The GMAC Privacy Statement 2018

We've updated our Privacy Statement. | View our updated Privacy Statement

Personal Information We Collect Our Use of Personal Information
Processing and Sharing Your Personal Information
Protecting Your Personal Information Cookies & Similar Technologies Your Access and Choices

Your privacy is important to GMAC. This Privacy Statement is meant to help you understand what data we collect, why we collect it, what we do with it, and the choices available to you when using any of our websites, tests, products, or other services. However, this Statement does not cover the NMAT by GMAC exam offered in India. Please click here for that privacy policy.

Our privacy program adheres to the following overarching principles to guide our collection, use and protection of personal information: Notice and Choice; Information Access; Information Integrity and Purpose Limitation; Information Security; Accountability and Onward Transfer; and Responding to Inquiries and Enforcement.

GMAC and Its Subsidiaries

GMAC believes that talent and opportunities should have no boundaries. Our mission is to provide the solutions necessary for schools and candidates to discover and evaluate each other from anywhere in the world. To facilitate this global communication, GMAC operates through several legal entities across the globe. Through these entities, we continue to invest in relevant solutions that give you access to meaningful information and opportunities. For this purpose, we have a legitimate interest in sharing your personal information among the GMAC entities.

  • Graduate Management Admission Council (US)
  • BusinessBecause Ltd. (UK)
  • Graduate Management Admission Council (Hong Kong) Ltd.
  • Graduate Management Admission Council (Shanghai) Management Consulting Co., Ltd.
  • Graduate Management Admission Council (India) Pvt. Ltd.
  • Graduate Management Global Connection (India) Pvt. Ltd.
  • Graduate Management Global Connection (UK) Ltd.
  • The MBA Tour, Inc. (US)
  • GMGC, Inc. (US)

Personal Information We Collect

We collect information from you at various times including when you visit our websites, take a test, request disability accommodations, use our products and services, attend events, participate in research, or participate in marketing or other promotions, such as contests. We also gather information from member schools, from score report recipients, and from other affiliated organizations. We also collect information about your use of our websites to improve your experience and the experience of all our visitors. Learn more >

Our Use of Personal Information

Generally, GMAC processes your personal information through automated and other means for the following purposes:
  • to administer our tests, other products, services, and events;
  • to recommend graduate management educational programs that might interest you;
  • to provide customized information to you regarding our products, services, events, or graduate education interests and motivations;
  • to provide additional information on graduate management programs that might interest you;
  • to conduct research and surveys;
  • to enhance, improve, and develop our products and services;
  • to operate our business;
  • to communicate with you and for marketing, promotional, and advertising purposes;
  • to improve our websites; and
  • for the purposes described in the Processing and Sharing Your Personal Information section.

Learn more >

Processing and Sharing your Personal Information

We process, transfer, and share your personal information to complete any transaction, to improve our products and services, for marketing and promotional purposes, research and product development, event related activities, and to provide customized information to you regarding graduate management education. We also use personal information to provide any product or service you have requested or authorized. For example, when you register for the GMAT exam, we share your information with our test service provider to register you for the exam and for our provider to administer the exam on our behalf.

We also process, transfer, and share your personal information:
  • to protect and maintain the security of:
    • our tests and test takers;
    • our products and services and their users;
    • our GMAC member institutions; and
    • organizations that receive score reports and other information (such as GMAT score recipients);
  • to prevent or detect fraud or other unlawful activity;
  • when compelled by law to do so (such as by court order, investigation, or subpoena) or as required by legal proceedings (including defense of legal claims);
  • as part of a corporate transaction, such as a merger, sale of assets, or an equity investment that result in a new subsidiary or corporate affiliate of GMAC; or
  • for the purposes described in the Our Use of Personal Information section.

The personal information you provide to us will be stored in the United States, the country where the information was provided, and the country where the service is provided. The storage location depends on the product or service selected.

We process personal information per applicable law and with transparency and fairness. Our data processing activities are conducted:
  • with your consent; 
  • in order to fulfill our obligations to you;
  • for the legitimate purpose of operating our business including to improve and develop our products and services, for fraud prevention, for research, and improving your experiences; and/or 
  • as otherwise in compliance with law. 

GMAC has obtained authorization from various data protection authorities throughout the world to process and transfer personal data. GMAC may also use model contracts with its service providers to govern the processing and transfer of personal data. Our Service Providers may also be certified under Privacy Shield or other frameworks for the processing and transfer of personal information. Learn more >

Protecting Your Personal Information

We understand that the security of your personal information is important. We use reasonable practices to protect your personal information from unauthorized use, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. We retain your information for only as long as needed to provide you with requested services, to meet our governance responsibilities, to comply with legal requirements, for business operations, and to protect against fraud and theft and as required or permitted by law. As with any website, no security controls are 100% effective; we cannot guarantee the prevention of breaches. We encourage our visitors to use common sense in protecting your id, password, and other personal information. Learn more >

Cookies and Similar Technologies; Interest Based Advertising

At GMAC, the security of your information and the experience you have when visiting our websites is important to us. We use cookies and similar technologies to assist us in these areas. For example, these technologies are used for storing and processing preferences and settings, sign-in authentication, and capturing information about how our websites and emails are used. We also use information collected through automated technologies on our websites and emails for interest based advertising. You may limit how we and our service providers utilize these technologies through your browser settings or by visiting sites that provide interest based advertising, as described more fully in this section of the Privacy Statement.

If you are accessing our websites from the European Union and certain other countries, you will be presented with an additional opportunity to accept or block the use of cookies. You may block the use of certain cookies via your browser; however, this may limit your use of our services and products. Learn more >

Your Access and Choices

GMAC is committed to providing you with access to your personal information and informing you about how to express your preferences concerning your personal information. Please keep in mind that your limiting the use and sharing of personal information may limit the services and products (or their capabilities) that we provide to you. No matter what your communication preferences are, you will receive certain transaction emails related to the services you use.

You may access your personal information maintained by GMAC by visiting your account online or by contacting us by email, online form, or telephone. You may also receive your information in electronically portable form or request that your information be forgotten by those we have shared the information with by contacting us by email, online form, or telephone.

You may also exercise your right to object to or restrict processing by contacting us by email, online form, or telephone. Learn more >

Websites Linked to/from a GMAC Website

Our websites are linked to other websites that are not owned or controlled by GMAC. This Privacy Statement does not apply to these sites. These other websites each have their own privacy statement, which we encourage you to read.

Not Intended for Children

Our websites are not intended to be used by children. If you are under the age of 13 (or the applicable age in your country), please do not use our websites as we do not intend to collect your information.

Privacy Notices for Other Countries and California

Please visit the Local Privacy Requirements page to view the privacy notices for other countries and the state of California notice. For residents of the European Union, an individual has the right to request from GMAC the following: access, rectification or erasure of their personal information; to restrict the Council’s processing of that information; or to object to processing. EU residents also have the right to request data portability. The above rights are subject to applicable limitations, restrictions and limitations. In certain cases, your request may be denied based on a legitimate exception such as where we are prevented from disclosing such information based on legal requirements or fraud prevention or security concerns. See Your Access and Choices section in this privacy statement for more information on changing or deleting your data. To make a request, please contact privacy@gmac.com. To contact the Council’s local representative in an EU Member State, please contact privacy@gmac.com for the contact information.

Privacy Statement Updates

We will update this Privacy Statement periodically. A change in the effective date will indicate that this statement has been updated. If there are material changes to the statement or in how GMAC will use your personal information, we will notify you either by prominently posting a notice of such changes or by sending you a notification. We encourage you to periodically review this Statement to learn more about our information practices. 

Contact Us

If you have questions or concerns about this Privacy Statement, the personal information you share with us, or if you wish to receive a physical copy of this Privacy Statement, please contact our Chief Privacy Official using the contact information provided below. You also have the right to contact your local Supervisory Authority or other applicable regulator to express any concerns you may have.

Contact: Chief Privacy Official
Email: privacy@gmac.com
Phone: +1 (703) 668-9600 
Toll-free in the U.S.: (800) 811-8042

Postal Mail: 
Graduate Management Admission Council
PO Box 2969
Reston, VA 20195
Attention: Chief Privacy Official

Effective Date: May 16, 2018 | View our previous Privacy Statement