1. Introduction
Adichunchanagiri University ("ACU", "University", "we", "us", or "our"), located at B.G. Nagara — 571448, Nagamangala Taluk, Mandya District, Karnataka, India, operates this Admissions Portal ("Portal") to facilitate the collection of admission enquiries and applications for the academic year 2026–27.
This Privacy Policy describes how we collect, use, store, share, and protect the personal and non-personal information of users ("you", "applicant", "visitor") who access or use this Portal. By submitting your application or using this Portal, you consent to the practices described in this policy.
2. Information We Collect
2.1 Personal Information (Provided by You)
- Identity Data: Full name, father's/guardian's name
- Contact Data: Mobile number, email address, residential address, city, state, pincode
- Academic Data: Name of PU/12th college attended, program and college preference
- Lead Source Data: How you heard about ACU (e.g., Google, social media, referral)
2.2 Automatically Collected Data (Technical & Device Information)
When you visit or interact with this Portal, we automatically collect the following technical information to improve service quality, prevent fraud, and analyse application patterns:
- Device Information: Device type (mobile/desktop/tablet), operating system, browser name and version, screen resolution, viewport dimensions, device pixel ratio, colour depth, device orientation
- Hardware Information: CPU core count, device memory (RAM), GPU vendor and renderer, touch capability, maximum touch points
- Network Information: IP address, connection type (WiFi/cellular), effective bandwidth, round-trip time (RTT), data saver preference
- Location Data (derived from IP): Approximate geographic location including country, state/region, city, latitude/longitude coordinates, timezone, Internet Service Provider (ISP), and network organization
- Browser Environment: Language preferences, installed plugins, cookie status, Do Not Track preference, local/session storage availability, IndexedDB support
- Accessibility Preferences: Dark mode preference, reduced motion preference, high contrast mode, forced colours
- Performance Data: Page load time, DOM ready time, DNS lookup duration, server response time
- Battery Information: Battery level percentage, charging status (where browser permits)
- Fingerprinting Data: Canvas rendering hash, WebGL renderer details, audio context sample rate — used solely for duplicate/fraud detection
- Engagement Data: Time spent on the application form, number of field interactions, fields visited, number of tab switches during form completion
- Referrer & Campaign Data: Referring URL, landing page URL, navigation history length, UTM campaign parameters (source, medium, campaign, term, content)
- Bot Detection Signals: WebDriver status, ad blocker detection
2.3 Cookies & Session Data
This Portal uses session cookies to maintain your form state, captcha verification, and page view tracking. We do not use third-party advertising cookies. Session data is automatically deleted when you close your browser.
3. Purpose of Data Collection
We collect and process your information for the following lawful purposes:
| Purpose | Data Used | Legal Basis |
|---|
| Processing your admission enquiry | Personal, academic, contact data | Contractual necessity |
| Communicating admission status, counselling schedules, and follow-ups | Name, email, mobile | Contractual necessity / Consent |
| Fraud prevention and bot detection | IP address, device fingerprint, WebDriver status, rate limiting | Legitimate interest |
| Analytics and admission planning | Aggregated device, location, source, engagement data | Legitimate interest |
| Marketing campaign measurement | UTM parameters, referrer data | Legitimate interest |
| Improving Portal performance | Page load metrics, engagement data | Legitimate interest |
| Geographic distribution analysis for outreach | IP geolocation, stated city/state | Legitimate interest |
| Compliance with legal or regulatory requirements | All data as required | Legal obligation |
4. Data Storage & Retention
- Your data is stored in a secured MySQL database hosted on servers controlled by the University or its authorised IT service provider.
- Personal data is retained for a period of 3 academic years from the date of submission, after which it is anonymised or permanently deleted.
- Aggregated, non-identifiable analytics data may be retained indefinitely for institutional planning.
- Application reference numbers and submission timestamps are retained as part of the University's admission records.
5. Data Sharing & Disclosure
We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information. Your data may be shared with:
- University Departments: Admission office, relevant constituent college, counselling team
- IT Service Providers: Authorised technology partners (including Webikind Technologies) who maintain this Portal, bound by confidentiality agreements
- Email Service Provider: ZeptoEmail (Zoho Corporation) for sending transactional emails — only your name and email address are shared for this purpose
- IP Geolocation Service: Your IP address is sent to ip-api.com for geographic resolution. Refer to their privacy policy at ip-api.com/docs/legal
- Regulatory Authorities: Government bodies, UGC, AICTE, or law enforcement agencies when required by applicable Indian law
6. Data Security
- All form submissions are transmitted over HTTPS (when deployed in production)
- Admin access is protected by bcrypt-hashed passwords and session-based authentication
- Rate limiting prevents automated or abusive submissions (maximum 3 per IP per hour)
- Honeypot fields and math-based CAPTCHA are used for bot prevention
- Database access is restricted to authorised administrative personnel only
- Activity logging tracks all administrative actions for audit purposes
7. Your Rights
Under applicable Indian data protection laws (including the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, upon notification), you have the right to:
- Access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
- Correction: Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data
- Erasure: Request deletion of your data, subject to legal retention obligations
- Withdraw Consent: Withdraw your consent at any time by contacting us
- Grievance Redressal: File a complaint with our Data Protection Officer
To exercise any of these rights, email us at admissions@acu.edu.in with the subject line "Data Privacy Request" and your application reference number.
8. Third-Party Links
This Portal may contain links to the University's main website (acu.edu.in) or external platforms. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of third-party websites. We encourage you to review their privacy policies independently.
9. Children's Privacy
This Portal is intended for use by individuals aged 16 years and above, or by parents/guardians applying on behalf of a minor. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 16 without parental consent.
10. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, or legal requirements. The revised policy will be posted on this page with an updated "Last updated" date. Continued use of the Portal after changes constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.
11. Contact Information
12. Governing Law
This Privacy Policy is governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of India. Any disputes arising from or related to this policy shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts in Mandya, Karnataka.