Personnal data we collect about you and for which purpose

EPFL’s mandate is to promote the cultural, social and economic development of Switzerland by the training of the new generation of top-tier scientists and professionals and to develop research excellence for the society and its economy. EPFL processes Personal Data in particular in line with its three academic core tasks which are Education, Research and Innovation, and its supporting services. The legal basis for the processing of your Personal Data is mainly the Federal Act on the Federal Institutes of Technology (hereinafter “ETH Act”).

We may process different categories of Personal Data depending of your relationship with Us.

Some examples

Categories of Personal Data:

Purpose of processing:

  • Statistical purposes

Categories of Personal Data:

  • Any Personal Data you decide to share with Us (as your first and last name, your address, etc.)

Purpose of processing:

  • To respond to your request or or simply to communicate with you

Legal basis:

  • Your consent

Categories of Personal Data:

  • Any Personal Data you decide to share with Us, you make public on a social media or you authorize the social media to share with Us.

Purpose of processing:

  • To communicate with you or better know you.

Legal basis:

  • Your consent

Categories of Personal Data:

  • Contact details,
  • enrolment data,
  • field of study,
  • course of studies,
  • examination results,
  • credits,
  • qualifications and academic titles,
  • scholarships/grants and fees paid
  • disciplinary and other administrative procedures
  • Indicative feedback on teaching and in-depth evaluations of teaching
  • Surveys for the evaluation of education programs

Purpose of processing:

  • Admission of prospective students;
  • identifying students and monitoring progress in their studies;
  • certifying the obtaining of credits, the issuance of qualifications and the awarding of academic titles;
  • providing services relating to studies; planning and generating statistics
  • continuous improvement of education

Legal basis:

  • Art. 36b ETH Act

Please note that additional rules apply for Mooc Students and EXTS learners.

Categories of Personal Data:

  • first names, last names
  • photo
  • gender
  • title
  • e-mail addresses
  • phone numbers
  • postal addresses
  • date of birth
  • nationalities
  • degree(s) obtained
  • dates of graduation
  • awards received
  • payment history for services and transaction details
  • participation in events, programs, clubs or chapters
  • professional data
  • interests
  • other training
  • login data
  • profile preferences
  • program registration and participation data
  • interaction history

Purpose of processing:

EPFL aims to provide its alumni with study-related services, in particular an exclusive and international network, as well as a solid and lifelong link with EPFL. By maintaining a permanent contact with its alumni, EPFL engages alumni to contribute to the institutional success of EPFL, as well as its missions in education, research and innovation.

In order to carry out its missions, EPFL performs the following tasks, without being limited to them:

  • Manage the alumni community and all related information systems;
  • Organize events, meetings and digital spaces to encourage networking, development and maintenance of professional, social and cultural relationships between alumnae and alumni in Switzerland and around the world;
  • Contribute to the professional and personal success of alumnae and alumni;
  • Communicate on a regular basis to alumnae and alumni;
  • Organize and/or invite alumnae and alumni to take part in events;
  • Set up and support the creation of geographical antennas or thematic clubs managed by volunteers in order to animate the community in Switzerland and in the world;
  • Finance the management of the EPFL Alumni community by collecting contributions from alumnae and alumni in exchange for privileged services and access and by selling services to companies;
  • Encourage students to get involved in the EPFL Alumni community once they have graduated and to promote their professional integration;
  • Engage alumni to be ambassadors and to contribute to strengthening EPFL’s image in Switzerland and in the world as well as to its strategic development;
  • Carry out surveys and statistics;
  • Preserve the history and archives.

Legal basis:

Categories of Personal Data:

  • First Name, Last Name,
  • Birth date,
  • mother tongue,
  • nationality,
  • SCIPER,
  • unit name,
  • position and salary,
  • number of years of experience,
  • non-wage benefits,
  • all information required to implement the Family Allowances Act of 24 March 2006,
  • parental leave,
  • any medical examinations required to ensure occupational health and safety and their results,
  • date of the absence, reason,
  • behavioral and technical skills as well as training,
  • assessment level,
  • extracts from the criminal and debt enforcement registers,
  • offsetting of salary payments against debts owed to employer,
  • retirement due to illness;
  • reasons for departure,
  • other data mentioned in the implementing provisions.

Purpose of processing:

  • Administration of Personal Data relating to employees and management of these data;
  • processing of salary data and conducting of evaluations, budget simulations and personnel cost planning;
  • integration of data management in the financial and accounting management system;
  • administration of relevant data for manager training and development

Legal basis:

  • Art. 36a ETH Act and Pers Act

Categories of Personal Data:

  • Contact details (first name, last name, e-mail address, phone number),
  • job title

Purpose of processing:

  • Execution of the contract, ensuring the security of EPFL’s data, electronic infrastructure and premises;
  • carrying out technical maintenance on electronic infrastructure;
  • tracing access to files and building; etc.

Legal basis:

  • Contractual necessity and data essential for the tasks defined in the ETH Act.

Categories of Personal Data:

  • Contact details (first name, last name, e-mail address, etc.)

Purpose of processing:

  • Execution of the contract

Legal basis:

  • Contractual necessity and data essential for the tasks defined in the ETH Act.

Categories of Personal Data:

  • Any kind of personal data, including sensitive data, insofar necessary for the research project.

    (Please note that additional information will be provided with the project.)

Purpose of processing:

  • Achievement of a research project.

Legal basis:

  • Art. 36c ETH Act.

For more information about research projects involving human being, please refer to the EPFL Human Research Ethics Committee