Have you suffered harm due to a data breach by a university? This guide will explore how data protection breaches occur and what steps you can take to seek compensation. A breach of your personal information can cause you to suffer financially and psychologically. Whether these effects are minor or extreme, you may be eligible to make a claim.

Data breach by a university claims guide
You can see examples of security incidents in this guide, alongside a breakdown of how to report a data protection breach. We will also display guideline compensation figures.
Furthermore, we will discuss the key features of working with a No Win No Fee data breach solicitor to make your claim.
Our panel of advisors can provide free legal advice, as well as a free consultation in which they can tell you if you are eligible to claim. If so, they may then connect you with an expert solicitor from our panel. Continue reading to learn more about making a university data breach claim, or get in touch with our advisors today:
- Call 0800 408 7827
- Contact us online
- Use the live chat feature
Choose A Section
- Can I Make A Claim For A Data Breach By A University? – A Guide
- What Is A Data Breach By A University?
- Data Breach By A University – Top Tips When Claiming
- What Could I Receive From Data Breach Claims?
- How Do I Claim Compensation For A Data Breach On A No Win No Fee Basis?
- Learn More About Claiming For A Data Protection Breach
Can I Make A Claim For A Data Breach By A University? – A Guide
Data protection legislation, such as the UK General Data Protection Act (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA), outline the ways in which data controllers and processors are expected to protect your personal data. Data controllers control why and how your data is used, whereas processors process the data according to the controller’s instructions.
A personal data breach occurs when the integrity, confidentiality, or availability of your personal data, which is information that could identify you, is compromised in a security incident.
However, you cannot claim for all cases of a data breach. To be eligible to claim, the breach must be the fault of the data controller or processor. Alongside this, the breach must cause you to experience harm. We will discuss this further in this article.
Alternatively, you can call us using the number at the top of the page. Our advisors are offering you free legal advice at any time that suits you with no pressure to continue your claim with us.
What Is A Data Breach By A University?
A university could play the role of both data controller and data processor. As such, they must comply with data protection legislation. If they fail to do so, this could result in a personal data breach.
Some examples of how wrongful conduct at a university could result in a data protection breach may include:
- A member of the administrative team sends a batch email to students who have expressed concerns about their mental health or other medical conditions but fails to use the BCC (blind carbon copy) feature. This exposes the email addresses of the recipients to each other.
- Your university has important information regarding your tuition and debt to send out in a letter, but this letter is sent to the wrong address. This allows an unauthorised third party to access your personal data.
- An HR employee discusses personal data from your university disciplinary records with an unauthorised person, which causes you stress and damages your reputation.
To learn more about how a data breach by a university could happen, get in touch today.
Data Breach By A University – Top Tips When Claiming
You may be wondering what steps you could take following a university data breach in order to strengthen your claim. One step you could take is gathering evidence to help support your case. This could include medical records or reports that state you have suffered a psychological injury. Or, this could include bank statements showing the financial losses you suffered due to the breach.
You may be contacted by the data controller informing you that your personal information has been compromised. Alternatively, you may learn of the data breach yourself. In both cases, you can make a complaint to the organisation. They may offer more information.
If the organisation does not respond, or if their response is not satisfactory, then you can make a complaint to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). The ICO is an independent organisation focused on upholding and enforcing data protection laws. While the ICO does not provide compensation, it can impose fines on organisations that engage in wrongful conduct.
To learn more about how you could strengthen your claim for a data breach by a university, contact our advisors today.
What Could I Receive From Data Breach Claims?
A personal data breach can cause you to suffer from psychological injuries, such as stress and anxiety. For example, you may suffer anxiety following a breach of your home address. You can claim for these injuries under non-material damage.
The Judicial College Guidelines (JCG) is a document that displays compensation examples for non-material damage. Legal professionals often use this publication to help them value personal data breach claims. You can find some examples of figures from this document in the data breach compensation calculator table below.
Injury Severity Compensation Brackets Notes
Psychological Injury (a) Severe £54,830 - £115,730 Injuries cause severe problems in coping with all aspects of daily life.
Psychological Injury (b) Moderately Severe £19,070 - £54,830 Similar issues as the case above, though the prognosis is slightly more optimistic.
Psychological Injury (c) Moderate £5,860 - £19,070 A good prognosis is present, due to an improvement of symptoms by the time of trial.
Psychological Injury (d) Less Severe £1,540 - £5,860 Consideration for this bracket is given to the effect symptoms have on daily life and the length of time the claimant is affected.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) (a) Severe £59,860 - £100,670 All elements of life are poorly affected, resulting in function or work at the pre-trauma level becoming impossible.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) (b) Moderately Severe £23,150 - £59,860 Professional treatment can result in some recovery.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) (c) Moderate £8,180 - £23,150 Only non-disabling symptoms remain after a large recovery.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) (d) Less Severe £3,950 - £8,180 Following a mostly full recovery, the only symptoms that remain are minor.
These are guideline figures, and not guaranteed or estimated amounts. For a valuation of how much compensation your claim could be worth, contact our advisors today.
Can I Also Claim For Material Damage?
Additionally, you can seek material damage, which compensates you for the financial losses you sustain from the data breach. For example, if your bank details were exposed in a breach, this could lead to criminals making fraudulent purchases or damaging your credit score.
For more information on what you could claim for following a data breach by a university, contact our advisors.
How Do I Claim Compensation For A Data Breach On A No Win No Fee Basis?
You can seek the assistance of a No Win No Fee solicitor from our panel through a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA). These terms generally mean you aren’t required to pay any solicitor fees upfront for the duration of your claim.
If you succeed in receiving a settlement at the end of your claim, your solicitor will require a success fee. This sum is taken from your settlement total as a legally-capped percentage. But, in the event of an unsuccessful claim, you do not pay this fee.
If you’re interested in seeking a settlement for a data breach by a university with the assistance of a data breach No Win No Fee solicitor from our panel, contact us today. Our advisors can connect you with our panel of solicitors if your claim has a chance of success.
Want To See If You Can Claim? Contact Us For Free Today
Contact us today to learn about your potential university data breach claim.
- Call 0800 408 7827
- Contact us online
- Use the live chat feature
Learn More About Claiming For A Data Protection Breach
We recommend these resources for more research about data breaches.
You can see more of our guides using the links below.
- Tax information data breach
- Could I claim compensation for a sexuality data breach
- Disciplinary information data breach
If you have any further questions about making a claim for a data breach by a university, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our advisors.
Writer Jess Arrow
Publisher Cat Hunt