obligation.
  • Legitimate interest: Where it is necessary for legitimate interests pursued by us or a third party and your interests and fundamental rights do not override those interests.
  • Vital interest: Where we need to protect the vital interests of any individual.
  • Public interest: Where it is needed in the public interest and in accordance with the law.
  1. Transfer of Personal Data

We share Personal Data with third-party service contractors and IT providers who help us to manage the activities mentioned above. They are required to enter into a contract, whereby they agree to only process Personal Data under our instructions and to apply appropriate security measures.

Occasionally, we may need to also share your Personal Data with third parties where necessary for the legitimate interests of our business, or in order to comply with legal obligations:

  • if we are under a duty to disclose or share your Personal Data in order to comply with any legal or regulatory obligations, or otherwise for the prevention or detection of crime, including to the police or other law enforcement agencies or public institutions; or
  • to enforce or apply our Site terms of use or other agreements, or to protect the rights, property or safety of our group, our customers or others, in which case we may (for example) disclose your Personal Data to legal or professional advisers.

Because of the international nature of our GU-Q, we may transfer your Personal Data to recipients in the United States, in connection with the purposes set out in this Policy. For this reason, we may transfer your Personal Data to other countries that may have different laws and data protection compliance requirements to those that apply in the country in which you are located. The terms of our local privacy notices take priority over the terms of this Policy in the event that they conflict. This is because we are committed to ensuring that we are fully compliant with regulations and the best practice in all of the locations in which we operate.

  1. Your Legal Rights

In addition to the right to be notified of how we process your Personal Data (which is set out in this Policy), you have the right to:

  • Access your Personal Data: You can contact us to request a copy of the information we hold about you.
  • Withdraw consent: If you have given us your consent to use your personal information, you can withdraw your consent at any time.
  • Request correction: If the information we hold about you is out of date, incomplete or incorrect, you can inform us and ask us to update it. You also have the right to be notified, if we disclose inaccurate Personal Data about you to a third party.
  • Ask us to erase your Personal Data: You can request that we erase the information we hold. When we receive your request, we will confirm whether the information has been deleted or tell you the reason why it cannot be deleted.
  • Object to us processing your Personal Data: You have the right to request that we stop processing your information if the processing is no longer necessary or you believe it is beyond the extent required, discriminatory, unfair or illegal.
  • Children: If you are the parent or guardian of a child whose Personal Data we hold, you can ask us to provide a description of the Personal Data being processed, the permitted reasons and purposes for processing being relied on and obtain a copy of the data being processed, erase the data or object to the processing. We will need to verify your identity before fulfilling the request.

If you wish to exercise any of these rights, you can contact us by using our contact form or sending an email to guqprivacy@georgetown.edu.

Some of these rights only apply in certain circumstances, so we may not be able to fulfill every request. We may ask you to verify your identity before acting on any request; this is to ensure that your Personal Data is protected and kept secure.

  1. Data Storage

Personal Data collected by us is securely stored and is not accessible to third parties or employees of the GU-Q except for use as indicated in this Policy.

We will retain Personal Data for as long as it is necessary to fulfil the purpose for which it was collected as described in this Policy and in line with our data retention policies, or as required by relevant laws.

  1. Data Security

We have implemented generally accepted standards of technology and operational security to protect personal information from loss, misuse, alteration or destruction. We require all employees to keep personal information confidential and only authorized personnel have access to this information. While we take commercially reasonable measures to maintain a secure site, electronic communications and databases are subject to errors, tampering and break-ins, and we cannot guarantee or warrant that such events will not take place and we will not be liable to you for any such occurrences.

  1. Direct Marketing

We may process your Personal Data to contact you via email, telephone, direct mail or other communication formats to provide you with information regarding services that may be of interest to you. If we provide services to you, we may send information to you regarding our services, and other information that may be of interest to you, using the contact details that you have provided to us and always in compliance with applicable law.

You may unsubscribe from our email list at any time by simply clicking on the unsubscribe link included in every promotional email we send. After you unsubscribe, we will not send you further promotional emails, but we may continue to contact you to the extent necessary for the purposes of any services you have requested.

  1. Cookies

Some pages on the Site use cookies. We use cookies to obtain information about your preferences and for security purposes.

  1. Amendments

From time to time, we may change this Policy, in whole or in part, without notice to you. You expressly waive any right to receive notice of any changes to this Policy. We will obtain your consent where required by applicable law. We encourage you to review this Policy regularly in your use of the Site to ensure that you are aware of current practices. Any use of the Site following the date on which we implement changes to this Policy shall constitute your acceptance of all such changes.

  1. Links

The Site may contain links to third-party websites. Please note that when you click on one of these links, you are moving to another website. We encourage you to read the privacy policy and the terms and conditions of these linked sites as their policies may differ from ours. Please note that we are not responsible or liable for the content and the protection of any information provided on those third-party websites.

  1. Contact Information

If you wish to contact us, or want more details about how we use your Personal Data, you can contact us at guqprivacy@georgetown.edu.