1. Who we are

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the UN Refugee Agency, helps forcibly displaced and stateless persons worldwide, including in accessing education opportunities.

To enlarge higher education opportunities for refugees, UNHCR Italy office partners with several universities and relevant stakeholders in Italy (participating in the UNICORE project) to facilitate access to scholarships, study programs, and related support services.

UNHCR is collecting and using your personal data for the reasons explained below. Partner universities may also process your personal data for their specific purposes. UNHCR and the universities are data controllers, which means we are responsible for protecting your data protection rights in our respective processing of your personal data.

The information below explains how UNHCR processes your personal data to facilitate your participation in the UNICORE program. For details on how universities process your personal data, please consult their own privacy notices.

 

  1. Why do we collect your personal data?

The UNICORE project offers selected refugee students the opportunity to pursue higher education in Italy.

Given that the program is limited to refugees who meet specific eligibility criteria (legal status, educational qualifications, etc.), it is necessary for UNHCR to confirm your eligibility before granting you access to the program.

Your personal data will be processed for the following purposes:

  • To verify your eligibility for the program
  • To facilitate the application and selection process in cooperation with participating universities
  • To support your potential relocation to Italy and enrolment in a university course
  • To monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the UNICORE programme

 

  1. What personal data do we need and how are we going to use it?

UNHCR will process the following categories of personal data:

  • Identification details (name, date of birth, nationality, gender)
  • Contact information (email, phone number, address)
  • Legal/protection status (refugee documentation)
  • Academic records and qualifications
  • Any other information you provide as part of the application process

Your data will be used to:

  • Verify refugee status and confirm eligibility
  • Share with participating universities to allow them to assess your application
  • Provide support related to visas, relocation, and enrolment
  • Monitor program participation 

 

  1. How long will UNHCR keep your data?

Your personal data will be retained only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes of the UNICORE programme. Specifically:

  • Personal data will be retained until the completion of the selection process plus up to one year, in order to allow you to reuse your information, should you wish to re-apply in the following edition. 
  • After this period, all personal data will be permanently deleted. 
  • You may also request the deletion of your data before the one-year period expires.

Please note that anonymised or aggregated data may continue to be retained beyond these periods for reporting and analytical purposes.

 

  1. Who will have access to your data?

Your personal data may be shared with:

  • Partner universities participating in the UNICORE project
  • UNHCR staff and authorized personnel supporting the programme
  • NGOs and implementing partners assisting in relocation and integration (if applicable)
  • Host Government authorities, for visa, residence permits, and other legal requirements. In exceptional circumstances data could be shared with the authorities of transit countries to ensure your safe arrival in Italy, in case a stopover would be required.

We will not share your personal data with any other third party without a legitimate basis or your consent.

 

  1. What are your rights?

According to UNHCR’s General Policy on Data Protection and Privacy (2022), you have the following rights in relation to your personal data:

  • Access: to know if your data is being processed and obtain a copy
  • Correction: to have incorrect or incomplete data corrected
  • Objection: to object to the processing of your personal data if you have legitimate reasons related to your particular situation (note: exercising this right may affect your participation in the program)
  • Deletion: to request deletion of your personal data where no legitimate basis exists for retention

 

  1. How can you contact us?

If you have questions about how we collect and use your personal data, or if you wish to request for access to/ correction of/ deletion of your personal data, or if you have any concern about our use of your personal data, you can contact us by sending an email to unicore@unhc.org.

 

  1. How to find out more about the protection of your personal data?

You can access UNHCR’s General Policy on the Protection of Personal Data and Privacy by clicking on this link.