Who we are
StudyWay.lk ("StudyWay", "we", "us") is a free education portal for students, parents, tutors and institutes in Sri Lanka. It lists courses, institutes and intakes, study abroad options, tuition classes, education loans, career guidance and a free CV creator.
This policy explains what personal data we collect when you use StudyWay.lk, our WhatsApp channels and our email alerts. It also explains why we use it, who we share it with, and the choices you have. We are the controller of your personal data under Sri Lanka's Personal Data Protection Act, No. 9 of 2022, as amended (the "PDPA").
Data we collect
We collect only what we need for the feature you use.
| Where it comes from | Data we collect |
|---|---|
| Inquiries ("Submit your requirement", course, intake and study abroad inquiries) | Name, mobile number, email, city or district, age group, current qualification, the course, level or country you are interested in, and any details you type in |
| Education loan inquiries | Name, contact details, course and institute, loan amount, and basic employment and income details you choose to give |
| Account registration | Name, email, mobile number, login details, study interests |
| CV Creator | The details you enter to build your CV, such as education, work history, skills and photo |
| Tutors (tuition listings) | Name, contact details, subjects, grades, locations, class type, qualifications, photo, reviews |
| Institutes and advertisers | Contact person's name, business email and phone, billing details |
| Contact forms and WhatsApp messages | Your name, contact details and the messages you send us |
| Automatically, when you browse | IP address, device and browser type, pages viewed, links clicked, approximate location, cookie IDs. Lovable's separate visitor analytics does not keep IP addresses or use cookie IDs. |
We do not ask for sensitive data such as health, religion or political views, so please do not include it in free-text fields. We do not ask for bank account or card details for loan inquiries; the bank handles those directly with you.
How we use your data and why
Every use below rests on a lawful ground under the PDPA. Where we rely on your consent, you can withdraw it at any time.
| Purpose | Lawful ground |
|---|---|
| Pass your inquiry to the institutes, tutors or partner banks that can answer it (for example, a course inquiry to that institute, or a loan inquiry to a partner bank) | To provide a service you asked for |
| Run your account, the CV Creator and tutor listings | To provide a service you asked for |
| Send StudyWay course offers, intake alerts and newsletters by email, SMS or WhatsApp | Your consent |
| Share your contact details and inquiry topic with BuzzConnect for its own promotions (see section 4) | Your separate consent |
| Measure and improve the site, prevent fraud and spam, including through Google Analytics and Lovable visitor analytics | Our legitimate interest |
| Meet legal, tax and law-enforcement requirements | Legal obligation |
You do not have to agree to marketing, or to sharing with BuzzConnect, to use any part of StudyWay.lk. We do not make decisions about you that have legal or similarly significant effects based only on automated processing. Loan decisions are made by the bank, not by us.
Sharing with BuzzConnect, our direct marketing partner
If you tick the BuzzConnect box on a StudyWay form, we share your details with BuzzConnect so it can send you its own offers. If you leave the box unticked, nothing is shared with BuzzConnect for marketing. We never share the data of anyone under 18 with BuzzConnect.
What we share
Your name, mobile number, email address, city or district, and the general topic of your inquiry (for example, "degree programmes" or "study abroad"). We do not share your CV, loan or income details, passwords, payment details or the full text of your messages.
What BuzzConnect uses it for
To send you promotions, offers and news about BuzzConnect's services and its partners. These may come by SMS, email, WhatsApp, phone call or app notification.
BuzzConnect's responsibilities
Once shared, BuzzConnect is a separate controller of your data, and its own privacy policy applies. Under our agreement, BuzzConnect must:
- use your data only for its own direct marketing, and not sell it or pass it on to others for their marketing;
- include an easy way to opt out in every message it sends;
- stop marketing to you within 7 days of your opt-out, or of us telling it you withdrew consent;
- keep your data secure and delete it when it is no longer needed for marketing.
How to stop it
You can withdraw this consent at any time without affecting your use of StudyWay:
- reply STOP to any BuzzConnect SMS, or use the unsubscribe option in its emails; or
- contact StudyWay. We will stop further sharing and tell BuzzConnect within 7 days.
Withdrawing consent stops future sharing and marketing. It does not undo messages sent before you withdrew.
Other sharing
We never sell your personal data. Apart from BuzzConnect (only with your consent), we share it only with:
- Institutes, tutors and partner banks you contact or ask to be matched with. When you send an inquiry, the universities, institutes, tutors or banks that can respond receive it. They use it to reply to you and are responsible for how they handle it.
- Service providers working for us, such as hosting, email and SMS delivery, WhatsApp Business, analytics and payment processors. They act only on our instructions under written contracts.
- Authorities and advisers, when the law requires it, to protect people's safety, or to defend legal claims.
- A buyer or successor if StudyWay's business is sold or merged. They must respect this policy.
Services used by this website
- Lovable provides our hosting, database, account sign-in, visitor analytics and error reporting. It stores the information you submit through our forms and account services, and receives the technical information described in section 6.
- Google Analytics measures site visits and usage as described in section 6. Google Fonts supplies some of the fonts on our pages and receives the technical request needed to deliver them.
- WhatsApp / Meta receives the messages and contact details you choose to send when you open one of our WhatsApp links. WhatsApp handles that information under its own privacy terms.
- YouTube videos are embedded on some promotion pages. When a page loads or plays one of these videos, YouTube/Google receives technical information such as your IP address and device details and may use its own cookies.
Your CV stays private. We do not share it with anyone unless you choose to send it.
Storage, retention and security
Storage outside Sri Lanka
Some of our service providers store data outside Sri Lanka. We transfer data only where the PDPA allows it, and with safeguards such as contractual protections.
How long we keep your data
| Data | Kept for |
|---|---|
| Course, study abroad and tuition inquiries | 2 years after your last inquiry |
| Education loan inquiries | 1 year after your inquiry |
| Accounts, CVs and tutor listings | While your account is active, then 1 year |
| Records of your marketing and BuzzConnect consent | As long as your consent lasts, plus 3 years as proof |
| Website logs and Google Analytics | 26 months |
| Lovable visitor analytics | Detailed data for 90 days; daily summaries for 1 year |
| Billing records | As long as tax law requires |
Security
We use encryption in transit (HTTPS), access controls and secure hosting. If a data breach is likely to put you at risk, we will tell you and the authorities as the law requires.
Your rights and choices
You can contact us at any time to:
- withdraw consent to StudyWay marketing or to sharing with BuzzConnect;
- get a copy of the personal data we hold about you;
- correct data that is wrong or incomplete;
- ask us to delete your data, including your CV, or to stop or limit how we use it;
- object to processing based on our legitimate interests, and to all direct marketing;
- ask for a review of any decision made only by automated means.
We reply within 21 working days and may ask you to confirm your identity first. These requests are free. If the law allows us to decline a request, we will tell you why.
Students under 18
Many StudyWay users are school leavers. If you are under 18, please use StudyWay with a parent or guardian's permission. A parent or guardian may submit an inquiry for you and can exercise your rights on your behalf.
We do not send marketing to anyone we know is under 18, and we never share their data with BuzzConnect. If you believe a child has given us data without a parent or guardian's permission, contact us and we will delete it.
Changes and complaints
We will post updates on this page with a new "Last updated" date. If a change affects how we share your data, including with BuzzConnect, we will ask for your consent again before it applies.
If you are unhappy with how we handled your data, please contact us and we will work to resolve it.
Contact us
For privacy questions, requests or to withdraw consent, please contact StudyWay.lk through the contact options on our website or email inquiry.studyway@gmail.com.