Privacy Policy

Last updated: 5 June 2026 · Version 1.0

⚠️ Template pending legal review. This page is a structured starting point covering the DPDP Act 2023 (India) and GDPR essentials. The binding text, the named Data Protection / Grievance Officer, and exact retention periods must be confirmed by counsel before this is treated as your published policy.

1. Who we are

VikalpaGuru ("we", "us") provides admission-counselling software to counselling centres. When you register through a centre, that centre is the data fiduciary/controller and VikalpaGuru processes your data on their behalf.

2. What we collect

Identity & contact: name, email, phone, parent's phone, address, date of birth.
Academic: 10th/12th marks, entrance-exam appearance & scores/ranks (MHT-CET, NEET, JEE Main/Advanced), college preferences.
Special-category data: caste/category (collected only to compute reservation-based cut-offs and eligibility).
Documents you upload for verification, and payment records.

3. Why we use it (purpose & legal basis)

To create your account, predict eligible colleges, manage counselling and document verification, and process fees. Our legal basis is your consent (captured at registration) and performance of the counselling service you requested.

4. Retention

We keep your data for the duration of your counselling engagement and for a limited period afterward as required for financial/audit records, after which it is deleted or anonymised. (Exact periods to be confirmed by counsel.)

5. Your rights

Access & portability: download a copy of your data from your dashboard.
Correction: edit your profile, or ask your counselling centre.
Erasure: request deletion/anonymisation of your account (financial/audit records may be retained in anonymised form as required by law).
Withdraw consent at any time (this may end the counselling service).

6. Sharing

We share data only with your counselling centre and service providers strictly necessary to run the platform (e.g. the payment gateway). We do not sell your data.

7. Contact / grievances

For privacy requests or complaints, contact the Grievance Officer at privacy@vikalpaguru.com. (Officer name & statutory response timelines to be filled in by counsel.)