Privacy Policy

AOEC India is an overseas education consultancy that assists students with profile evaluation, career counselling, course and university selection, application processing, scholarship and funding guidance, education-loan support, student visa assistance and pre-departure services.

For personal information collected and used for our own business purposes, AOEC India generally acts as the data fiduciary or data controller, depending on the terminology used by the applicable law.

This policy applies when you:

• Visit ardentoverseas.com or another page operated by AOEC India.
• Submit a counselling, enquiry, contact, event or application form.
• Communicate with us by telephone, email, WhatsApp, social media, video meeting or another channel.
• Visit one of our offices or attend an event, seminar, webinar or counselling session.
• Use our admissions, scholarship, education-loan, visa or pre-departure services.
• Otherwise interact with AOEC India.

This policy does not govern the independent privacy practices of universities, colleges, government authorities, visa application centres, banks, lenders, examination bodies, accommodation providers, insurers or other third parties. Those organisations may process information under their own privacy notices and legal responsibilities.

The information we collect depends on your interaction with us and the services you request.

3.1 Identity and contact information

• Full name, email address, telephone number and WhatsApp number.
• Residential or correspondence address, city, state and country.
• Date of birth, gender where relevant, nationality and citizenship.
• Photograph, passport details and identification-document information.
• Parent, guardian, sponsor or emergency-contact details.

3.2 Academic and professional information

• School, college and university details.
• Academic transcripts, mark sheets, certificates and grading information.
• English-language and entrance-test scores.
• Employment, internship and professional-experience details.
• Curriculum vitae, statements of purpose, essays, motivation letters and recommendations.
• Research interests, course preferences, university preferences, destination and intake.
• Admission offers, application decisions and previous application history.

3.3 Admissions, immigration and visa information

• Passport copies, travel history and prior visa information.
• Visa forms, appointment information and supporting documents.
• Previous visa approvals, refusals or relevant immigration history.
• Offer letters, enrolment records, fee receipts and accommodation information.
• Financial-support records, bank statements, loan documents and income evidence.
• Documents requested by education providers, embassies, consulates, immigration authorities or visa application centres.

3.4 Enquiry and counselling information

• Preferred study destination, course, level and intended intake.
• Budget, funding preferences and preferred contact time.
• Career goals, study plans and counselling notes.
• Records of our communications with you.

3.5 Information about parents, guardians and sponsors

An application may require information about a parent, guardian, financial sponsor or family member. Before giving us another person’s information, you should inform that person and ensure you are authorised to share it.

3.6 Payment and transaction information

• Payment amount, date, invoice, receipt and transaction reference.
• Information required for accounting, tax, reconciliation or refunds.

Payments may be processed by banks or third-party providers. AOEC India does not need your online-banking password, card PIN or one-time password. Never disclose those credentials to an employee, representative or third party.

3.7 Website and technical information

• Internet Protocol address, browser, operating system and device type.
• Approximate location derived from an IP address.
• Referring source, pages viewed, links selected and visit duration.
• Form interactions, conversion events and cookie identifiers.
• Security, diagnostic, performance and error information.

3.8 Communications and social-media information

We may collect information contained in email, telephone, WhatsApp, SMS, website forms, social-media interactions, online meetings and in-person meetings. A third-party platform may also process information under its own privacy policy.

3.9 Testimonials and success stories

With appropriate permission, we may collect and publish a student’s name, photograph or video, university, course, destination, admission or visa outcome and testimonial. We do not intentionally publish passport details, identification numbers, financial documents or confidential application records in a testimonial.

We may collect personal information:

• Directly from you.
• From a parent, guardian, sponsor or authorised representative.
• Through our website, forms, counselling sessions and office visits.
• Through email, telephone, WhatsApp, SMS or social media.
• From documents you submit or authorise us to access.
• From universities, education providers and application platforms.
• From examination bodies, lenders, insurers, accommodation providers or support providers, where authorised.
• From government or visa-related services where permitted.
• From referral partners or events where you agreed to be contacted.
• Automatically through cookies and similar website technologies.

5.1 Responding to enquiries

We use your information to respond to questions, arrange counselling, understand your preferences and provide preliminary guidance about courses, destinations, costs, scholarships, admissions and visas.

5.2 Counselling and profile evaluation

We may use academic, professional and financial information to evaluate your profile, discuss suitable options, prepare a shortlist, assess funding possibilities and explain likely requirements.

5.3 University and college applications

• Prepare, review and submit authorised applications.
• Create or manage authorised application accounts.
• Communicate with admissions teams and track progress.
• Respond to requests for additional information.
• Assist with offer acceptance and enrolment.
• Maintain records of the services provided.

5.4 Scholarships, funding and education loans

We may identify suitable opportunities, help prepare applications, connect you with authorised providers and assist with documents used to demonstrate financial capacity. The relevant bank, lender or scholarship body makes its own decision.

5.5 Visa and immigration assistance

We may explain requirements, review supporting records, assist with forms and appointments, prepare you for interviews and support communication with authorised service providers. Visa decisions are made exclusively by the relevant government or immigration authority.

5.6 Pre-departure and related support

At your request, we may assist with accommodation, insurance, foreign exchange, travel preparation, communication services, pre-departure briefings and other services connected with studying abroad.

5.7 Administration and customer support

• Manage our relationship with you and maintain service records.
• Issue invoices, receipts or refunds.
• Respond to complaints and resolve disputes.
• Train staff, perform quality assurance and supervise service delivery.
• Prevent fraud, duplication, misuse and security incidents.

5.8 Website operation and improvement

We may use technical information to operate and secure the website, diagnose problems, understand use, improve content and navigation, measure campaigns and prevent automated abuse.

5.9 Marketing communications

With consent or where otherwise permitted, we may send information about application deadlines, intakes, scholarships, events, webinars, changing requirements and AOEC India services. You may opt out at any time. Opting out of marketing does not prevent necessary communication about an active enquiry or application.

5.10 Legal and regulatory purposes

We may process information to comply with law, keep accounting and tax records, protect legal rights, investigate suspected misconduct, prevent fraud and respond to authorised courts, regulators or law-enforcement bodies.

Depending on the circumstances and applicable law, we process information based on one or more of the following:

• Your consent.
• Information you voluntarily provide for a service you requested.
• Steps required at your request before entering into a service arrangement.
• Performance of our agreement with you.
• Compliance with a legal obligation.
• Protection of legitimate legal rights.
• Prevention of fraud, misuse or security incidents.
• Legitimate business interests where permitted and appropriately balanced against your rights.

Where consent is the basis of processing, you may withdraw it. Withdrawal does not affect processing lawfully completed before withdrawal and may prevent us from continuing a service when the information is necessary for an application or another requested activity.

7.1 Universities and education providers

We may share information with universities, colleges, schools, pathway providers, education groups, admissions offices, authorised representatives and application platforms.

7.2 Government and visa-related organisations

Where required for a requested service, information may be submitted to embassies, consulates, immigration departments, visa application centres, government agencies and verification services.

7.3 Scholarship, loan and financial-service providers

With your instructions or consent, we may share relevant information with scholarship providers, banks, education-loan providers, financial institutions and foreign-exchange providers.

7.4 Supporting service providers

At your request, limited information may be shared with providers of accommodation, insurance, travel-related services, foreign exchange, student communication services or settlement support.

7.5 Technology and professional providers

We may engage providers for website hosting, cloud storage, customer relationship management, communications, document management, analytics, advertising measurement, security, accounting, legal services and IT support.

7.6 Legal disclosures

We may disclose information to comply with law or a lawful request, investigate suspected wrongdoing, protect rights and safety or establish, exercise or defend a legal claim.

7.7 Business changes

If AOEC India is involved in a merger, reorganisation, transfer or restructuring, relevant information may be disclosed to professional advisers and potential parties subject to appropriate confidentiality safeguards.

Studying abroad necessarily involves communication with organisations outside India. Your information may therefore be transferred to or processed in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, France, Germany, Sweden, Finland, the Netherlands or another destination connected with your application.

Privacy laws in those countries may differ from Indian law. Where required, we take reasonable steps to ensure that transfers:

• Have a valid and specific purpose.
• Are limited to information reasonably required for that purpose.
• Are made to appropriate recipients.
• Use contractual, organisational or technical safeguards where appropriate.
• Comply with applicable transfer restrictions.

Universities, government bodies, visa authorities and other independent recipients may determine separately how they process information after receiving it.

Our website may use cookies, pixels, tags, local storage and similar technologies.

Strictly necessary technologies

These may support website security, form submission, fraud and spam prevention, network management and essential preferences.

Analytics technologies

These may help us understand which pages visitors use, how visitors reached us, how long they remain, whether forms work and how the site can be improved.

Advertising and campaign measurement

Where enabled, these technologies may measure campaign performance, understand whether an advertisement led to an enquiry, limit repeated advertising and present more relevant information.

Where applicable law requires consent, non-essential cookies should be activated only after consent is provided. You can manage cookies through any preference tool made available on the website and through browser settings. Blocking some cookies may affect functionality.

Our pages may contain or link to services such as YouTube, maps, WhatsApp, social-media platforms, university websites, application portals and other external resources.

Opening or interacting with external content may allow the relevant third party to collect technical or personal information. AOEC India does not control the privacy practices of independent third-party websites. Review the relevant third party’s privacy policy before providing information.

If comments or public contributions are enabled, information submitted in a public field may be visible to other visitors. We may also collect technical information for moderation, security and spam detection.

We may display student testimonials, photographs or videos only where we have an appropriate basis. Where publication is based on consent, you may contact us to withdraw consent for future use.

Withdrawal may not require us to recall material lawfully printed, distributed or published before the request, but we will take reasonable steps regarding future digital display under our control.

Some prospective students may be under 18. Where a student is a child under applicable law:

• A parent or lawful guardian should participate in the process.
• We may request evidence of the parent or guardian’s authority.
• Verifiable parental or guardian consent may be required.
• We collect only information reasonably necessary for the requested service.
• We do not knowingly use a child’s information for targeted advertising.
• We do not intentionally engage in processing likely to cause a detrimental effect on the child’s wellbeing.

A parent or lawful guardian may contact us about information concerning a child.

Admissions and visa processes depend on accurate, authentic and complete information. You should:

• Provide information that is correct, complete and current.
• Tell us promptly when relevant information changes.
• Review documents before submission.
• Avoid submitting false, altered or misleading documents.
• Protect application-account credentials.
• Ensure you are authorised to provide information about another person.

AOEC India may be unable to continue assisting where information appears false, incomplete, unauthorised or inconsistent.

Our counselling, admissions and visa-assistance services involve human review. We do not ordinarily make decisions that produce legal or similarly significant effects on a student solely through automated processing.

Universities, lenders, examination bodies and immigration authorities may use their own systems. Questions about those systems should be directed to the relevant organisation.

We retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was collected and for legitimate operational, contractual, legal, audit, accounting, complaint and dispute-resolution requirements.

Retention may depend on:

• Whether your enquiry remains active and whether you become a client.
• The duration of an admissions or visa process.
• University, partner, tax or accounting recordkeeping requirements.
• Applicable limitation periods.
• A complaint, investigation, legal claim or dispute.
• Whether you consented to continued communication.

When information is no longer reasonably required, we may securely delete it, anonymise it or isolate it from ordinary business use.

Withdrawal of consent or an erasure request does not require deletion where retention remains necessary or authorised for legal compliance, an existing application, fraud prevention, dispute resolution or another lawful purpose.

We use reasonable administrative, organisational and technical safeguards appropriate to the information we process. These may include:

• Role-based access and account-security measures.
• Restricted access to application documents.
• Staff confidentiality obligations and training.
• Secure storage, backups and disposal procedures.
• Website security, malware and spam controls.
• Vendor assessments and incident-response procedures.

If we become aware of a personal-data breach, we will assess the nature and likely impact of the incident. Where required by applicable law, we will notify the relevant authority and affected individuals and provide information about reasonable protective steps.

Depending on applicable law and the circumstances, you may have the following rights.

Access

You may request confirmation of whether we process your information, a summary or copy of relevant information, details about its use and information about recipients, subject to lawful exceptions.

Correction and updating

You may ask us to correct inaccurate or misleading information, complete incomplete information and update information that is no longer current.

Erasure

You may request deletion of information no longer necessary for the stated purpose, subject to legal, contractual and operational exceptions.

Withdrawal of consent

Where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw that consent. Withdrawal does not affect processing completed before withdrawal and may affect our ability to continue a requested service.

Marketing opt-out

You may stop promotional communication through an unsubscribe option, by replying to the relevant message, by asking your counsellor or by contacting us.

Grievance redressal

You may raise a concern about our handling of information. We encourage you to contact us first so we have an opportunity to address the concern.

Nomination

Where available under applicable law, you may nominate another person to exercise your privacy rights in the event of death or incapacity.

Additional rights

Depending on your location, you may have further rights concerning restriction, objection, portability or complaints to a competent authority.

Rights may be subject to applicable exceptions. We may request sufficient information to verify identity and protect records from unauthorised access or deletion.

To exercise a privacy right or raise a concern, contact AOEC India using the details below.

Where applicable, you may have the right to complain to the Data Protection Board of India or another competent data-protection authority. Before approaching an authority, you may be required or encouraged to use AOEC India’s grievance-redressal process.

We may revise this policy when our services, technology, providers, operations or legal requirements change.

The updated version will be published on this page with a revised “Last updated” date. Where a change materially affects how existing information is used, we will provide additional notice or seek fresh consent where required.

This Privacy Policy concerns personal information. Our Editorial Standards explain how AOEC India researches, reviews, updates and corrects informational content published on the website.

Questions about this policy may be sent to:

AOEC India – Ardent Overseas Education Consultants
Email: branch-ops@ardentoverseas.com
Telephone: +91 9966614569

Balaji Residency, G5, Hyderabad–Warangal Highway, Raghavendra Nagar Colony, Mallikarjuna Nagar, Uppal, Hyderabad, Telangana 500039, India.