Privacy notice
How we protect applicant information
Provident Scholars collects only the information needed to administer the Provident Scholars Award. Scholarship applications are private and are not used to market academic programs.
Effective September 17, 2026
Information we collect
We collect account and contact information, school and eligibility information, academic background, activities and responsibilities, written responses, certifications, and an uploaded academic record. If an applicant is under 18, we may also collect parent or guardian contact information.
For a selected recipient, we may later collect payment, scheduling, ceremony, biography, photograph, and publication-consent information.
How the information is used
Information is used to confirm eligibility, review and score applications, select and contact a recipient, administer the award and ceremony, maintain required award records, protect the portal, and improve the scholarship process using anonymous statistics.
Rubric scores support human judgment. Provident Scholars does not use automated or AI-generated decisions to select the recipient.
Who can access it
Applicants can access their own application. Only authorized Provident Scholars administrators and reviewers can access applications for scholarship administration.
Service providers supporting secure hosting, authentication, file storage, and transactional email process limited information on our behalf. We do not sell applicant information or share applications with donors, sponsors, or other applicants.
Data-retention schedule
Sensitive information is automatically removed according to the following schedule:
| Record | Retention |
|---|---|
| Unsubmitted drafts | 90 days after the application deadline |
| Academic records from applicants not selected | Six months after final decisions |
| Other records for applicants not selected | Two years after final decisions |
| A recipient’s full application and academic record | One year after award delivery |
| Recipient selection, payment, and consent records | Seven years after award delivery |
| Approved public recipient profile | Indefinitely, according to publication consent |
| Program policies, rubric versions, and anonymous statistics | Permanently |
After decisions are released, applicants who were not selected will see their scheduled deletion dates in the portal. Anonymous statistics may remain after personal records are deleted.
Applicants under 18
An applicant under 18 must provide parent or guardian acknowledgment. Applicants under 13 may not independently create or operate an account; a parent or legal guardian must contact Provident Scholars to arrange a parent-managed application.
Security
The portal uses passwordless email authentication, encrypted HTTPS connections, private file storage, applicant-specific access controls, and server-enforced submission locking. Academic records are not stored at public URLs.
No online system can guarantee absolute security. Please do not submit Social Security numbers, tax returns, government identification, immigration documents, medical records, or other information the application does not request.
Correction, deletion, and questions
Before submission, applicants may edit their information directly. After submission, contact us if a material correction is necessary or if you have a privacy or deletion request. Some records may need to be retained for the periods above for award administration, accounting, consent, security, or dispute resolution.
Email info@providentscholars.com. Do not email essays, transcripts, or supplemental application materials unless specifically requested.
Changes to this notice
If this notice changes materially, the revised version and effective date will be posted here. The policy in effect for an award cycle will be preserved with that cycle’s program records.