Your data, used to help you. No one else.
This policy explains what Cubico collects from students and their families, why we collect it, and the lines we will not cross. We wrote it to be read, including by a parent, not to hide behind. Cubico augments a human counsellor; your data exists to make that counsellor's help sharper, never to be sold.
Note: this is a plain-language template written ahead of launch and is provided for transparency. It is not yet legal advice, and it will be reviewed and finalised by counsel before Cubico goes live.
Four promises that outrank the fine print.
Never sold
We do not sell student access or data to universities. No pay-to-rank, ever.
For your counsellor
Your data powers your matches and your own counsellor's briefings. Nobody else's.
Kept out of prompts
Your login tokens never enter an AI prompt. The AI sees only what it needs to help.
Yours to remove
You or a guardian can ask to see, correct or delete your data at any time.
Who we are & what this covers
Cubico is an AI-assisted university counselling service. Where we currently operate, that means students of Pakistani origin applying to universities in the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada, and we will update this policy as that coverage grows. We are the data controller for the information described here. This policy covers our marketing site, the student app and the tools we provide to the counsellors and practices who work with students through Cubico.
It does not cover a university's own website, an application portal such as UCAS, the Common App or OUAC, or any other third-party service you reach from Cubico. Those have their own privacy policies, and we encourage you to read them.
Information we collect
We try to collect only what a good counsellor would need to help you well, and no more. Broadly, that falls into a few groups.
- Your profile: name, contact details, and the academic picture you share: grades, qualifications, test scores, interests, preferred countries, budget range and the kind of course you are aiming for.
- Your account: sign-in details handled through our authentication provider, plus a guardian's details where a student is a minor.
- Your activity: the matches you view, questions you ask the chatbot, and the notes and edits your counsellor makes on your behalf.
- Technical basics: device and browser information and essential cookies that keep you signed in and keep the service secure.
We do not ask for information we have no use for, and we do not build advertising profiles about you.
How we use your information
Everything we do with your data traces back to one purpose: helping you and your counsellor make good, well-informed choices about where to apply.
- To compute your matches. Fit is scored deterministically against real programme data (academics, entry requirements, cost and visa or post-study factors) and tiered into reach, match and safety.
- To explain those matches in plain words. Our AI renders the reasoning into readable language; it never invents the numbers, and the score always shows its working.
- To assemble the briefing pack your counsellor reads before your meeting, so you walk into every session with someone already oriented to your case.
- To draft shortlists, essay outlines and timelines for your human counsellor to review, edit and ship. Never finished essays, and never sent without a human.
- To run, secure and improve the service, and to contact you about your account.
Two lines are firm: your login tokens never enter an AI prompt, and the AI never gives you visa, immigration or financial advice. Both are regulated, and both stay with a qualified human.
Our legal bases for using it
Where the law requires a legal basis to process your data, we rely on the following, depending on the situation:
- Performance of a contract: to provide the counselling tools you or your counsellor signed up for.
- Consent: for anything optional, such as certain communications; you can withdraw it at any time.
- Legitimate interests: to keep the service secure, prevent misuse and improve how it works, balanced against your rights.
- Legal obligation: where we must retain or disclose data to comply with the law.
How long we keep it
We keep your data for as long as your account is active and you are working through your applications, plus a reasonable period afterwards to support you across an application cycle and to meet our legal obligations. When it is no longer needed, we delete it or irreversibly anonymise it. If you ask us to delete your account, we act on that request as described in your rights below.
How we protect it
We protect your data with encryption in transit, access controls that limit who can see what, and a boundary that keeps your authentication tokens out of every AI prompt. Manual counsellor overrides and verified, dated data are handled carefully so the record stays trustworthy. No system is perfectly secure, but we design deliberately to reduce risk and we review our practices as we grow toward launch.
Your rights & choices
You are in control of your data. Depending on where you live, you can:
- Access the personal data we hold about you and get a copy.
- Correct anything that is wrong or out of date.
- Delete your data, and ask us to stop or restrict certain uses.
- Object to processing based on our legitimate interests.
- Withdraw a consent you previously gave, without affecting what came before.
- Ask for your data in a portable, machine-readable form.
To exercise any of these, contact us using the details in the final section. We may verify your identity first, so we do not hand a student's data to the wrong person. Using these rights is free, and we will never penalise you for it. If you believe we have handled your data poorly, you may also contact your local data-protection authority.
Students under 18 & guardians
Many Cubico students are minors, and we treat that as the norm, not the exception. Where a student is under the age of digital consent that applies to them, we expect a parent or guardian to be involved in creating and overseeing the account, and we design for a parent to be able to read along.
- A guardian can review the information a student has provided, and can exercise every right in the section above on the student's behalf.
- We do not knowingly collect more from a young student than the counselling needs, and we do not profile students for advertising.
- If you are a guardian and believe a student has given us data without appropriate consent, contact us and we will resolve it, including deleting the data where required.
International data transfers
Cubico is a cross-border service, so by its nature your data may be processed in, or transferred to, countries other than the one you live in. Where we currently operate that means Pakistan, the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada, both to support applications to universities in those countries and to run the cloud and AI infrastructure behind the service. We will update this section as that coverage grows.
When we move personal data across borders, we rely on appropriate safeguards (such as standard contractual clauses or an equivalent lawful transfer mechanism) so your data keeps a comparable level of protection wherever it is handled.
Changes to this policy
As Cubico grows toward launch, this policy will change. When we make a material change, we will update the “last updated” date at the top and, where the change is significant, tell you directly, for example in the app or by email, before it takes effect. Continuing to use Cubico after a change means you accept the updated policy.
How to contact us
Questions about your privacy, or want to make a request? We would rather hear from you than have you wonder.
Your data works for you and your counsellor.
Explained matches, a briefing pack your counsellor actually reads, and an accountable human reviewing all of it. That is what everything on this page is protecting.