Privacy
Policy

Scholar Naija ("we," "our," or "us") operates the website located at scholarnaija.com.ng (the "Platform"). We are committed to protecting the privacy and personal information of every student, visitor, and user who interacts with our services.

This Privacy Policy applies to all information collected through our Platform, including our Computer-Based Test (CBT) simulator, CGPA calculator tools, scholarship database, academic articles, newsletter, and any other features or services we offer, whether you are accessing them on a desktop browser, mobile device, or through any other means.

By using Scholar Naija, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree with any part of this policy, please discontinue your use of our Platform. Your continued use of the Platform after any update to this policy constitutes your acceptance of the revised terms.

This policy is governed by and compliant with the Nigeria Data Protection Act (NDPA) 2023, administered by the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC), and where applicable, broader international data protection standards including the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) for users accessing our Platform from the European Economic Area.

We collect information in two primary ways: information you provide to us voluntarily, and information collected automatically as you use the Platform.

2.1 Information You Provide Voluntarily

When you interact actively with our Platform, you may provide personal information including:

• Account Registration Data: If you create a Scholar Naija account, we collect your name, email address, and a password. You may optionally provide your institution name, state of origin, and year of study.
• Newsletter Subscription: When you subscribe to our weekly newsletter, we collect your email address. We may ask for your name and educational level to personalise content.
• Contact Form Submissions: Any messages, feedback, or support requests you submit through our contact page are stored and processed to respond to your enquiry.
• CBT Practice Data: When you use our CBT simulator, we may record your subject selections, practice scores, and session duration if you are logged in, to enable score tracking and personalised performance summaries.
• Calculator Inputs: Data entered into our CGPA and percentage calculators is processed in your browser in real time. We do not store individual calculator inputs on our servers unless you explicitly save your results to a logged-in account.

2.2 Information Collected Automatically

When you visit Scholar Naija, certain information is collected automatically through technical systems, even if you do not create an account:

• Device and Browser Information: Your browser type and version, operating system, device type (mobile, tablet, or desktop), and screen resolution.
• Usage and Navigation Data: Pages visited, time spent on each page, links clicked, scroll depth, and the order in which you navigated through our content.
• IP Address: Your Internet Protocol (IP) address, used to determine your approximate geographic location (country and state level), serve localised content, and for security and fraud prevention purposes.
• Referral Source: The website, search engine, or link that directed you to Scholar Naija, if applicable.
• Cookies and Similar Technologies: See Section 4 of this policy for a detailed explanation of our cookie practices.

Scholar Naija uses the information we collect for the following purposes, each of which is grounded in a legitimate interest or your explicit consent:

We will never use your personal data for any purpose not described in this Privacy Policy without first seeking your explicit consent.

Scholar Naija uses cookies — small text files stored on your device by your browser — and similar tracking technologies to enhance your experience on our Platform. We use the following categories of cookies:

You can manage or disable cookies through your browser's settings at any time. Please note that disabling certain categories of cookies may affect the functionality of parts of our Platform. Detailed instructions for managing cookies are available in the help section of all major browsers.

We do not use cookies to identify you personally without your consent, and we do not sell cookie data to third parties.

Scholar Naija is a free platform. We sustain our operations primarily through advertising revenue. We participate in the Google AdSense programme (Publisher ID: ca-pub-4046529488627800), which displays advertisements on our Platform.

Google AdSense may use cookies, web beacons, and similar technologies to collect information about your visits to our Platform and other websites in order to serve you advertisements that are relevant to your interests. This is known as interest-based or behavioural advertising. The information collected for this purpose does not include your name, email address, or other directly identifying information.

You can opt out of Google's personalised advertising at any time by visiting g.co/adsettings or by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on. You may also opt out of interest-based advertising from participating companies through the Digital Advertising Alliance (DAA) opt-out tool at optout.aboutads.info.

We are not responsible for the content of third-party advertisements displayed on our Platform, and the appearance of an advertisement on Scholar Naija does not constitute our endorsement of the advertised product, service, or organisation.

Scholar Naija participates in affiliate marketing programmes. This means that certain links on our Platform — particularly those recommending courses, tools, services, and travel booking platforms — are affiliate links. If you click on an affiliate link and subsequently make a qualifying purchase, Scholar Naija may receive a commission from the merchant at no additional cost to you.

Our editorial recommendations are not influenced by affiliate relationships. We only recommend products and services that we genuinely believe provide value to Nigerian students. However, you should be aware that the availability and accuracy of third-party services is beyond our control, and we encourage you to conduct your own due diligence before making any purchase based on a recommendation from our Platform.

Affiliate programme partners may set their own cookies when you click through from our Platform. These cookies are subject to those partners' privacy policies, which we encourage you to review.

We do not sell your personal data. This is an absolute commitment. We share your information only in the following limited and necessary circumstances:

• Service Providers: We share data with trusted third-party service providers who assist us in operating the Platform, including our web hosting provider, email marketing platform (such as Mailchimp or ConvertKit), and analytics services. These providers are contractually bound to use your data only for the purposes of providing services to Scholar Naija and are prohibited from using it for their own marketing or commercial purposes.
• Advertising Partners: As described in Section 5, Google AdSense and participating ad networks receive certain data to serve relevant advertisements. This is managed through industry-standard privacy-preserving technologies.
• Legal Requirements: We may disclose personal information if required to do so by Nigerian law, court order, or governmental authority, or if we reasonably believe that such disclosure is necessary to protect the safety of any person, to address fraud or security issues, or to protect Scholar Naija's legal rights.
• Business Transfers: In the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of all or part of Scholar Naija's assets, your personal information may be transferred to the acquiring entity. We will notify you of any such transfer and your options before it occurs.
• Aggregated and Anonymised Data: We may share aggregate, non-personally identifiable statistics about our users (for example, "60% of our users are in their second year of university") with partners, advertisers, or in public reporting. This data cannot be used to identify any individual.

Scholar Naija implements technical, administrative, and physical safeguards designed to protect your personal information against unauthorised access, use, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. Specific measures we employ include:

• HTTPS Encryption: All data transmitted between your device and our servers is encrypted using TLS (Transport Layer Security) protocols. Our website is served entirely over HTTPS.
• Password Security: Passwords for Scholar Naija accounts are hashed using industry-standard cryptographic algorithms. We do not store your password in plain text and cannot retrieve it.
• Access Controls: Access to personal data within our systems is restricted to authorised personnel on a need-to-know basis and is subject to confidentiality obligations.
• Regular Security Reviews: We periodically review and update our security practices in response to emerging threats and technological developments.

While we strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect your personal information, no method of transmission over the internet or method of electronic storage is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security, and you use our Platform understanding this inherent limitation of digital systems. If you suspect any security breach affecting your Scholar Naija account, please contact us immediately at security@scholarnaija.com.ng.

We retain your personal information only for as long as is necessary to fulfil the purposes described in this Privacy Policy, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by applicable Nigerian law.

• Account Data: Retained for the duration of your account's existence and for up to 90 days following account deletion, to allow for account recovery and to address any post-deletion enquiries.
• Newsletter Subscriptions: Your email address and subscription preferences are retained until you unsubscribe. Unsubscription records (confirming that you have opted out) are retained indefinitely to prevent re-subscription without your consent.
• Analytics Data: Aggregated and anonymised analytics data may be retained indefinitely for historical trend analysis. Data tied to individual user sessions is retained for a maximum of 26 months, consistent with Google Analytics' standard data retention settings.
• Legal and Compliance Records: Certain records may be retained for longer periods where required by Nigerian law, including tax records, legal correspondence, and regulatory compliance documents.

Under the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023 (NDPA) and applicable international data protection law, you have the following rights with respect to your personal information held by Scholar Naija:

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details provided in Section 14 of this Policy. We will respond to your request within 30 days. We may need to verify your identity before processing your request.

Scholar Naija is primarily designed for and directed at students in tertiary education — that is, students who are 16 years of age or older. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under the age of 13.

If you are a parent or guardian and you believe that your child under the age of 13 has provided us with personal information without your consent, please contact us immediately at privacy@scholarnaija.com.ng. We will take prompt steps to delete such information from our systems.

Students between the ages of 13 and 17 who use our Platform are encouraged to do so with the knowledge and consent of a parent or guardian. If you are in this age group, please review this Privacy Policy with a trusted adult before using our services.

Our Platform contains links to external websites, scholarship portals, partner resources, and affiliate services that are not operated by Scholar Naija. These links are provided for your convenience and to enhance the value of our content.

We have no control over the content, privacy practices, or security of third-party websites. The inclusion of any link on Scholar Naija does not imply our endorsement of that website or its operator. We strongly encourage you to read the privacy policy of every website you visit that is not operated by Scholar Naija.

Third-party websites that you access through our Platform — including but not limited to scholarship application portals, government websites (such as fsb.gov.ng, nelfund.gov.ng, and ptdf.gov.ng), and affiliate partner sites — are governed entirely by their own privacy policies, which may differ materially from ours.

Scholar Naija reserves the right to update or modify this Privacy Policy at any time to reflect changes in our practices, technologies, legal requirements, or for any other operational reason. We will notify you of any material changes by:

• Posting the updated Privacy Policy on this page with a revised "Last Updated" date prominently displayed at the top of the document.
• Sending an email notification to subscribers of our newsletter where the changes are material or significantly affect how we process personal data.
• Displaying a notice on the Scholar Naija homepage or Dashboard for a period of at least 14 days following any material update.

Your continued use of Scholar Naija after any such modification constitutes your acceptance of the new Privacy Policy. If you do not agree to the updated terms, you should discontinue your use of the Platform and, if applicable, delete your account.

We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we are protecting your information. The current version of this policy is always accessible at scholarnaija.com.ng/privacy.html.