Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how Scholars Academie ("we", "us", or "our"), operated by Ace Apolonio (Business Registration No. 487-04-03594, Seoul, South Korea), collects, uses, stores, and protects your personal information when you visit scholarsacademie.com or use our mentorship services.

By using our website or services, you agree to the practices described in this policy. If you do not agree, please do not use our website or services.

1. Who This Policy Applies To

This policy applies to all visitors and users of our website and mentorship services, regardless of location. We serve applicants globally, including users in the European Union (EU), European Economic Area (EEA), United Kingdom, Philippines, South Korea, and other countries. Where applicable, we comply with the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the Korean Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA), and other relevant data protection laws.

2. Information We Collect

We collect information in the following ways:

a) Information You Provide Directly

When you fill out our mentorship application forms, newsletter sign-up, or contact form, we may collect:

• Full name or first name
• Email address
• Country of residence or nationality
• How you found out about us
• Scholarship goals, background information, and documents you voluntarily share as part of the mentorship process

b) Information Collected Automatically

When you visit our website, we automatically collect certain technical information through Google Analytics, including: IP address (anonymized), browser type and version, pages visited, time spent on pages, referring website, and general geographic location (country/city level). This data is aggregated and used only for improving our website.

3. Legal Basis for Processing (GDPR)

If you are located in the EU/EEA, we process your personal data under the following legal bases:

• Consent — when you subscribe to our newsletter or submit a form
• Contractual necessity — to deliver the mentorship services you have signed up for
• Legitimate interests — to improve our website, prevent fraud, and respond to inquiries
• Legal obligation — where required by applicable law

4. How We Use Your Information

We use your personal data to:

• Provide, manage, and personalize our mentorship services
• Communicate with you about your application and progress
• Send scholarship tips and educational content via our newsletter (only with your consent)
• Respond to inquiries and support requests
• Analyze website usage to improve our content and user experience
• Comply with legal obligations

We will never use your data for purposes incompatible with those listed above without first obtaining your consent.

5. Third-Party Services We Use

We use trusted third-party tools to operate our business. Each has its own privacy policy and data handling practices:

We do not sell your personal data to any third party. We share data with the above services only to the extent necessary to operate our services.

6. International Data Transfers

Some of our third-party service providers (including Kit and Google Analytics) are based in the United States. If you are located in the EU/EEA, your data may be transferred to and processed in the US. These transfers are conducted under appropriate safeguards, including Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) or providers certified under applicable data transfer frameworks.

7. Cookies and Tracking

We use Google Analytics, which places cookies on your browser to help us understand how visitors interact with our website. These cookies collect anonymized data and do not personally identify you.

You can opt out of Google Analytics tracking by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on, or by adjusting your browser's cookie settings. We do not use any advertising, retargeting, or social media tracking cookies.

8. Data Retention

We retain your personal data only as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes described in this policy, or as required by applicable law. Newsletter subscribers' data is retained until you unsubscribe. Mentorship application data is retained for the duration of the mentorship relationship and up to 2 years thereafter, unless you request earlier deletion. You may request deletion of your data at any time by contacting us.

9. Your Rights

Depending on your location, you may have the following rights regarding your personal data:

• Right to access — request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
• Right to rectification — request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data
• Right to erasure — request deletion of your personal data ("right to be forgotten")
• Right to restriction — request that we limit how we use your data
• Right to data portability — receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format
• Right to object — object to processing based on legitimate interests or for direct marketing
• Right to withdraw consent — unsubscribe from our newsletter or revoke consent at any time

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at thscholarsacademy@gmail.com. We will respond within 30 days. If you are in the EU/EEA, you also have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority.

10. Data Security

We take reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect your personal information from unauthorized access, loss, or disclosure. However, no method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

11. Children's Privacy

Our services are not directed to children under the age of 16. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 16. If you believe we have inadvertently collected such data, please contact us and we will delete it promptly.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will revise the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. We encourage you to review this policy periodically. Continued use of our website or services after changes are posted constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.

13. Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or your personal data, please contact us: