Privacy Policy
1. Who We Are
EdCounsellors ("EDCOUNSELLORS," "we," "us," "our") is an education consultancy providing bespoke study abroad advisory services, application support, and document preparation services (including our SOP Generator tool) to students in Pakistan and internationally. This Privacy Policy explains what personal data we collect, why we collect it, how we use and protect it, and what rights you have.
By visiting our website, creating an account, submitting your information through a form, or using any of our paid or free tools (including the SOP Generator), you acknowledge that you have read this Privacy Policy and you consent to the collection, use, storage, and disclosure of your personal data as described below.
If you do not agree with this Policy, please do not use our website or services.
2. Information We Collect
We may collect the following categories of information:
a) Information you give us directly
Full name, CNIC/passport number, date of birth, gender, nationality
Contact details (email, phone number, WhatsApp number, mailing address)
Academic records (transcripts, degrees, percentages/GPA, test scores such as IELTS/TOEFL/GRE/GMAT)
Employment history and professional details
Financial/sponsorship information relevant to visa or admission documentation
Family and dependent details where relevant to a visa application
Content you submit for document preparation (e.g., draft personal statements, SOP inputs, work experience narratives, career goals)
Payment and billing details processed through our payment partner (see Section 6)
Any other information you voluntarily provide through forms, email, or chat
b) Information collected automatically
IP address, browser type, device type, operating system
Pages visited, time spent, referral source, and general usage patterns (via cookies/analytics tools)
Approximate location (city/country level) inferred from IP address
c) Information from third parties
Confirmation and status updates from partner institutions, universities, or visa facilitation bodies you have authorized us to liaise with on your behalf
Fraud-prevention or transaction-status signals from our payment processor
3. Why We Collect It And Your Consent
We process your personal data on the following bases, consistent with international norms even though Pakistan does not yet have a dedicated data protection statute in force:
Preparing SOPs, cover letters, and application documents Performance of the service you requested
Advising on university/programme selection Performance of the service you requested
Processing payments for the SOP Generator and other paid services Contractual necessity
Sending you updates about your application, deadlines, or document drafts Legitimate business interest / contract performance
Sending you marketing communications about new services, webinars, or partner scholarships Your consent (you may withdraw this at any time see Section 9)
Sharing your profile with named B2B partners/employers or partner institutions Your explicit consent, given separately at the relevant stage
Improving our website, tools, and services Legitimate business interest
Preventing fraud, abuse, or misuse of our paid tools Legitimate business interest / legal obligation
Complying with visa, immigration, or regulatory requirements of destination countries Legal obligation / your explicit instruction
By submitting any form on our website, uploading documents, or using the SOP Generator, you provide your affirmative, informed consent to EdCounsellors collecting, processing, and using your personal data including sensitive information such as passport details, academic records, and financial/sponsorship information for the purposes listed above. Where we intend to use your data for a materially different purpose, we will ask for your separate consent first.
4. How We Use Your Information
We use your data to:
Prepare, draft, and refine SOPs, LORs, cover letters, and related visa/admission documents
Match you with, and share your profile with, partner institutions and universities where you have asked us to apply on your behalf
Communicate with you about your application status, document drafts, and deadlines
Process payments and issue receipts/invoices
Improve our services, tools, and the accuracy of our SOP Generator
Send service related and (with consent) marketing communications
Detect and prevent fraud, unauthorized use, or misuse of our tools
Meet legal, regulatory, and visa authority requirements
5. How We Share Your Information
We do not sell your personal data. We may share it with:
Partner institutions, universities, and admission bodies you have asked us to represent you to — limited to what's needed for your application.
B2B partners and referral employers but only where you have given specific consent for your profile to be shared (e.g., where a document references named prospective employers or industry contacts). See Part 2 for how we protect materials shared with our B2B partners.
SafePay (our payment processor) processes payments for paid services. See Section 6.
Service providers who support our operations (e.g., hosting, email delivery, analytics) under confidentiality obligations, and only to the extent needed to provide their service to us.
Regulators, courts, or law enforcement, where legally required, or to protect our rights, users, or the public.
A successor entity in the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of business assets, subject to the same privacy commitments described here.
Any third party we share data with is contractually required to protect it and use it only for the agreed purpose. We do not permit third parties to use your data for their own independent marketing without your separate consent.
6. Payments and SafePay Disputes and Chargebacks
Payments for our paid services (including the SOP Generator) are processed through SafePay, a third-party payment gateway. We do not store your full card or bank account details — these are handled directly by SafePay in accordance with its own privacy and security policies, which we encourage you to review separately.
Disputes and chargebacks: If you initiate a payment dispute, chargeback, or reversal with your bank or card issuer in relation to a transaction on our platform, and SafePay determines the dispute to be invalid, unauthorized, or not attributable to any fault of EdCounsellors, you agree that:
SafePay may levy a dispute handling charge of PKR 3,000 (or the then-current SafePay dispute fee) on the transaction; and
EdCounsellors reserves the right to pass this fee on to you and/or to withhold delivery of further services until the dispute is resolved and any applicable fee is settled.
This clause does not affect your right to raise a genuine dispute (e.g., a service not delivered, or an unauthorized transaction) in such cases, contact us first at finance@edcounsellors.com so we can resolve it directly before you approach your bank. We will not charge this fee for disputes found to be valid or caused by our error.
7. Cookies and Tracking
We use cookies and similar technologies to keep you logged in, remember your preferences, and understand how our website is used (via analytics tools such as Google Analytics). You can control cookies through your browser settings; disabling them may affect some site functionality.
8. Data Retention
We retain your personal data for as long as necessary to:
Deliver the service you engaged us for,
Maintain records for accounting, tax, and legal compliance, and
Resolve any disputes.
As a general rule, application and document files are retained for [commonly 3–5 years] after your last interaction with us, after which they are securely deleted or anonymized, unless a longer period is required by law or you request earlier deletion (subject to Section 9).
9. Your Rights
Regardless of where you are located, we extend the following rights to you as a matter of good practice:
Access: request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Correction: ask us to correct inaccurate or outdated information.
Deletion request that we delete your data, subject to our legal/record-keeping obligations.
Withdraw consent to opt out of marketing communications at any time (via the unsubscribe link or by emailing us), and withdraw consent for any B2B/partner data sharing that was based on consent.
To exercise any of these rights, email finance@edcounsellors.com. We may ask you to verify your identity first. We will respond within a reasonable time (we recommend committing to 30 days to align with common international standards).
10. Data Security
We apply reasonable technical and organizational measures, including access controls, encrypted storage/transmission where applicable, and restricted internal access to protect your data from loss, misuse, unauthorized access, or disclosure. No system is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security, but we will notify affected users without undue delay if we become aware of a breach materially affecting their data.
11. International Data Transfers
Because we work with universities, partners, and applicants outside Pakistan, your data may be transferred to and processed in other countries, which may have different data protection standards than your home country. We take reasonable steps to ensure any such transfer is protected by appropriate contractual or technical safeguards.
12. Children's Privacy
Our services are intended for users 16 years of age and older (or the relevant age of majority/consent in your jurisdiction). If you are younger, please use our services only with the involvement and consent of a parent or guardian, who should review this Policy on your behalf.
13. Third-Party Links
Our website or documents we prepare may reference or link to third-party websites (e.g., university portals, SafePay, visa authority sites). We are not responsible for the privacy practices of these third parties please review their own policies.
14. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. The "Last updated" date at the top will always show the current version. Continued use of our website or services after an update constitutes your acceptance of the revised Policy.
15. Governing Law
This Policy is governed by the laws of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, including the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016 (as amended), without prejudice to any mandatory data protection rights you may have under the laws of your own country of residence.
16. Contact Us
For any questions, requests, or complaints about this Privacy Policy or how we handle your data:
EdCounsellors Email: info@edcounsellors.com OR finance@edcounsellors.com
Terms & Conditions
Contact
+92 300 9466864
+92 370 8335921
EDCOUNSELLORS © 2026. All rights reserved
Location: Main Boulevard Defence Lahore, Pakistan
Get in Touch
Careers
B2B Partners
info@edcounsellors.com