Privacy Notice

UW–Madison Privacy Notice

UW–Madison recognizes and values the privacy of our community and its guests. This Privacy Notice is generally applicable to activities conducted by UW–Madison that involve the processing of personal data. This notice provides a broad overview of the range of activities that require personal data processing and the approach to protecting personal data privacy.

Note: UW–Madison is a large, highly distributed organization. In addition to this notice, UW–Madison Schools, Colleges, Departments and other units may have additional privacy notices that are related to their specific practices regarding collection and processing of personal data. Some UW–Madison websites may also contain links to other websites, which will have their own privacy practices. UW–Madison is not responsible for the privacy practices or the content of such websites.

Values

We strive to protect personal data privacy by:

informing individuals about our data privacy practices
collecting the minimum amount of personal data necessary for legitimate business purposes and legal compliance
using personal data for the purposes for which it was collected
limiting personal data access to appropriate individuals
using appropriate physical and technical security measures to protect personal data
integrating privacy principles in the design of projects and work that involve the use of personal data.

Definitions

In this notice, “personal data” means any recorded information that is about you and from which you can be identified. It does not include data where your identity has been removed. Personal data “processing” refers to anything that we do with that information—including collection, use, storage, disclosure, deletion or retention.

Types of Personal Data We Collect

Our data collection varies depending on the nature of the services we offer, the type of data, and legal and regulatory requirements. We collect personal data directly from you, through automated processes (e.g., UW–Madison tools or websites that you engage with), and from third parties. We generally collect and process the following categories of data for different groups of people in the following ways:

Prospective students. To facilitate admission and provide higher education services, we collect: personal and family information related to the application and financial aid process, including supporting documentation, identification and contact information; education history, demographic information (e.g., race, gender, and age) as volunteered, testing history, personal information and history, employment history, and payment information.
Students. To enroll, administer financial aid, provide housing, track academic progress, provide academic advising and other services, ensure the physical security of people, and to protect university property, we use and collect: information submitted as prospective students (described above), identification data, information related to academic record and performance, subscription data for online courses, and video images recorded by our video security system.
Program Participants. To register adult and youth program participants, provide programming and track non-credit progress, comply with federal funding requirements, and ensure the physical security of people and property, we use and collect: Information submitted by prospective participants, information related to participation in outreach programs, demographic information about participants, information needed to provide accommodations, and data related to health or health insurance as relevant.
Faculty and staff. To administer an employment relationship with the university, we collect: identification, contact information, biographic information, employment and education history, payment and tax information, family and health information related to benefits, and information related to performance at work.
Visiting scholars and exchange students. To facilitate and manage visits to the university, we collect: identification, contact information, biographic information, and possibly data related to health, if relevant.
Alumni. To manage the relationship and engagement with the university, we collect: identification, contact information, and donor information.
Research subjects. To advance the exercise of scientific, historical research, or for statistical purposes, we collect: identification and contact information and all information that is produced and observed in relation to the subject as part of a research project.
Participants in conferences, symposia and campus events. To register, track payment and participation, we collect: identification, contact information, payment information, and possibly data related to health for accommodation.
Website visitors. To enhance user experience, understand user preferences for future visits, and improve website performance, we may collect: contact information, IP address, browser type, internet service provider, pages visited, operating system, date and time of visit, location information, and other information collected through cookies.
People on campus. To facilitate visits, ensure the physical security of people, and to protect university property we collect: contact information, payment information, and video images recorded by our video security system.

We occasionally process other types of personal information for various legitimate and specific purposes. When these situations occur, we endeavor to inform the data subjects of the processing activities.

How We Use Your Personal Data

We use the personal data we collect to facilitate the operations, educational and outreach activities of the University. We use the personal data for the purposes for which it was collected, unless we reasonably consider that it is needed for another related reason and that the reason is compatible with the original purpose. If we need to use your data for an unrelated purpose, we will endeavor to inform you or seek your consent. For example, we may use personal data:

to facilitate recruitment and admission and provide services for our students and prospective students,
provide and administer housing to students,
manage the employment of our faculty and staff,
provide academic advising,
deliver course material and education programs,
track use of university assets, such as library materials or reservable spaces,
analyze and improve education programs,
conduct outreach, including alumni engagement, in our community,
provide tailored digital experiences,
comply with state and federal law and make regulatory reports,
comply with accreditation requirements and other related processes and operations; and
conduct statistical and other analysis to improve our programs.

We use contracted third party service providers to support our business, administrative, and educational operations. We may share your data with these providers for those purposes. Our third-party service providers are required to take appropriate security measures to protect your data in line with our policies. We strive to protect confidentiality and privacy when working with our third party service providers, and when possible require that they use personal data only for the purposes of providing services to us.

We may also share your personal data with third parties to comply with any legal obligation, administer a contract you have with the university, and/or assist university-affiliated programs regarding contacting you about goods, services, charitable giving, or experiences that may be of personal interest.

We may share your personal data with third parties when we have your consent to do so or when it is necessary to protect the health and safety of you or others.

When your data is shared with third parties, we will seek to share only the necessary pertinent information.

Digital Public Spaces

UW–Madison may provide chat rooms, forums, message boards, or similar groups for their users. Any participation in and/or information disclosed in these areas may become public information and users should therefore exercise caution when deciding to disclose personal information. Chat sessions and discussion forums may be logged.

How We Secure Data

UW–Madison recognizes the importance of maintaining the security of the information we process. We strive to ensure reasonable security measures are in place, including physical, administrative, and technical safeguards to protect your personal data. No service is completely secure. If you think your personal data, including your wisc.edu account or password, is at risk, tell us immediately by reporting the issue to the Office of Cybersecurity.

Cookies and Other Technology

A description of how the university uses cookies, beacons and certain other technologies to collect or receive information from its websites is located in Cookies and Tracking on UW–Madison websites.

Special Rules for Kids Under 13

The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) imposes requirements on certain operators of commercial websites or online services. UW–Madison is committed to protecting the privacy of children under the age of 13 and does not intend to solicit personal data from children under the age of 13 without their parents’ consent. If a user of our online services is under the age of 13, they are not authorized to provide us with personally identifying information.

Users under the age of 13 and their parents or guardians are cautioned that the collection of personal information volunteered online or by e-mail by children under the age of 13 without parental consent will be treated the same as information given by an adult until we become aware that the user is under the age of 13, and such information may be subject to public access.

Retention Period

We strive to keep personal data only as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected and processed. Retention periods vary and are established considering our legitimate purposes and all applicable legal requirements.

In addition to the general privacy information provided above, the GDPR supplemental privacy notice outlines the collection, use, and disclosure of personal data provided to UW–Madison.

Privacy Notice Changes

This privacy notice may be updated from time to time. We will post the date our notice was last updated here: Last Revision Date — September 2025

Contact

If you have any questions about our privacy practices, contact uwprivacy@wisc.edu.