Introduction

Rizal Technological University, a premier state university in the Philippines, recognizes and upholds the right of its students to privacy and protection of personal data. The University is committed to ensuring that all personal information collected from students is processed fairly, lawfully, securely, and responsibly in accordance with the principles of transparency, legitimate purpose, and proportionality under the Data Privacy Act of 2012, its Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR), and issuances of the National Privacy Commission (NPC).

This Privacy Policy for Students explains how RTU collects, uses, stores, shares, retains, and protects student information in connection with admissions, enrollment, academic instruction, student services, research, campus security, online learning, and university operations.

For purposes of this Policy, the terms “data” and “information” may be used interchangeably. “Personal data” includes personal information, sensitive personal information, and privileged information as defined by applicable laws and regulations. While examples are provided to explain this Policy, they are not intended to constitute an exhaustive list of all processing activities conducted by RTU.

Collection of Student Information

RTU may collect and process various forms of student information in physical, electronic, audio-visual, and digital formats, including documents, photographs, videos, biometric records, and system-generated information.

During Admission and Enrollment

When applying for admission or enrollment at RTU, students may be required to provide information including but not limited to:

Full name, date of birth, nationality, sex, civil status, and other identifying details;
Contact information such as address, email address, and mobile number;
Parent or guardian information and emergency contact details;
Academic credentials, transcript of records, certificates, entrance examination results, and scholastic records;
Information regarding previous schools attended and educational background;
Health declarations, medical records, and vaccination information when required by law or university policy;
Scholarship, financial assistance, and socio-economic information;
Photographs, videos, biometric data, and identification records for campus access and security purposes.

During Academic Stay and University Engagement

Throughout the student’s stay in the University, RTU may continue to collect and generate information relating to:

Academic performance, grades, attendance, and class participation;
Learning management systems (LMS), online learning platforms, and academic portals;
Research outputs, theses, dissertations, projects, and capstone works;
Internship, practicum, extension, and community engagement activities;
Student organization memberships, leadership positions, competitions, and extracurricular participation;
Guidance counseling, disciplinary proceedings, and student welfare concerns;
Library usage, internet access logs, and university ICT systems;
Participation in university events, seminars, trainings, and institutional activities;
CCTV recordings, campus access logs, RFID records, and security monitoring systems.

RTU may also receive relevant student information from external partners, affiliated institutions, government agencies, scholarship providers, parents or guardians, and authorized third parties where permitted by law.

Unsolicited Information

There may be situations where RTU receives personal information without prior request. In such instances, the University shall determine whether retention of such information is lawful and necessary. If unrelated to legitimate educational or administrative purposes, the information shall be securely disposed of in accordance with data privacy and records management regulations.

Use of Student Information

RTU processes student information to fulfill its educational mandate, deliver student services, maintain institutional operations, comply with legal obligations, and promote academic excellence.

Student information may be processed for the following purposes:

Evaluation and processing of admission and enrollment applications;
Verification of submitted credentials and student records;
Management of academic records, class schedules, grades, attendance, and curriculum requirements;
Administration of examinations, assessments, research, and academic activities;
Processing of scholarships, grants, financial aid, and student assistance programs;
Provision of guidance counseling, health services, library services, and student welfare support;
Facilitation of internships, practicum, extension programs, and community engagement activities;
Monitoring participation in student organizations, co-curricular, and extracurricular activities;
Maintenance and administration of student information systems and university portals;
Campus safety, security monitoring, access control, and emergency response management;
Investigation of disciplinary incidents and enforcement of university rules and regulations;
Conduct of institutional research, accreditation, quality assurance, and statistical reporting;
Communication of official announcements, advisories, schedules, and university updates;
Promotion of university activities, events, programs, and institutional initiatives;
Alumni engagement, career placement, and graduate tracking activities;
Compliance with legal, regulatory, auditing, and reporting requirements.

RTU shall process sensitive personal information only when authorized by law, necessary for legitimate educational purposes, or with the appropriate consent and safeguards required under applicable laws and regulations.

The University shall not subject students to automated decision-making processes without lawful basis and appropriate safeguards.

Sharing, Disclosure, and Transfer of Information

RTU generally does not disclose student information to third parties without lawful basis or the consent of the student, except when permitted or required by law.

Student information may be shared with:

Government agencies such as the CHED, TESDA, CSC, PRC, DOH, DSWD, and other authorized agencies;
Scholarship providers, partner institutions, and accrediting bodies;
Internship and practicum partners when necessary for academic requirements;
Service providers engaged by RTU under appropriate confidentiality and data-sharing agreements;
Courts, law enforcement agencies, and regulatory authorities pursuant to lawful orders;
Parents or guardians where authorized by law, university policy, or legitimate educational interest.

RTU may disclose or process sensitive personal information under the following circumstances:

When required by law, rules, or regulations;
To protect the life, health, safety, or welfare of the student or another person;
For medical treatment, emergency response, or public health purposes;
For the establishment, exercise, or defense of legal claims;
For public order, public safety, and fulfillment of public authority functions.

All sharing and transfer activities shall be subject to reasonable organizational, physical, and technical safeguards to ensure data security and confidentiality.

Data Storage, Security, and Retention

RTU implements appropriate administrative, technical, organizational, and physical security measures to protect student information against unauthorized access, disclosure, misuse, alteration, loss, or destruction.

Security measures may include:

Role-based access restrictions;
Authentication and password controls;
Secure databases and encrypted systems;
Cybersecurity monitoring and incident management;
CCTV and campus security protocols;
Data backup and disaster recovery procedures;
Secure disposal and destruction of records.

Access to student information shall be limited only to authorized personnel with legitimate educational, administrative, or operational purposes.

RTU retains student information only for as long as necessary to fulfill educational, legal, regulatory, archival, and institutional requirements. Records subject to retention periods mandated by law or university policy shall be securely archived or disposed of upon expiration of the applicable retention period.

Student Rights Under the Data Privacy Act

RTU recognizes and respects the rights of students under the Data Privacy Act, including the right to:

Be informed regarding the processing of personal data;
Access personal information maintained by RTU;
Object to unlawful processing;
Correct inaccurate or incomplete data;
Suspend, withdraw, or request deletion or blocking of personal information where applicable;
Request data portability when feasible;
File complaints before the National Privacy Commission for violations of privacy rights.

RTU may require verification of identity before granting access to records or processing requests relating to personal data.

Contact Information

For concerns, inquiries, or requests relating to privacy and data protection, employees may contact the:

Data Protection Office (DPO)

OfficeAddress:
2nd Floor, Estolas Building, RTU Boni Campus, Mandaluyong City, Philippines

Telephone Number:
(02) 8534-8267 local 1608

Email Address:
dpo@rtu.edu.ph

Introduction

What Data Do We Collect from You?
RTU can collect or acquire the data such as documents, digital files, videos, photographs, and biometric records. Examples are listed below:

a. In admission, we will collect a range of information about you when you apply to our school, including (1) your full name, contact details such as emails, telephone or cellphone number, etc.; (2) information about your family condition or framework and other details relevant to it; (3) information about your former learning institution; (4) information about your academic performance; (5) information about your disciplinary history; and (6) information
about your health.

b. During your time with us and beyond enrollment, RTU may collect more information or produce information about you including (1) your curricular or academic endeavors, such as the courses you register, your grades, your attendance history, etc.; (2) non-academic activities you may participate in, such as outreach activities, experiential learning, compliance with practicum or internship requirements; and (3) extracurricular activities, like participation in leadership positions, school clubs, or other similar activities. On rare occasions, we might also get other kinds of data from external sources, like photos or videos of the activities you participate in.

c. Unauthorized information. Personal information might occasionally be transferred or received by us without our previous request. We will assess whether it is legal for us to keep such information under the given circumstances. If the information is unrelated to any of our legitimate business interests, we will immediately dispose of it while maintaining your privacy. If not, it will be treated similarly to how we handle the information you provide.

What Do We Do with Your Data?
RTU may use the student’s personal information to further the legitimate interests of a university from the scope of authorization by law, including the administrative, data gathering, academic, statistical, and historical aims. For instance, RTU could utilize your data to:

1. Evaluate the applications for admission to the Rizal Technological University (RTU).
2. Prepare for enrollment, verification is processed for new, transfer, cross-registered, or non-degree students.
3. Keep track of students' academic, co-curricular, and extracurricular progress and produce and preserve such records.
4. Record, archive, and grade student work, such as essays, presentations, theses, term papers, projects, dissertations, research papers, and seatwork activities.
5. Create and keep up with the current student information systems.
6. Keep track of, establish, and manage the records of academic marks, class schedules, academic history, attendance, and taking part in an enrichment program, extracurricular, and academic works/projects via electronic or printed document.
7. Share of grades between faculty members and those with an official need of requirements, as well as evaluations of student performance for academic purposes.
8. Process requests for allowances, scholarship grants, summary reports to donors, and financial aid and services.
9. Examine occurrences involving student behavior and apply corrective action.
10. Keep alumni records and current directories.
11. Create reports and compile data for statistics and research objectives.
12. Offer services like transportation, parking, campus mobility, guidance counseling, insurance, health, libraries, information technology, sports and recreation, and safety and security protocols.
13. Regulate and restrict access to campus equipment and amenities.
14. Communicate announcements made by the school.
15. Market and promote materials for activities, projects, and events relating to the university.
16. Invite you to take part in studies and non-profit polls that the RTU has approved.
17. Seek your financial and other support for RTU projects, programs, and occasions.
18. Share your information with people or organizations, as well as other necessary legal and regulatory requirements, such as orders, statements, or commitments made by RTU to any relevant authority, regulatory body, enforcement organization, court, or quasi-judicial body.

We observe that processing your data for these purposes is necessary to carry out our contractual obligations to you, to satisfy legal requirements, to safeguard your vital interests, such as your life and health, to perform tasks that are in the public interest (like maintaining public order and safety), and to further the legitimate and official concerns of our university or another party, or to do all of the above. We are fully committed to abiding by the DPA’s more stringent rules for handling confidential information and delicate personal data.

If we require your permission to use your personal information for a particular reason, we will ask for it.
Please be aware that without your permission, the university will never use your data to an automatic agreement, process or procedure.

How Your Information is Shared, Disclosed, or Transferred?
Unless the law and our rules permit it, RTU normally does not disclose student information to third parties without their consent. By the legislation, RTU must provide student personal data to governmental bodies like DepEd and CHED. In the following situations, RTU is compelled by law to disclose and/or handle information:

1. By a legal requirement;
2. To secure students' very essential interests;
3. To carry out official tasks such as reacting to a national emergency, upholding the needs of public order and safety, or performing official tasks that need the processing of personal data to do their tasks;
4. To advance RTUs or the person to whom the information has been provided lawful educational interests;

For sensitive information, RTU is required to disclose and/or process said information under the following circumstances:
1. Where existing law and regulations mandate RTU;
2. Where the student cannot express his or her agreement before the disclosure or processing
because it would jeopardize the student's life or the life and health of another person;
3. If required to receive medical treatment; and
4. When it is requisite for the creation, and justification of legal claims, to defend the people's
legal rights in court, or when it is provided to the government or other public authorities.

How Do We Keep Your Information?
RTU is ensuring the security in keeping and transferring personal information using electronic or physical copies including databases that are among the RTU’s departments or offices, and university employees only who need your personal information can access it to fulfill their contractual obligations. You may trust that we won't utilize the data unreasonably.

To serve the aim(s) that it was obtained and to comply with legal requirements, RTU stores the student’s data with duration. After we end our contract with you or after you graduate, your permission to such aim(s) is still valid.

These private and delicate details are only accessible by authorized RTU staff, and communication between them must take place via email and physical copy.

Unless specified otherwise by law or by the relevant learning institutions’ rules, RTU shall keep pertinent student data for archival and statistical purposes. All records affected by a retention period that is mandated by a government act or a learning institution’s policy will be safely disposed of.

Student’s Rights
Rizal Technological University acknowledges the student rights under the DPA concerning personal data.

A written response shall be provided in a reasonable amount of time to all requests for access to or correction of Personal Information. Before granting access or making any modifications, we shall first carry out this process' identification verification of the person making the request. RTU has the right to charge a fair price for any copies.

You may contact the University Data Protection Center (UDPC) anytime you want to practice the rights if you have concerns or questions that affect data privacy and RTU at:
a. Via post: University Data Protection Center
b. 3 rd Floor, Profeta Bldg., RTU Boni Ave., Mandaluyong City
c. Through the following landline: 8534-8267 local 1608
d. Through email: dpo@rtu.edu.ph

Changing This Policy
On occasion, we might update this Policy. When that happens, we'll notify you via our website and, if allowed, through other channels of contact. Any alteration is valid as soon as it is posted on the website.

Your data must be truthful, accurate, and current for RTU, and you are jointly responsible for this. The accuracy of your personal information must be maintained by the university. Any changes to your personal information should be reported to the appropriate agency.

Other University Policies
Other RTU policies that are not in dispute with this policy or regulations will resume being in effect. The remaining portions of the Policy will still be legitimate and in full force and effect.

Reference/Matched Source:
1. ateneo.edu https://www.ateneo.edu/privacy/applicants-students-alumni

Changes to this Privacy Policy

RTU reserves the right to amend or revise this Privacy Policy from time to time to ensure compliance with applicable laws, regulations, university policies, operational requirements, and technological developments.

Any changes to this Policy shall become effective upon posting on the official RTU website or dissemination through official communication channels.

Students are encouraged to regularly review this Policy and update their personal information with the appropriate university offices to ensure that records remain accurate, complete, and current.

Other University Policies

This Privacy Policy shall be read together with other RTU policies and regulations including but not limited to:

Student Handbook;
Information Security Policies;
Acceptable Use Policies;
Records Management Policies;
Cybersecurity and ICT Policies;
Research Ethics and Institutional Policies.

Should any provision of this Policy be declared invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions shall continue to remain in full force and effect.