Privacy Policy

Privacy Policy / Data Protection Notice

Last updated: 16 October 2026

Scholarship Guide Private Limited (Scholarship Guide, we, us, or our) respects your privacy and is committed to protecting the personal data we collect, use, and disclose in the course of operating our website and services.

This Privacy Policy / Data Protection Notice (Notice) explains how we collect, use, disclose and protect personal data in accordance with the Personal Data Protection Act 2012 of Singapore (PDPA) and other applicable data protection requirements.

This Notice applies to personal data collected through our websites, including scholarshipguide.com.sg and blog.scholarshipguide.com.sg, and our chat assistant, as well as through forms, registrations, subscriptions, enquiries, communications and other interactions with us.

By providing personal data to us, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Notice. Where required by applicable law, we will obtain your consent before collecting, using or disclosing your personal data.

1. What is personal data?

Personal data means data, whether true or not, about an individual who can be identified from that data alone or together with other information to which we have access.

Depending on how you interact with Scholarship Guide, the personal data we may collect includes:

  • name
  • email address
  • telephone or mobile number
  • date of birth or age, where relevant
  • education and academic information
  • school, institution, course or programme information
  • scholarship preferences and interests
  • information contained in your user profile
  • information submitted in connection with scholarship applications or enquiries
  • correspondence and communications with us
  • information relating to your use of the website
  • IP address and browser or device information
  • other information you voluntarily provide to us

At present, the main personal data we collect is through newsletter sign-up, general website enquiries and our chat assistant. Section 7 explains exactly what the chat assistant collects and how long we keep it. We will notify you at the point of collection if the collection scope changes.

You should not provide personal data belonging to another individual unless you have the authority or consent to do so.

2. How we collect personal data

We may collect personal data in various ways, including when you:

  • create or maintain an account or user profile
  • submit information through our website
  • use our chat assistant
  • subscribe to newsletters, updates or other communications
  • contact us with an enquiry or request
  • participate in surveys, contests, promotions, events or other activities
  • provide feedback, comments or other submissions
  • communicate with us by email, telephone, social media or other channels
  • browse or interact with our website, where information is collected through cookies, analytics tools or similar technologies
  • provide information to us through third-party platforms or partners, where permitted by law

We may also receive information from third parties where this is permitted by law and appropriate for the purposes described in this Notice.

3. How we use personal data

We may collect, use and disclose personal data for purposes that are reasonably necessary for operating Scholarship Guide and providing our services and content.

These purposes may include:

Operating and improving Scholarship Guide

  • creating and administering user accounts and profiles
  • providing access to website features and services
  • maintaining and improving the website
  • understanding how users interact with our content and services
  • responding to enquiries and requests
  • administering technical, security and operational matters
  • maintaining records for business, legal and operational purposes

Scholarship-related purposes

Where applicable, we may use personal data to:

  • facilitate scholarship searches and applications
  • match users with relevant scholarship opportunities
  • communicate information about scholarships or educational opportunities
  • administer application-related processes
  • communicate with scholarship providers or relevant organisations where appropriate and permitted

Communications and marketing

Where permitted by applicable law and, where required, with your consent, we may use your contact information to send you:

  • scholarship updates
  • education and career-related information
  • newsletters
  • information about Scholarship Guide
  • invitations to surveys, events or activities
  • other communications that may be relevant to your interests

You may opt out of receiving marketing or promotional communications at any time by using the unsubscribe mechanism provided in the relevant communication or by contacting us using the details in Section 14 of this Notice.

Where required under applicable law, we will obtain your consent before collecting, using or disclosing your personal data for the relevant purposes.

You may withdraw your consent to the collection, use or disclosure of your personal data by contacting us using the details in Section 14 of this Notice.

Please note that withdrawing consent does not affect the lawfulness of any collection, use or disclosure carried out before your withdrawal.

Depending on the nature of your request, withdrawal of consent may affect our ability to provide certain services or features to you. We will explain the likely consequences where appropriate.

We may continue to retain or use certain personal data where permitted or required by applicable law, including where necessary to comply with legal or regulatory obligations.

5. Disclosure of personal data

We may disclose personal data to third parties where reasonably necessary for the purposes described in this Notice and where permitted by applicable law.

Depending on the circumstances, these parties may include:

  • scholarship providers and organisations whose opportunities are listed or facilitated through Scholarship Guide
  • educational institutions and relevant organisations
  • service providers that provide technology, hosting, communications, analytics, payment, administrative or other services to us
  • professional advisers, auditors and consultants
  • regulators, government authorities, law enforcement agencies or other parties where required or permitted by law
  • other parties where you have provided consent or where disclosure is otherwise permitted under applicable law

For our chat assistant, we share your details with a scholarship provider only as described in Section 7.

Where we engage third parties to process personal data on our behalf, we will take reasonable steps to ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place for the protection of that data.

6. Scholarship applications and third-party providers

Scholarship Guide may provide information about scholarships offered by third-party organisations.

Where you apply for a scholarship directly with a scholarship provider, your personal data may be collected and processed by that provider under its own privacy policy and terms.

Where Scholarship Guide facilitates or assists with an application, we will explain the relevant collection, use and disclosure of your personal data at the point of collection where appropriate.

You should review the privacy policy and terms of the relevant scholarship provider before submitting personal data to that organisation.

7. Ask Scholarship Guide: our chat assistant

This section covers our scholarship chat assistant, which you can reach from a scholarship’s page on scholarshipguide.com.sg. Where this section differs from the rest of this Notice, it applies to the chat.

Who can use it

The chat is for students aged 15 and over. You don’t need to use the chat to read a scholarship’s FAQs or to apply.

What we collect

  • your name, email and school, which you give before you start chatting
  • what you type in the chat and the answers you receive
  • the topics you ask about (for example “bond” or “eligibility”), recorded automatically from your questions
  • anonymous counts, such as how many people started a chat or clicked Apply on a given day; these never include your name, email, school or exact time

Please don’t type your NRIC, home address, phone number or exam grades into the chat.

Why we collect it

  • to save your chat and email you a link so you can come back to it
  • to see which schools use our site
  • to share your details with the scholarship provider, only if you tick that optional box
  • to send you our scholarship newsletter, only if you tick that optional box

You can chat without ticking either optional box.

Who answers your questions

An AI assistant (Claude, made by Anthropic) writes the answers, using the scholarship information we have checked. Your questions are processed outside Singapore (see Section 12). AI can make mistakes, so please double-check important facts, like deadlines, on the provider’s official website. The assistant cannot tell you whether you are eligible for a scholarship; only the provider decides that.

Sharing with scholarship providers

We share your name, email and school with a scholarship provider only if you tick the optional sharing box for that scholarship, and only if the provider asks us for the list. The provider may then contact you about that scholarship. Once the provider has your details, its own privacy policy also applies. Providers never see your chat or what you typed. Providers who don’t receive your details only see anonymous totals.

Other services we use

We use service providers for website and database hosting, email delivery of your chat link, a security check that stops automated sign-ups, and the AI assistant. Some of these are located outside Singapore (see Section 12).

How long we keep it

All periods count from your last visit to your chat.

  • Your chat link works for 30 days.
  • Your chat history is deleted after 45 days.
  • If you ticked either optional box, we keep your name, email, school and the topics you asked about for 12 months, then delete them. We never keep what you typed beyond 45 days.
  • If you ticked neither box, we delete your name, email and school after 45 days as well.
  • We keep the anonymous counts, as they cannot identify you.

If you start a new chat with the same email, the boxes you tick replace your earlier choices.

Cookie

The chat uses one essential cookie that keeps you signed in to your saved chat on your device, for up to 30 days. It holds no personal details. You can remove it at any time with “Leave this chat on this device”.

Keeping your chat safe

Anyone with your chat link can read your chat, so please keep it private. We store the link only in a scrambled form, so it cannot be recovered from our database.

Your choices

  • Delete your data: click “Delete my data” in the chat, or email chat@scholarshipguide.sg from the email address you gave us. We will erase your details and chat within 30 days and confirm by email. Backup copies are overwritten on our regular backup cycle.
  • Newsletter: every newsletter has an unsubscribe link.
  • See or correct your data, or any other question: contact our Data Protection Officer (Section 14).

8. Cookies and similar technologies

We may use cookies and similar technologies to operate, secure and improve our website and to understand how visitors use our website.

Depending on how they are configured, these technologies may collect information such as:

  • IP address
  • browser and device information
  • pages viewed
  • approximate location information
  • referral information
  • date and time of visits
  • information about how you interact with our website

We may use analytics services to understand website traffic and usage, including tools such as Google Analytics, Subscriber, HelloBar and Replug, where applicable.

Our chat assistant uses one essential cookie, described in Section 7.

You can generally manage or disable cookies through your browser settings. However, disabling certain cookies may affect the functionality of the website.

Where required by law or applicable policy, we will seek your consent before using cookies or similar technologies that are not strictly necessary for the operation of the website.

9. Accuracy of personal data

We rely on the personal data provided to us by you.

You should ensure that the personal data you provide is accurate, complete and up to date, particularly where the information is used for an application, communication or other process that may affect you.

If you become aware that any personal data we hold about you is inaccurate or incomplete, you may contact us to request a correction.

10. Protection of personal data

We take reasonable and appropriate measures to protect personal data in our possession or under our control against risks such as unauthorised access, collection, use, disclosure, copying, modification, disposal or similar risks.

These measures may include appropriate administrative, technical and physical safeguards, including secure storage, restricted access, encryption in transit where appropriate, and staff training.

However, no method of transmission or storage can be guaranteed to be completely secure. You should take appropriate precautions when submitting personal data online.

11. Retention of personal data

We retain personal data only for as long as it is reasonably necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, to provide our services, to comply with legal obligations, or for other legitimate business purposes.

The period for which personal data is retained will depend on factors such as:

  • the purpose for which the information was collected
  • whether the information is required to provide an ongoing service
  • legal or regulatory requirements
  • accounting, audit or record-keeping requirements
  • the resolution of disputes or enforcement of agreements

Our chat assistant has fixed retention periods, set out in Section 7.

When personal data is no longer required, we will take reasonable steps to dispose of or anonymise it appropriately.

12. Overseas transfers

Some of our service providers or business partners may be located outside Singapore. This includes the AI assistant that answers questions in our chat (see Section 7).

Where personal data is transferred outside Singapore, we will take reasonable steps to ensure that the transferred personal data receives a standard of protection comparable to that required under the PDPA, where applicable.

13. Access and correction requests

You may request access to personal data that we hold about you and, where applicable, information about how your personal data has been used or disclosed in accordance with the PDPA.

You may also request that we correct an error or omission in your personal data.

To make an access or correction request, please contact us using the details below.

We may need to verify your identity before processing your request.

We will handle requests in accordance with applicable legal requirements. Certain requests may be subject to applicable exceptions or fees, where permitted by law.

14. Questions, requests and data protection contact

If you have any questions about this Notice, or if you wish to make a request concerning your personal data, please contact:

Data Protection Officer
Scholarship Guide Private Limited
Email: info@scholarshipguide.sg
Address: 60 Paya Lebar Road, #07-54, Paya Lebar Square, Singapore 409501

We will endeavour to respond to your enquiry or request within a reasonable period and in accordance with applicable requirements.

15. Data breaches

We maintain processes for identifying, managing and responding to personal data breaches.

Where a data breach occurs, we will assess the incident and take the appropriate steps required under applicable law, including notification to the Personal Data Protection Commission and/or affected individuals where notification is required.

16. Third-party websites

Our website may contain links to third-party websites, including scholarship providers, educational institutions and other organisations.

This Notice does not apply to those third-party websites.

We are not responsible for the privacy practices, content or security of third-party websites. You should review the applicable privacy policy of each third-party website before providing personal data.

17. Changes to this Notice

We may update this Notice from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, services, technology or applicable laws and regulations.

When we make changes, we will publish the updated Notice on this page and update the Last updated date.

We encourage you to review this Notice periodically so that you remain informed about how we handle personal data.

18. Governing law

This Notice shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of Singapore.