Privacy Policy & Institutional Partner Disclosure

01 Operating Entity & Scope of Policy

This Privacy Policy sets forth the privacy practices, data governance, and partner disclosures applicable to the web portal compare-university.com (hereinafter referred to as the "Website", "Platform", or "Service"), which is exclusively owned and operated by College Mantra Private Limited (hereinafter referred to as "College Mantra", "we", "us", or "our").

By accessing, browsing, submitting an inquiry, or interacting with compare-university.com, you expressly acknowledge and agree to the collection, processing, transfer, and utilization of your information in accordance with this Policy, in compliance with the Information Technology Act, 2000, and the Digital Personal Data Protection Act (DPDPA), 2023.

02 Authorized University Marketing Partner Status

Transparency is our highest guiding principle. Prospective learners must be aware of the exact legal and commercial capacity in which College Mantra Private Limited operates:

Our role is strictly confined to:

• Providing free, unbiased comparison between universities regarding fees, NIRF/NAAC ranks, and course specialisations.
• Evaluating candidate eligibility criteria and scholarship requirements.
• Assisting candidates in preparing documentation for online submission.
• Directing students to the verified admissions channels of partner universities.

College Mantra Private Limited does not set academic curricula, does not conduct semester examinations, and does not print or grant degree certificates. All academic matters reside solely under the authority of the respective accredited university.

03 Information We Collect

To provide personalized counseling, we collect both personal and non-personal information when you voluntarily fill out our forms or interact with our site:

• Identity & Contact Details: Full name, verified mobile number, email address, city, and state of residence.
• Academic Background: Completed educational qualifications (10+2, Bachelor's degree, Diploma), target program of interest (MBA, MCA, BBA, BCA, M.Com, etc.), and desired specialisation.
• Advisory Preferences: Budget bracket, preferred study schedule, and interest in scholarship evaluations.
• Technical & Telemetry Data: IP address, browser type, device identifiers, operating system, and referral source (such as UTM parameters indicating which digital campaign brought you to our site).

04 How We Use Your Information

The information submitted by you is utilized exclusively for genuine educational purposes:

• Connecting you with an experienced academic advisor via phone call or WhatsApp to evaluate course suitability.
• Delivering official university brochures, fee breakdown sheets, and curriculum syllabi.
• Verifying your qualification eligibility for institutional scholarships (Merit, Need-based, Early Bird, Defense).
• Facilitating seamless submission of your admission application to your chosen university's admissions team.
• Improving platform performance, preventing fraudulent inquiries, and ensuring system security.

05 Telephonic Calls, SMS, WhatsApp & DND Consent

When you submit your mobile number on any form across compare-university.com (such as "Get Free Counselling", "Download Brochure", or "Check Scholarship Eligibility"), you explicitly authorize College Mantra Private Limited and its verified university admissions partners to contact you.

06 Zero Student Fee Policy

College Mantra Private Limited does not charge any consultation, advisory, application, or service fees from students.

All advisory sessions, profile evaluations, university comparisons, and brochure downloads provided by our counselors are 100% free of charge. Any tuition fees, examination fees, or registration charges pertaining to your degree must be paid directly to the official university portal via official payment gateways. If anyone claiming to represent College Mantra requests cash or personal bank transfers, please notify our Grievance Officer immediately.

07 Information Sharing & University Data Transfer

We maintain rigorous confidentiality standards regarding student information:

• Authorized Universities Only: Your personal and academic details are shared strictly with the official admissions department of the specific university (or universities) you have expressed interest in evaluating.
• No Commercial Resale: We never sell, rent, trade, or distribute your personal details to unverified third-party marketing companies, insurance telemarketers, or loan aggregators.
• Legal & Regulatory Compliance: We may disclose information if legally compelled by court orders, judicial summons, or government regulatory bodies under applicable laws.

08 Cookies & Digital Advertising Technologies

compare-university.com uses first-party and third-party cookies and tracking pixels (such as Google Analytics, Google Ads, and Meta Pixel) to:

• Track aggregate user journeys and identify high-demand courses and specialisations.
• Measure the effectiveness of digital ad placements.
• Deliver relevant university notifications through retargeting banners on external platforms.

You may configure your web browser to decline cookies or clear existing cookies at any time. However, doing so may affect specific interactive features of our platform.

09 Data Security & Retention Standards

We implement industry-standard administrative, technical, and physical safeguards (including SSL/TLS 256-bit encryption in transit, secure database firewalls, and restricted role-based internal access) to protect your information against unauthorized access, loss, or alteration.

Candidate inquiry data is retained only for the duration necessary to satisfy counseling obligations and university admission cycles, or as required by applicable Indian statutory retention laws.

10 Your Rights as a Candidate

Under Indian data protection laws, you retain full rights regarding your personal information:

• Right of Access & Review: Request a summary of the data we hold regarding your inquiries.
• Right to Rectification: Request corrections to erroneous or outdated contact information.
• Right to Opt-Out: Unsubscribe from marketing calls or WhatsApp updates at any time by replying "STOP" or contacting our support desk.
• Right to Erasure: Request the deletion of your inquiry record from our active databases, subject to ongoing admission cycle obligations.

11 Grievance Redressal & Contact Details

In accordance with the Information Technology Act, 2000, and rules made thereunder, any queries, grievances, or concerns regarding your privacy or our marketing partnership practices may be directed to: