Privacy Policy

CourseCompare.ie is an online course comparison platform based in Dublin, Ireland. We are the data controller for personal data collected through this website.

For any data protection enquiries, contact us at: info@coursecompare.ie

We may collect the following categories of personal data:

• Contact form data: Name, email address, phone number, and the content of your message.
• Course enquiry data: Name, email, phone number, and the course or institution you are enquiring about.
• Account data: Email address and profile information if you register for an account.
• Usage data: Pages visited, search queries, courses viewed, and comparison activity, collected anonymously or linked to your account.
• Technical data: IP address, browser type, device type, and cookies (see Section 8).

We use your personal data for the following purposes and lawful bases under GDPR:

• To respond to your enquiries (Legitimate Interest / Contract).
• To connect you with course providers - if you submit an enquiry or contact form, your data may be shared with the relevant course provider(s) so they can follow up with you directly (Consent / Legitimate Interest).
• To operate and improve the platform - analysing usage patterns to enhance the user experience (Legitimate Interest).
• To send service-related communications, such as confirmation emails (Contract / Legitimate Interest).
• To comply with legal obligations under Irish and EU law.

The only instance where your personal data may be shared with course providers is when you use the "Download Full Course Report" feature on a course detail page. When you submit a report request, your name, email address, and phone number are shared with the relevant course provider so they can send you the requested materials.

We only share data in response to your explicit request and only with the course provider(s) directly relevant to your report.

We retain your personal data only for as long as necessary:

• Contact and enquiry data: up to 2 years from last contact.
• Account data: for the duration of your account, plus up to 1 year after deletion.
• Usage and analytics data: up to 2 years in aggregated or anonymised form.

After this period, data is securely deleted or anonymised.

As a data subject in the EU/EEA, you have the following rights:

• Right of Access - request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Right to Rectification - ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
• Right to Erasure - request deletion of your personal data ("right to be forgotten").
• Right to Restriction - ask us to restrict processing of your data in certain circumstances.
• Right to Data Portability - receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format.
• Right to Object - object to processing based on legitimate interests or for direct marketing.
• Right to Withdraw Consent - where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at info@coursecompare.ie. We will respond within 30 days.

We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorised access, loss, or disclosure. These include encrypted data transmission (HTTPS), access controls, and regular security reviews.

However, no method of internet transmission is 100% secure. While we strive to protect your data, we cannot guarantee absolute security.

We use cookies and similar technologies to operate the website and understand how it is used. Cookies used include:

• Essential cookies: Required for the site to function (e.g. session management).
• Analytics cookies: Used to understand how visitors interact with the site (anonymised where possible).

You can control cookies through your browser settings. Disabling cookies may affect some site functionality.

We may use trusted third-party services to operate our platform (e.g. hosting, email delivery, analytics). These providers process data on our behalf and are bound by data processing agreements in line with GDPR Article 28.

We do not transfer personal data outside the European Economic Area (EEA) without ensuring adequate safeguards are in place.

CourseCompare.ie is not directed at children under the age of 16. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If you believe a child has provided us with personal data, please contact us and we will delete it promptly.

By creating an account and becoming a registered user of CourseCompare.ie, you consent to receiving marketing communications and contact from us about new features, courses, and relevant updates related to your interests on the platform.

You may opt out of marketing communications at any time by updating your account preferences or by contacting us at info@coursecompare.ie. Opting out will not affect service-related communications necessary to operate your account.

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will revise the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

For any questions, requests, or concerns regarding this Privacy Policy or your personal data, please contact: