Academia Data Protection Policy

1. What this Privacy Policy is about

The protection of your personal data is important to us. In this Privacy Policy, we explain how Academia Group Switzerland AG and its subsidiaries, Academia Schools AG and Academia Education AG, process personal data when you visit our website, contact us, use our services, apply for a position with us or otherwise have a relationship with us.

2. Who is responsible for data processing?

The organisation responsible for the data processing described in this Privacy Policy is:

Academia Group Switzerland AG
Viaduktstrasse 42
4051 Basel
Switzerland

as well as the subsidiaries
Academia Education AG
Schützengasse 11
8001 Zurich

and
Academia Schools AG
Binzmühlestrasse 15
8050 Zurich

E-mail:
Website: https://academia-group.ch/

If you have any questions about data protection or the exercise of your rights, you may contact us at this address at any time.

3. Which personal data we process

Depending on the circumstances, we process different categories of personal data. These include in particular:

  • master data such as family name, given name, address, language, date of birth, function or company
  • contact details such as telephone number, e-mail address or postal address
  • communication data such as the content of e-mails, contact forms, messages or other correspondence
  • contract and registration data such as information relating to school, course, consultation, childcare, event or other registrations
  • application data such as CVs, certificates, diplomas, motivation letters, references and other documents submitted by you
  • usage data such as information about the use of our website, devices used, browser settings, IP address, access times and log data
  • preference and interaction data such as interests, responses to newsletters, open and click rates, where such analyses are carried out
  • billing and payment data, where this is required in connection with contracts or bookings
  • other data that you voluntarily provide to us or that is generated in connection with the use of our services
  • results from assignments and tests that are collected or generated as part of the use of the NEO LMS platform

Where required in individual cases, we may also process particularly sensitive personal data as defined under Swiss data protection law, for example health-related information, information about support needs or other sensitive information, provided that this is necessary for the provision of our services, for compliance with legal obligations or with your consent.

4. The purposes for which we process personal data

We process personal data in particular for the following purposes:

a) Operation of our website
We process data in order to provide our website, ensure its security and stability, resolve technical issues and analyse and improve the use of our website.

b) Communication
If you contact us by e-mail, telephone, contact form or by other means, we process your details and your message in order to handle your request, communicate with you, clarify follow-up questions, organise consultation appointments or provide information about our services.

This concerns in particular:

  • identification and contact data
  • the content of your message
  • the time and context of the contact
  • other information that you voluntarily provide to us

c) Registrations and contract processing
We process data in order to receive and process registrations for schools, courses, programmes, consultations, events or other services, to prepare, conclude and fulfil contracts and to organise the related administrative processes.

d) Support for pupils, students, parents, course participants and other contact persons
We process data in order to organise and deliver our educational and childcare services, support learning and development processes, communicate with parents or contact persons and ensure the quality of our services.

e) Application process
We process personal data of applicants in order to review applications, conduct selection procedures, organise interviews and fill positions.

f) Marketing and information about our services
We process data in order to inform you about our offers, events, news and services, send newsletters, analyse the reach of our communications and further develop our services in a targeted manner, where this is legally permitted.
If you subscribe to our newsletter or similar information, we process the personal data required for this purpose, in particular your e-mail address and – where provided by you – your name and other voluntary information.
We use Mailchimp, a service of The Rocket Science Group LLC d/b/a Mailchimp, USA, to send our newsletters. Through Mailchimp, we manage recipient lists, send newsletters and – where activated – analyse how our newsletters are used.

In connection with newsletter distribution, the following data in particular may be processed:

  • e-mail address
  • name and other voluntary information
  • time of registration
  • technical information relating to sending and delivery
  • information on whether a newsletter was opened
  • information on which links were clicked
  • information about unsubscribes, undeliverable messages or other interactions with the newsletter

We process this data in order to send you newsletters and other information about our services, improve our communications and statistically analyse the use of our newsletters.
Subscribing to our newsletter is generally voluntary. Where required, we obtain your consent for sending the newsletter. You may withdraw any consent you have given at any time with effect for the future, in particular via the unsubscribe link in the relevant newsletter or by notifying us.
In connection with the use of Mailchimp, personal data may be processed in the USA or in other countries. Mailchimp states that it is certified under the Swiss-U.S. Data Privacy Framework for certain international data transfers; in addition, Mailchimp refers to contractual safeguards, in particular within the framework of its Data Processing Addendum.

Further information on data processing by Mailchimp can be found in Mailchimp’s privacy notices.

g) Events
If you register for one of our events or participate in an event, we process the personal data required for this purpose, in particular your contact and registration data as well as other information that you provide to us in connection with the event.
For the organisation and implementation of events, we use the event management platform Evenito of evenito AG, Switzerland. Evenito can be used to manage event websites, invitations, registrations, participant lists, event-related communications and organisational processes. Evenito describes its platform as event management software with functions including guest management, e-mail communication and reporting.

In connection with events, the following data in particular may be processed:

  • family name and given name
  • contact details such as e-mail address, telephone number and company
  • registration data and participation status
  • information about accompanying persons
  • event-related preferences and organisational information
  • communication data in connection with invitations, confirmations and reminder messages
  • where applicable, check-in or participation information

We process this data in order to plan events, manage registrations, communicate with participants, ensure the implementation of events and organise follow-up activities.
Where Evenito processes personal data on our behalf, this is done as commissioned processing. Evenito complies with high security standards, in particular ISO 27001 certification and hosting in Switzerland.
Further information on data processing by Evenito can be found in Evenito’s privacy notices.

h) Security and prevention of misuse
We process data to ensure IT security, prevent misuse, investigate incidents and safeguard and enforce our rights.

i) Compliance with legal obligations
We process data in order to comply with legal and regulatory obligations, in particular retention, documentation, information or cooperation obligations.

5. The basis on which we process personal data

We base the processing of your personal data on the legal framework applicable in Switzerland.
You may withdraw any consent you have given at any time with effect for the future.

6. Where the personal data comes from

We primarily receive personal data:

  • directly from you
  • from parents, legal guardians, contact persons or authorised representatives
  • in the context of registrations, applications, forms, telephone calls, e-mails or personal conversations
  • when you use our website
  • from participating schools, partners, service providers or authorities, where this is permitted
  • from publicly accessible sources, for example professional networks or public registers, where this is necessary and permitted in individual cases

7. To whom we disclose personal data

Recipients may include in particular:

  • companies of the Academia Group
  • IT, hosting, support and cloud service providers
  • providers of website, analytics, newsletter, CRM, form or application services
  • payment service providers, banks and fiduciaries
  • external advisers, for example in the areas of law, tax, audit or compliance
  • other service providers
  • authorities, courts or other public bodies
  • cooperation partners, where this is required for the provision of services
  • other recipients where you instruct us to do so or where we are legally obliged to do so

When we use service providers, we ensure through appropriate contractual and organisational measures that your data is adequately protected.

8. Disclosure of personal data abroad

We may also disclose personal data to recipients abroad, in particular if we use service providers or technical solutions based abroad or if such data is processed in countries from which our systems are accessed. This may potentially include all countries worldwide.
If a recipient is located in a country without an adequate level of data protection under Swiss law, we take appropriate measures to protect your personal data. These include in particular:

  • contractual safeguards, for example recognised standard contractual clauses
  • disclosure to recipients that are subject to a recognised data protection framework
  • disclosure based on your explicit consent or a statutory exception, where applicable, in particular if you have consented to the relevant disclosure or if the disclosure is required for contract processing, for the establishment, exercise or enforcement of legal claims or for overriding public interests.

9. How long we retain personal data

We process and store personal data for as long as is necessary for the relevant purpose or for as long as we have a legitimate interest in retaining it. In addition, we retain personal data where statutory retention and documentation obligations exist or where claims may be asserted.

Examples:

  • Contract and customer data: for the duration of the contract and beyond this in accordance with statutory retention obligations and for the duration of limitation periods.
  • Application data: until completion of the application process and for a reasonable period thereafter, unless longer retention takes place with consent.
  • Technical log data: for a limited period, where this is required for security, stability and error analysis.

As soon as personal data is no longer required for the purposes stated, it will be deleted or anonymised, unless statutory obligations prevent this.

10. Data security

We take appropriate technical and organisational security measures to protect personal data against unauthorised processing, loss, destruction, alteration or unauthorised access. These include in particular access controls, authorisation concepts, protection of our IT systems, data backups and internal processes for dealing with data protection incidents.
Despite appropriate protective measures, data transmission over the Internet may be subject to security vulnerabilities. Absolute security can therefore not be guaranteed.

11. Your rights

You have certain rights to request a copy of your personal data or to influence our processing of this data. Subject to the requirements and within the scope of applicable data protection law, these rights include the following:

  • Information: You may request information as to whether we process personal data about you and, if so, which data, as well as further information about our data processing.
  • Rectification and restriction: You may have incorrect personal data corrected, incomplete data completed and the processing of your data restricted.
  • Deletion and objection: You may have personal data deleted and object to the processing of your data with effect for the future. In particular, on grounds relating to your particular situation, you may object at any time to the processing of data based on our legitimate interest and to our processing for direct marketing purposes.
  • Data portability: You may receive the personal data that you have provided to us in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format, provided that the corresponding data processing is based on your consent or is necessary for the performance of a contract.
  • Withdrawal: Where we process data on the basis of your consent, you may withdraw your consent at any time. The withdrawal applies only for the future, and we reserve the right to continue processing data on another basis in the event of withdrawal.

To exercise your rights, you may contact us at . As a rule, we must verify your identity in this context.

If you believe that the processing of your personal data violates applicable data protection law, you may contact the competent supervisory authority. In Switzerland, this is the Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner (FDPIC).

12. Website use

When you visit our website, technical data may be automatically collected on our servers or by our hosting service providers. This includes in particular:

  • IP address
  • date and time of access
  • content accessed
  • referrer URL
  • browser type and browser version
  • operating system used
  • device information
  • error messages and system events

This data is processed in particular to ensure operation, optimise the website, analyse errors and ensure the security and integrity of our systems.

13. Cookies, server-side tracking and similar technologies

We use cookies and similar technologies on our website. This also includes server-side tracking via JENTIS. JENTIS is a server-side tracking and data processing platform through which usage and event data can first be collected in a controlled manner and then – depending on the configuration and consent given – forwarded to connected analytics and marketing services. JENTIS describes its solution as a server-side tracking and tag management platform with a focus on data control, consent management and the ability to transform, pseudonymise or anonymise data on the server side before disclosure.
Unlike purely browser-based tracking solutions, part of the data processing in this approach does not take place directly between your device and individual third-party providers, but initially via a server-side infrastructure used by us. This allows us to better control which data is transmitted for which purposes and to which recipients. JENTIS documents in particular server-side data collection, event forwarding and granular consent and vendor control.

Within the framework of these technologies, the following data in particular may be processed:

  • IP address or shortened or technically processed IP information
  • technical information about device, browser and operating system
  • information about page views, dwell time and interactions
  • event data such as clicks, form usage or conversions
  • consent information and preferences
  • depending on the configuration, further data from forms or from the website data layer

JENTIS supports the integration of a consent management system and the processing of consent information at the level of the respective connected providers. This allows control over whether and to what extent data is disclosed to analytics, marketing or other third-party services.
Where legally required, we obtain your consent for non-essential technologies and the associated data disclosure. You can adjust your settings at any time via our consent management system.
You can also manage, restrict or delete cookies in your browser. Please note, however, that this may impair individual functions of our website.

14. Analytics and tracking services

We use JENTIS as a central platform for the server-side collection, management and forwarding of tracking and event data. Through JENTIS, data may be transmitted – depending on your consent, our settings and the services used – to other analytics, statistics or marketing providers.
The use of JENTIS enables us in particular to manage data flows centrally, systematically take consent into account and design the disclosure of data to third-party providers in a more technically controlled manner.
Depending on the services used, this infrastructure may process in particular data about the use of our website, interactions with content, technical characteristics of your device and information about campaign or conversion events.
Further information on the specific third-party providers used and the respective data processing can be found – where applicable – in the relevant sections of this Privacy Policy.
Depending on consent and configuration, the following third-party providers in particular may be integrated via JENTIS: Google Analytics, Google Ads, Meta, LinkedIn, YouTube.

15. Use of systems and service providers

To provide our services, organise our school and course operations, communicate, administer, conduct examinations, process applications and for marketing and analytics purposes, we use various internal and external systems and service providers.
These systems support us in particular in the areas of financial and payroll administration, human resources, school administration, learning management, examination administration, office communication, project organisation, online meetings, surveys, website analytics, online marketing, map and video services and application management.

Depending on the purpose and use, the following personal data in particular may be processed:

  • master and contact data
  • pupil, parent, customer, candidate and employee data
  • contract, billing, financial and payroll data
  • course, class, timetable, performance, assessment and absence data
  • examination registration data, identification data, examination results and certificate data
  • communication content, e-mails, calendar data, documents, files and attachments
  • application documents, information on education, qualifications and professional experience
  • usage, device, browser, connection, log and diagnostic data
  • IP addresses, cookie IDs, interaction data and information about website visits, advertising contacts and conversions

Where we use external service providers, they process this personal data either on our behalf or – where provided for by law – under their own responsibility. We ensure that personal data is processed only to the extent necessary and take appropriate contractual, organisational and technical measures to protect the data.
Some service providers may have their registered office or server locations outside Switzerland or the European Economic Area, in particular in the USA, the United Kingdom or Australia. In such cases, we ensure that an adequate level of data protection is guaranteed, for example through adequacy decisions, standard contractual clauses or other appropriate safeguards, where these are legally required.

16. Administration, planning, office and communication

For administrative and organisational purposes, we use systems in the areas of ERP, financial and payroll administration, HR processes, office communication, file storage, collaboration, calendar management, project planning, internal process management, online meetings, webinars, surveys and forms.
These include in particular Abacus, Microsoft 365, Trello, Zoom and SurveyMonkey.
Depending on use, the following data in particular may be processed: master and contact data, contract and personnel data, financial and payroll data, billing data, communication data, calendar data, documents and files, task and project content, comments, audio, video and chat data, survey responses, form data, usage data, device information as well as log and diagnostic data.

17. School administration and learning platforms

For the organisation, implementation and documentation of our school and course operations, we use school administration and learning management systems. These support us in particular with course organisation, management of classes and timetables, provision of digital learning content, task management, communication, performance documentation, assessment and reporting.
These include in particular NEO LMS, All4Schools, Bromcom and ManageBac.
In particular, master and contact data, user accounts, pupil, parent and employee data, class, course and timetable data, learning content, tasks, performance, assessment and absence data, communication data, documents, device and usage data, IP addresses as well as log data may be processed.

18. Examination administration and examination providers

For the registration, organisation, conduct, evaluation and documentation of examinations and for the issuing of results, confirmations and certificates, we work with various examination boards, examination providers and competent authorities.
These include in particular Cambridge International, fide, the Basic Knowledge Test of the Canton of Zurich, the Cantonal German Test in the naturalisation procedure of the Canton of Zurich, Pearson Edexcel and telc.
Depending on the examination, in particular name, date of birth, contact details, candidate and examination data, identification data, language level information, examination results, certificate data as well as examination-related communication and administrative data may be processed and transmitted to the responsible examination providers or authorities.

19. Website, analytics, online marketing and embedded services

On our websites and in our digital services, we use various services to analyse the use of our websites, optimise our services, measure online campaigns, display relevant content, embed videos and maps and protect forms against automated access.
These include in particular Google Analytics, Google Ads including conversion tracking and remarketing, Meta Pixel, LinkedIn Insight Tag, YouTube, Google Maps, Google reCAPTCHA and Google Fonts.
In particular, IP addresses, device and browser information, usage behaviour, page views, dwell time, referrer URLs, timestamps, cookie IDs, interaction data, information about advertising contacts and conversions, location or approximate location data as well as information about the use of embedded videos, maps or forms may be processed.
When using such services, data may be transmitted to providers such as Google, Meta or LinkedIn. These providers may also process data partly for their own purposes. Further information can be found in the privacy notices of the respective providers.

20. Applications

If you apply for a position with us, we process the data that you provide to us in connection with your application. This includes in particular personal details and contact details, application documents such as CVs, certificates, diplomas and motivation letters, information on education, qualifications and professional experience, correspondence in the context of the application process and, where applicable, reference information, provided that you have consented to this or this is otherwise permitted.
We process this data to carry out the application process, assess your suitability and fill positions.
If, after completion of the process, we would like to retain your application for consideration at a later date, we will obtain your consent where applicable. Otherwise, we delete your application data after 9 months, subject to retaining your name and the date of your application.

21. Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may amend this Privacy Policy at any time if we change data processing activities, introduce new services or if the legal situation changes. The current version published on our website applies.

Last updated: June 2026