Privacy Policy

In addition to our Platform Terms & Conditions, Hero Education Private Limited ("Hero Education", "Platform", "we", "us", or "our") respects your privacy and is committed to protecting it. This Privacy Policy ("Policy") explains what information we collect when you use our online portal available at www.degreepartner.com (the "Portal") and related services (collectively, the "Services"), how we collect, use, share and store such information, and the rights available to you under applicable data protection laws including the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 ("DPDP Act").

For ease of reference, "you" or "User(s)" includes Leads, Students, authorised representatives of our enrolment partners ("Partners"), and any other person using or accessing the Platform.

The Services are governed by this Policy and our Platform Terms & Conditions and any other policies published on the Platform (collectively, the "Platform Terms"). By accessing or using the Platform, providing your personal data, or otherwise signifying your consent, you agree to this Policy and the Platform Terms. If you do not agree, please do not use the Platform and exercise your rights as described in this Policy.

If any information you upload or provide violates the Platform Terms or applicable law, we may be required to delete such information and/or restrict your access to the Platform.

If you have any questions about this Policy, you may contact us at the details given in the Privacy Grievances section below.

This Policy applies to all Users of the Platform, including Leads and Students who interact with us directly or through Partners, and to authorised users of Partners who access our systems.

Hero Education may operate or be integrated with other digital properties of academic or industry partners, which have their own privacy policies; this Policy applies only to data collected through this Platform and not to third-party websites or platforms.

You may access certain portions of the Platform as a guest without creating an account or providing personal data, subject to cookies and device information being collected automatically. However, to use most features, including submitting or tracking applications, acting as a Partner, or accessing dashboards, you must create an account and provide certain personal data requested at registration.

We may also retain records of communications (including emails, support tickets, or call recordings wherever permitted by law) for enquiries, feedback, dispute resolution and quality assurance.

Our programs may be relevant to learners who are minors under applicable law. Where a child's personal data is processed, we rely on consent of the parent or lawful guardian as required by applicable law, including the DPDP Act and education sector guidelines.

If you are a parent/guardian and believe that a child's data has been provided to us without your consent where such consent is required, please contact us so that we can review and take appropriate steps, including deletion or restriction of processing. If a child faces any abuse or harassment in connection with the Services (for example, through a Partner's counselling), please write to us at the grievance email mentioned in Section R so that we may investigate and take action.

For purposes of the DPDP Act, Hero Education acts as a Data Fiduciary in respect of personal data of Leads and Students processed on or through the Platform. Partners engaged for lead generation, counselling and related services act as authorised data processors, processing personal data only on documented instructions from Hero Education and in accordance with this Policy, the Master T&Cs and applicable law.

"Personal Data" means any data about an identifiable individual, including but not limited to name, contact details, identifiers and other attributes as described below.

Depending on your relationship with us, we may collect:

• Basic identifiers: name, title, date of birth, gender, photograph, address, country/state, city, and contact details (email, phone number, WhatsApp number).
• Educational and professional information: academic history, current qualification, test scores, work experience, and other information relevant to program eligibility and admission.
• Application and enrolment data: details submitted in applications to programs, application IDs, choice of program/university, fees payable/paid, enrolment status, payment plan or financing details where applicable.
• Partner and authorised signatory data: name, designation, KYC and tax details, business credentials and contact details of our Partners and their authorised personnel.
• Usage and technical data: IP address, device identifiers, browser type, operating system, access times, pages viewed, referring URLs, cookies and similar technology data necessary for providing and improving the Platform.
• Communications and records: queries, complaints, call recordings (where permitted), chat transcripts, email correspondence, and any documents you upload (e.g., marksheets, IDs, supporting documents).

We request that you do not share any sensitive identifiers (like Aadhaar, other official IDs) unless specifically requested for a lawful purpose; if you voluntarily upload such data without requirement, we may delete or restrict it.

We collect information about you only where we have a reason to do so, such as to provide the Services, to contact you, or to comply with legal obligations.

1. Information you provide directly

• When you create an account, submit a lead form, complete a program application, raise a query, or provide feedback.
• When Partners input your data into our systems after counselling or lead generation activities.
• When Partners or their authorised signatories onboard to the Platform and provide business and tax information.

2. Information collected automatically

• Device and log data (as described in section F).
• Usage data, such as pages visited, features used, time spent and interaction logs.
• Approximate location inferred from IP address to show relevant offerings or compliance with territory-specific rules.

3. Information from Partners and academic institutions

• Lead and student status updates, enrolment confirmations, program fee payments and refunds received from academic institutions or their systems.
• Communications and status updates submitted by Partners about interactions with Leads/Students.

4. Information from other sources

• Where permitted by law, we may receive information from payment processors, fraud-prevention providers, or publicly available sources, and combine it with information we hold.

We collect and process personal data based on one or more of the following legal grounds:

• Consent: where you or your parent/guardian (for minors) provide free, specific, informed and unambiguous consent for one or more specified purposes (e.g., marketing communications, cross-border transfers where required).
• Performance of a contract: to perform obligations under our agreements with you, academic institutions or Partners, including processing applications, counselling, and program enrolment.
• Compliance with law: to comply with obligations under education, consumer protection, tax, anti-corruption and data protection laws, and directions of regulators or courts.
• Legitimate interests: to operate and improve the Platform, prevent fraud and misuse, ensure information security, and protect our rights and those of our Users, provided such interests are not overridden by your fundamental rights.

Where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw consent at any time using the mechanisms described below; withdrawal will not affect processing already carried out but may affect your ability to use certain Services.

1. How we use your data

We may use your data for the following purposes:

• To provide and operate the Platform and Services, including account creation, lead management, counselling workflows, application submission, enrolment processing and fee-related tracking.
• To verify identity, eligibility and authenticity of Leads, Students and Partners and to prevent mis-selling, impersonation or fraud.
• To communicate with you regarding programs, application status, payments, support, updates and changes to the Platform Terms.
• To comply with academic institutions' policies, government guidelines (including UGC norms) and applicable law.
• To conduct analytics, improve content and user experience, develop new features and conduct internal reporting.
• To enforce our contracts, exercise or defend legal claims, manage risks and maintain business continuity.

2. How we share your data

We do not sell your personal data. We may share it as follows, strictly on a need-to-know basis:

• Academic institutions: with universities, educational institutions and academic partners in connection with your application, enrolment, fee processing, verification and related services.
• Partners: with authorised Partners for lead follow-up, counselling and enrolment support, subject to their compliance with our instructions and this Policy.
• Service providers: with third-party vendors providing hosting, analytics, communication tools, payment processing, KYC/verification and support services, bound by contractual confidentiality and security obligations.
• Group entities and affiliates: with affiliated entities of Hero Education for internal processing, subject to equivalent data protection safeguards.
• Legal and regulatory disclosures: when required by law, court orders, law enforcement or regulators, or to protect our rights, Users, or the public.
• Business transfers: in connection with a merger, acquisition, reorganisation or sale of business, subject to continuity of this Policy or similar protections.

Any database of Students and/or Leads created as a consequence of the Master T&Cs belongs to the Platform.

Our systems and service providers may store or process your data in India and other jurisdictions where we or our vendors maintain infrastructure, subject to contractual and technical safeguards. Where required by law, we will obtain consent or implement appropriate transfer mechanisms consistent with the DPDP Act or other applicable regulations.

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes described in this Policy, including for:

• Completion of counselling, application, enrolment and related services.
• Compliance with statutory retention periods, including tax and regulatory requirements.
• Resolution of disputes, enforcement of agreements and defence of legal claims.

Partners must return or securely delete all personal data upon termination of their engagement, and confirm deletion where required. Where data is no longer required, we may anonymize or securely delete it in accordance with our internal policies.

You May:

• Review and update certain profile information by logging into your account or contacting your Partner.
• Opt out of non-essential marketing communications by using unsubscribe links or adjusting notification preferences.
• Control cookies through your browser settings; however, disabling certain cookies may affect Platform functionality.

Subject to applicable law, you have the following rights in relation to your personal data:

• Right to access: to seek confirmation and access to personal data we hold about you.
• Right to correction: to have inaccurate or incomplete personal data corrected or updated.
• Right to erasure/"right to be forgotten": to request deletion of personal data in certain circumstances, subject to legal and contractual limitations.
• Right to withdraw consent: where processing is based on consent, to withdraw it at any time, without affecting prior lawful processing.
• Right to grievance redressal: to raise complaints with our Grievance Officer and, if unresolved, escalate to the Data Protection Board of India.

You may exercise these rights using the tools available in your account or by writing to us at the contact provided below; we may need to verify your identity before responding.

We implement reasonable technical and organisational security measures to protect personal data, including access controls, encryption where appropriate, logging and contractual restrictions on Partners and service providers.

Partners are obligated under the Master T&Cs to implement appropriate safeguards, restrict access to authorised personnel, promptly report any actual or suspected data breach within 24 hours, and securely delete data when instructed or upon termination. While we strive for robust security, no system is entirely secure; if we become aware of a significant data breach, we will take steps required by law to mitigate and notify affected individuals and/or authorities.

We may send you communications about programs, features, offers and surveys that we believe may be of interest to you, based on your interactions with the Platform and consents granted. You may opt out of promotional messages at any time through in-message links or by contacting us; however, we may still send transactional or legally required communications (e.g., policy updates, security alerts).

Partners are expressly prohibited from using Student or Lead data for their own independent marketing or commercial purposes and may not send promotional messages to users registered on a "Do Not Disturb" list unless lawfully permitted and subject to valid opt-ins.

Where we use cookies or similar technologies for analytics or interest-based advertising, we will do so in accordance with applicable law and our cookie practices. You can manage cookies through your browser and, where available, through in-Platform settings.

We may update this Policy from time to time to reflect changes in law, technology or our practices. Updated versions will be posted on the Platform with a revised "Last Updated" date, and where required by law, we will notify you and/or seek renewed consent.

Last Updated: 2nd April 2026

If you have any questions, concerns or requests relating to this Policy or your personal data, or wish to file a grievance, you may contact:

We will endeavour to respond to and resolve grievances within timelines prescribed under applicable law.