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- Data Updates
- Important: Student Retention Deadline 2025
Please ensure all expired Student records are removed from the database using the Retention Tool by 5PM on Friday 31st October 2025
Throughout the year, Student records move into the database if they fulfil the criteria for expiration, as set out in the Data Retention Schedule in the section 12 of the HEAT Data Protection Policy. As we enter the new academic year, it is now time to ensure any ‘expired’ Student records are deleted from the database.
Understanding the HEAT Retention Process
Where previously the HEAT Service has tried to accommodate instances in which members might have been using a retention schedule which allowed them to hold records longer than our Retention Schedule sets out, we are no longer able to do this.
Our hosts, the University of Kent, have advised that HEAT cannot allow members to leave records in the Retention Tool beyond the Data Retention Schedule’s specified time period. Additionally, we have been advised that members (or HEAT) must delete records in the Retention Tool (members only) to comply with the Data Retention Schedule.
Retention and Duplicate Cleaning Deadline
As mentioned in our Summer Data Cleaning and New Academic Year Cleaning announcement, we ask members to delete any expired Student records in the Retention Tool by 5PM on Friday 31st October 2025.
Important: We will email Legal Leads with records still in the Retention Tool after the last working day of October 2025 to inform them that their organisation is in breach of the HEAT Legal Agreement through non-compliance with GDPR.
Exporting records for review
You can choose to export Student records from the Retention Tool (members only) if you wish to review these records before deleting them. Those exported records can be saved locally in line with your own data compliance systems with regard to GDPR. Once exported, those records are no longer covered in any way by the Legal Agreement between HEAT and your organisation.
Retention and Collegiate members
If your organisation is a parent account to any Collegiate sub-user groups, please make sure that you untick the ‘My Group Only’ checkbox (members only) to see any records relating to these groups when reviewing Student records in the Retention Tool.
This is relevant to members who also have any closed Collegiate sub-user groups which are no longer in use, as the Retention Tool may need to be checked to ensure any records are deleted from this associated group(s).
Resources and Support
We will check the Retention Tool after the deadline has passed, and if there are still records that require deletion, we will be in touch with you and the Legal Point of Contact for your organisation.
More information and tips for using Retention Tool can be found by reading our Data Cleaning and Management User Guide on File Store (members only).
If you have any queries about deleting your Student records using the Retention Tool, please contact HEAT Support for assistance.
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