1. What Are Cookies
Cookies are small text files that are placed on your computer, tablet, or mobile device when you visit a website. They are widely used to make websites work more efficiently, to improve the user experience, and to provide information to the owners of the site.
Cookies are stored on your device by your web browser and can be read by the website that created them on subsequent visits. They allow a website to recognise your device, remember your preferences, and understand how you interact with the site. Cookies do not contain any personally identifiable information on their own, but the data they collect can be linked to information you have provided to us.
This Cookie Policy explains what cookies we use on the ScholarAssist website (scholarassist.co.uk), why we use them, and how you can manage your cookie preferences. This policy should be read alongside our Privacy Policy, which provides further details on how we process your personal data.
We comply with the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003 (PECR) and the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) in relation to our use of cookies and similar tracking technologies.
2. How We Use Cookies
We use cookies on our website for the following purposes:
- Essential website operation: Some cookies are strictly necessary for our website to function correctly. Without these cookies, certain features of the site would not work, such as maintaining your session while you browse pages or remembering your cookie consent preferences.
- Functionality and personalisation: We use functional cookies to remember choices you make on our website, such as your preferred language, so that we can provide you with a more personalised experience.
- Analytics and performance: We use analytics cookies to understand how visitors use our website, which pages are most popular, and how users navigate through the site. This information helps us improve our website and the services we offer.
- Third-party integrations: Some pages on our website embed content from third-party services, such as Google Maps on our contact page. These services may set their own cookies on your device.
We do not use cookies for advertising or behavioural profiling purposes.
3. Types of Cookies We Use
The table below provides detailed information about the cookies used on our website, including their name, provider, purpose, type, and duration.
Essential Cookies
These cookies are strictly necessary for the operation of our website. They enable core functionality such as session management, security, and storing your cookie consent choice. You cannot opt out of these cookies as the website cannot function properly without them.
| Cookie Name | Provider | Purpose | Type | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| wordpress_logged_in_* | ScholarAssist | Identifies logged-in users and stores authentication credentials for the WordPress dashboard. | First-party | Session / 14 days |
| wordpress_sec_* | ScholarAssist | Used by WordPress to securely store authentication details for logged-in users over HTTPS. | First-party | Session / 14 days |
| wordpress_test_cookie | ScholarAssist | Tests whether your browser accepts cookies. No personal data is stored. | First-party | Session |
| PHPSESSID | ScholarAssist | Preserves the user session state across page requests. Essential for maintaining form data and navigation state. | First-party | Session |
| cookieConsent | ScholarAssist | Stores your cookie consent preferences so that the cookie banner is not shown repeatedly on every page visit. | First-party | 365 days |
| sa_agent_id | ScholarAssist | Assigns a unique anonymous identifier to your browsing session for internal analytics and service improvement. No personally identifiable information is stored. | First-party | 90 days |
Functional Cookies
Functional cookies enable our website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third-party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies, some or all of these features may not function properly.
| Cookie Name | Provider | Purpose | Type | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| y360_lang | ScholarAssist | Stores your preferred language setting so that content is displayed in your chosen language on subsequent visits. | First-party | 180 days |
Analytics Cookies
We use Google Analytics to help us understand how visitors interact with our website. These cookies collect information about your use of the site, including which pages you visit, how long you spend on each page, and any errors you encounter. All data collected is aggregated and anonymous. We use this information solely to improve our website and the experience we offer.
| Cookie Name | Provider | Purpose | Type | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| _ga | Google Analytics | Registers a unique ID used to generate statistical data on how you use the website. Distinguishes between unique visitors. | Third-party | 2 years |
| _gid | Google Analytics | Registers a unique ID used to generate statistical data on how you use the website. Distinguishes between users within a 24-hour period. | Third-party | 24 hours |
| _gat | Google Analytics | Used to throttle the request rate to Google Analytics, limiting data collection on high-traffic sites. | Third-party | 1 minute |
Third-Party Cookies
Some pages on our website include content from third-party services. These providers may set their own cookies on your device when you visit those pages. We do not control these cookies and you should refer to the relevant third party's cookie and privacy policy for more information.
| Cookie Name | Provider | Purpose | Type | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NID | Google Maps | Used by Google Maps embedded on our contact page to store user preferences and information when viewing pages containing Google Maps. | Third-party | 6 months |
| CONSENT | Stores the user's cookie consent state for Google services used on the current domain. | Third-party | 2 years | |
| __stripe_mid | Stripe | Set by Stripe payment processor for fraud prevention and to process payments securely. | Third-party | 1 year |
| __stripe_sid | Stripe | Set by Stripe payment processor to manage the user session during a payment transaction. | Third-party | 30 minutes |
4. Strictly Necessary Cookies
Strictly necessary cookies are essential for our website to operate. These cookies enable basic functions such as page navigation, secure access to restricted areas, and remembering your cookie consent preferences. Without these cookies, services that you have requested cannot be provided.
Under the UK PECR, strictly necessary cookies are exempt from the requirement to obtain consent. This means we do not need your permission to set these cookies, as they are required for the website to function correctly. You cannot disable these cookies through our cookie consent mechanism, although you can configure your browser to block all cookies (see Section 5 below). However, please be aware that blocking strictly necessary cookies may cause parts of the website to stop working.
The following cookies on our website are classified as strictly necessary: wordpress_logged_in_*, wordpress_sec_*, wordpress_test_cookie, PHPSESSID, and cookieConsent.
5. Managing Your Cookies
You have the right to decide whether to accept or reject cookies (other than strictly necessary cookies). You can manage your cookie preferences in the following ways:
Cookie Consent Banner:
When you first visit our website, a cookie consent banner is displayed. You can accept all cookies, reject non-essential cookies, or customise your preferences. You can change your cookie preferences at any time by clicking the cookie settings link in the footer of our website.
Browser Settings:
Most web browsers allow you to control cookies through their settings. Below are instructions for managing cookies in the most common browsers:
- Google Chrome: Open the menu (three dots in the top-right corner) and go to Settings. Click on Privacy and Security, then select Third-party cookies. From here, you can block third-party cookies, block all cookies, or clear existing cookies. You can also add specific sites to your allow or block list.
- Mozilla Firefox: Open the menu (three lines in the top-right corner) and go to Settings. Select Privacy & Security from the left-hand panel. Under Enhanced Tracking Protection, choose your preferred level (Standard, Strict, or Custom) to control how cookies and trackers are handled.
- Apple Safari: Open Safari and go to Preferences (or Settings on macOS Ventura and later). Click on the Privacy tab. You can select options to block all cookies, prevent cross-site tracking, or manage website data to remove cookies from specific sites.
- Microsoft Edge: Open the menu (three dots in the top-right corner) and go to Settings. Select Cookies and site permissions from the left-hand panel. Click on Manage and delete cookies and site data. From here, you can block third-party cookies, block all cookies, or manage exceptions for specific sites.
Please note that if you choose to block or delete cookies, some features of our website may not function as intended, and your user experience may be affected.
For more information on managing cookies across different browsers and devices, you can visit www.aboutcookies.org or www.allaboutcookies.org.
6. Third-Party Cookies
In addition to the cookies we set directly, certain third-party services used on our website may place their own cookies on your device. We do not control these third-party cookies and are not responsible for the data they collect. We encourage you to review the privacy and cookie policies of these third parties.
Google Maps:
We embed Google Maps on our contact page to help you locate our offices. When you view a page containing a Google Maps embed, Google may set cookies on your device and collect data in accordance with its own privacy policy. You can review Google's privacy policy at policies.google.com/privacy.
Google Analytics:
We use Google Analytics to collect anonymous data about website usage. Google Analytics cookies collect information such as the number of visitors to our site, which pages they visit, and how they arrived at our site. This data is used to compile reports and help us improve the website. Google Analytics data is processed in accordance with Google's data processing terms. You can opt out of Google Analytics tracking by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.
Payment Processing (Stripe):
When you make a payment on our website, we use Stripe as our payment processor. Stripe may set cookies on your device that are necessary for processing your payment securely and for fraud prevention. These cookies are essential to the payment process and cannot be disabled without affecting your ability to make payments. You can review Stripe's privacy policy at stripe.com/privacy.
7. Changes to This Cookie Policy
We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time to reflect changes in the cookies we use, changes in technology, or changes in applicable law and regulation. When we make changes, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page.
Where changes are significant, we may also take reasonable steps to notify you, such as displaying a prominent notice on our website or resetting your cookie consent preferences so that you are asked to consent again.
We encourage you to review this Cookie Policy periodically to stay informed about how we use cookies.
8. Your Consent
When you first visit our website, a cookie consent banner is presented to you. This banner provides you with clear information about the cookies we use and gives you the option to:
- Accept all cookies: By clicking "Accept All", you consent to the use of all cookies listed in this policy, including analytics and functional cookies.
- Reject non-essential cookies: By clicking "Reject", only strictly necessary cookies will be placed on your device.
- Customise preferences: You may selectively enable or disable specific categories of cookies based on your preferences.
Your consent is recorded and stored in the cookieConsent cookie for up to 365 days. No non-essential cookies are placed on your device until you have provided your consent.
Withdrawing your consent:
You may withdraw or change your cookie consent at any time by:
- Clicking the cookie settings link in the footer of any page on our website to reopen the cookie consent banner and update your preferences.
- Clearing your cookies through your browser settings (see Section 5 above), which will reset your consent status and prompt the cookie banner to appear again on your next visit.
Withdrawing consent does not affect the lawfulness of any processing carried out before your withdrawal.
9. More Information
If you would like to learn more about cookies and your rights, the following resources may be helpful:
- ICO guidance on cookies — the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) provides detailed guidance on cookie regulations in the United Kingdom.
- ICO Guide to PECR: Cookies and similar technologies — detailed guidance for organisations on how to comply with the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations.
- About Cookies — an independent resource with information about cookies and how to manage them.
- ScholarAssist Privacy Policy — our full Privacy Policy, which provides further detail on how we collect, use, and protect your personal data.
10. Contact Us
If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Cookie Policy or our use of cookies, please do not hesitate to contact us:
ScholarAssist
Email: info@scholarassist.co.uk
Website: scholarassist.co.uk
You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) if you believe that your data has not been handled in accordance with applicable law. You can contact the ICO at ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint or by telephone on 0303 123 1113.
This Cookie Policy was last updated on 13 April 2026 and applies to the ScholarAssist website at scholarassist.co.uk.