Privacy Policy
Effective Date: April 23, 2026 Last Updated: April 23, 2026
1. Introduction
Welcome to ScholarBoard ("we", "us", "our", or the "Platform"). ScholarBoard is a scholarship discovery platform that helps students find relevant scholarship opportunities by matching their academic profiles against scholarship requirements.
We are committed to protecting your personal data and respecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains what personal information we collect, why we collect it, how we use and protect it, and your rights under the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023 ("NDPA") and other applicable laws.
By creating an account or using ScholarBoard, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree with any part of this policy, please do not use the Platform.
2. Data Controller
The data controller responsible for your personal data is:
ScholarBoard Email: privacy@scholarboard.app Website: https://scholarboard.app
3. Information We Collect
We collect only the information necessary to provide you with our scholarship matching service. Below is a full breakdown of the personal data we collect and the purpose for each.
3.1 Account Information
| Data | Purpose |
|---|---|
| First name and last name | To personalise your experience and generate your username |
| Email address | Account authentication, email verification, and sending you scholarship updates |
| Username | To uniquely identify your account |
| Password | Account security (stored as a secure hash — we never store your password in plain text) |
3.2 Academic Information
| Data | Purpose |
|---|---|
| GPA (on a 5.0 scale) | To match you with scholarships that have minimum GPA requirements |
| Major / field of study | To match you with scholarships restricted to certain academic fields |
| Graduation year | To determine scholarship eligibility based on timeline |
| Academic year (year of study) | To match you with scholarships targeting specific study levels |
| JAMB/UTME score | To match you with scholarships that require minimum JAMB scores |
| WAEC/NECO credits | To match you with scholarships that require a certain number of credits |
| NYSC status | To match you with scholarships that require specific NYSC completion status |
3.3 Personal Information
| Data | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Date of birth | To calculate your age for scholarships with age requirements |
| Gender | To match you with gender-specific scholarships. You may select "Prefer not to say" |
| Financial need level (self-reported, scale of 1–5) | To match you with need-based scholarships |
| Nationality | To match you with scholarships restricted by citizenship |
| Disability status | To match you with scholarships that support students with specific disabilities |
| Interests and extracurricular activities | To help identify relevant scholarship opportunities |
3.4 Location Information
| Data | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Country of residence | To match you with scholarships restricted by current residence |
| City of residence | To match you with location-based scholarships |
| State of residence | To match you with state-specific scholarships |
| State of origin | To match you with scholarships for indigenes of specific states |
| Local Government Area (LGA) of origin | To match you with LGA-specific scholarships |
3.5 Platform Activity Data
| Data | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Bookmarked scholarships | To save scholarships you're interested in and display them on your dashboard |
| Application tracking status and notes | To help you track your scholarship application progress |
| Match percentages | To show you how well your profile fits each scholarship |
3.6 Communication Data
| Data | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Email notification preferences (digest, reminders) | To respect your communication choices |
| Email delivery records (sent date, type of email) | To prevent sending duplicate emails and measure the effectiveness of our notifications |
| Email open and click tracking | To understand whether our scholarship notifications are helpful (see Section 6) |
3.7 Security Data
| Data | Purpose | Retention |
|---|---|---|
| Email verification OTP codes | To verify that you own the email address you registered with | Automatically deleted after use or expiry (10 minutes) |
| IP address (during OTP requests) | To prevent abuse and rate-limit OTP requests | Deleted within 24 hours |
3.8 Information We Do NOT Collect
We want to be clear about what we do not collect: - We do not collect payment or financial account information (ScholarBoard is currently free) - We do not collect biometric data - We do not collect information from your contacts or address book - We do not access your device camera, microphone, or files - We do not use advertising trackers or sell your data to advertisers
4. Lawful Basis for Processing
Under the NDPA, we must have a lawful basis for processing your personal data. The bases we rely on are:
| Processing Activity | Lawful Basis | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Account creation and authentication | Performance of a contract | Necessary to provide you with the ScholarBoard service |
| Scholarship matching (comparing your profile to scholarship requirements) | Performance of a contract | This is the core service you signed up for |
| Email verification (OTP) | Legitimate interest | Necessary to protect your account security and prevent fraud |
| Weekly digest emails | Consent | Sent only when you have opted in via your email preferences |
| Deadline reminder emails | Consent | Sent based on your chosen reminder settings |
| Email open/click tracking | Legitimate interest | Used to measure and improve the quality of our notifications |
| IP-based rate limiting | Legitimate interest | Necessary to prevent abuse and protect the platform |
You may withdraw your consent for optional processing (such as digest emails and deadline reminders) at any time through your Account Preferences page.
5. How We Use Your Information
We use your personal data exclusively for the following purposes:
- Scholarship matching — We compare the information in your profile (GPA, major, location, age, etc.) against the eligibility requirements of scholarships in our database to calculate a match percentage for each scholarship
- Personalised feed — We rank and display scholarship opportunities based on how well they match your profile
- Communication — We send you email verification codes, welcome emails, weekly scholarship digests, and deadline reminders (based on your preferences)
- Account management — We use your email and password to authenticate you and secure your account
- Service improvement — We use aggregated, non-identifying data to understand usage patterns and improve the platform
We do not use your data for: - Targeted advertising - Sale to third parties - Purposes unrelated to scholarship discovery
6. Automated Decision-Making and Profiling
ScholarBoard uses an automated matching algorithm to calculate a match percentage between your profile and each scholarship in our database.
How It Works
Our algorithm compares the information in your profile (such as GPA, major, location, state of origin, gender, age, nationality, disability status, JAMB score, WAEC credits, NYSC status, financial need, and year of study) against each scholarship's stated requirements.
The system evaluates these requirements dynamically, accounting for complex conditions where a scholarship might require multiple qualifications simultaneously, accept alternative qualifications, or mandate minimum thresholds. Your match percentage reflects the overall proportion of the scholarship's criteria that your profile satisfies.
For example, if a scholarship requires an applicant to be in a specific major and have either a high GPA or a high test score, the algorithm intelligently evaluates your profile against these combined rules to calculate your overall match percentage.
What This Means for You
- Match percentages are displayed alongside each scholarship to help you prioritise your applications
- A high match percentage indicates that your profile meets most or all of a scholarship's stated criteria
- Match percentages are informational only. They do not guarantee eligibility, acceptance, or any outcome. Scholarship decisions are made entirely by the sponsoring organisations, not by ScholarBoard
- You can view a detailed breakdown of which requirements you meet and which you do not on each scholarship's detail page
Your Right to Object
You have the right to object to automated profiling. If you have concerns about how the matching algorithm processes your data, please contact us at privacy@scholarboard.app.
7. Data Sharing and Third Parties
We share your personal data only with the following third-party service providers, and only to the extent necessary to operate the Platform:
| Category of Service Provider | Purpose | Data Shared | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cloud Hosting Providers | Web hosting and application infrastructure | All platform data (encrypted) | United States |
| Database Service Providers | Secure data storage and management | All platform data (encrypted) | Variable (International) |
| Email Service Providers | Transactional and notification email delivery | Email address, email content | United States / EU |
| Content Delivery Networks | Delivery of web fonts and static assets | IP address (standard web request) | United States |
We do not: - Sell your personal data to anyone - Share your personal data with advertisers - Share your academic information with scholarship providers or any other third party - Allow third parties to use your data for their own marketing purposes
International Data Transfers
Some of our service providers operate outside Nigeria. When your data is transferred outside Nigeria, we ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place, including: - Contractual obligations requiring the service provider to protect your data to a standard equivalent to the NDPA - Encryption of data in transit (TLS/HTTPS) and at rest - Access controls limiting who can access your data
8. Data Retention
We retain your personal data only for as long as necessary to provide our service and fulfil the purposes described in this policy.
| Data Category | Retention Period |
|---|---|
| Account and profile data | For the duration of your account, plus 30 days after account deletion (to allow for account recovery) |
| Scholarship match data | For the duration of your account |
| Bookmark and application tracking data | For the duration of your account |
| Email notification records | 2 years from the date sent |
| OTP verification codes | Automatically deleted after use or after 10-minute expiry |
| IP-based rate limiting records | Automatically reset after 1 hour |
When you delete your account, we will delete or anonymise all of your personal data within 30 days, except where retention is required by law.
9. Data Security
We take the security of your personal data seriously and implement appropriate technical and organisational measures, including:
- Encryption in transit — All data transmitted between your device and our servers is secured using industry-standard encryption protocols (TLS/HTTPS).
- Password security — Passwords are protected using strong cryptographic hashing algorithms and unique salts. We never store or transmit passwords in plain text.
- Protection against vulnerabilities — We implement robust system protections against common web threats, including cross-site request forgery (CSRF) and downgrade attacks.
- Verification safeguards — Authentication and verification codes are time-limited, restricted by attempt counts, and protected by rate limiting to prevent abuse.
- Session security — User sessions are secured using protected cookies to prevent unauthorized interception.
- Access controls — Strict access controls are enforced to ensure that only authorized personnel have access to our systems and databases.
10. Your Rights
Under the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023, you have the following rights regarding your personal data:
10.1 Right of Access
You have the right to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you. You can view most of your data at any time on your Profile page.
10.2 Right to Rectification
You have the right to correct any inaccurate or incomplete personal data. You can update your profile information at any time through the Edit Profile page.
10.3 Right to Erasure (Right to Be Forgotten)
You have the right to request that we delete your personal data. You can request account deletion by contacting us at privacy@scholarboard.app. Upon receiving your request, we will delete your account and all associated data within 30 days.
10.4 Right to Data Portability
You have the right to receive your personal data in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format. Contact us at privacy@scholarboard.app to request a copy of your data.
10.5 Right to Withdraw Consent
Where we process your data based on consent (e.g., email notifications), you can withdraw consent at any time by visiting your Account Preferences page or by contacting us. Withdrawing consent does not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before the withdrawal.
10.6 Right to Restrict Processing
You have the right to request that we restrict the processing of your personal data in certain circumstances. Contact us at privacy@scholarboard.app.
10.7 Right to Object
You have the right to object to the processing of your personal data where we rely on legitimate interest as the lawful basis. This includes the right to object to automated profiling (see Section 6).
10.8 Right to Lodge a Complaint
If you believe that your data protection rights have been violated, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) at ndpc.gov.ng.
How to Exercise Your Rights
To exercise any of the above rights, email us at privacy@scholarboard.app. We will respond to your request within 30 days.
11. Cookies
ScholarBoard uses a minimal number of cookies, all of which are essential to the functioning of the Platform:
| Cookie | Purpose | Type | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
sessionid |
Keeps you logged in as you navigate the site | Essential / Functional | Until you log out or session expires |
csrftoken |
Protects your account from cross-site request forgery attacks | Essential / Security | 1 year |
We do not use: - Advertising cookies - Third-party analytics cookies - Social media tracking cookies
Because we only use strictly essential cookies, no cookie consent banner is required. If we introduce non-essential cookies in the future, we will update this policy and implement an opt-in consent mechanism.
12. Children's Privacy
ScholarBoard is intended for students who are typically 16 years of age or older. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under the age of 13.
If you are between 13 and 17 years old, we recommend that you review this Privacy Policy with a parent or guardian before creating an account.
If we learn that we have collected personal data from a child under 13 without parental consent, we will take steps to delete that information as soon as possible. If you believe a child under 13 has provided us with personal data, please contact us at privacy@scholarboard.app.
13. Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, or legal requirements. When we do, we will update the "Last Updated" date at the top of this policy.
For material changes that significantly affect how we collect, use, or share your personal data, we will make reasonable efforts to notify you — such as by posting a notice on the Platform or, where appropriate, by email.
Your continued use of ScholarBoard after the updated policy takes effect constitutes your acceptance of the changes. If you do not agree with the updated policy, you may delete your account.
14. Contact Us
If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us:
Email: privacy@scholarboard.app Website: https://scholarboard.app
This Privacy Policy is governed by the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, including the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023.