Nest Student Homes
Nest Student Homes

Privacy Policy

Last updated: July 2026

1. Who We Are

Nest Student Homes is Uganda's campus life platform for university students, operated by Nest Student Homes Uganda. We serve students at Makerere University, Makerere University Business School (MUBS), Kampala International University (KIU), Uganda Christian University (UCU), Saint Lawrence University Uganda (SLU), Buganda Royal Institute (BRI), Islamic University in Uganda (IUIU) (Kampala campus), and other Ugandan universities. Our platform is accessible at neststudenthomes.com.

We provide students with tools for tracking their GPA and academic records in the Academic Hub, finding and applying for internships, staying on top of coursework deadlines, engaging with the campus Notice Board, connecting with classmates, and joining study groups.

2. What Information We Collect

2a. Information you provide directly:

  • Full name, email address, and phone number when you register
  • University name, faculty, year of study, and student ID number
  • Profile photo (optional)
  • Academic information you enter into the Academic Hub (GPA, courses, grades, documents) — this is entirely self-reported and optional
  • Items you list on the Student Marketplace (photos, descriptions, prices, WhatsApp number)
  • Lost & Found posts you submit
  • Internship applications you submit (name, university, faculty, year, cover note, CV if uploaded)
  • Polls you create and votes you cast
  • Study group information and messages within groups
  • Classmate connections you make
  • Reviews you leave for vendors, health providers, and other listings
  • Deadline and coursework information you add to your dashboard
  • Support messages you send to our team

2b. Information collected automatically:

  • Device type and operating system
  • Browser type
  • IP address (for security and location-based campus filtering)
  • Pages visited and features used within the platform
  • Time and date of visits

2c. Information we do NOT collect:

  • Bank account or mobile money account details (we do not process payments directly)
  • Official academic records from your university (all academic data is self-reported by you)
  • Location tracking beyond what you choose to share

3. How We Use Your Information

We use your information to:

  • Create and manage your student account
  • Filter content to show you listings, vendors, and classmates relevant to your campus
  • Enable you to apply for internships and send applications to companies on your behalf
  • Allow you to list and manage items on the Student Marketplace
  • Connect you with classmates and study groups at your university
  • Send deadline reminders and birthday notifications you have enabled
  • Generate unofficial academic transcripts from data you have entered
  • Provide customer support and respond to your enquiries
  • Improve the platform based on how students use it
  • Send important platform notifications (new features, security updates)

4. Who We Share Your Information With

We do not sell your personal information to any third party. We share information only as follows:

  • With other students: your first name, university, faculty, and year are visible to other verified students on the platform when you connect as classmates, join study groups, or participate in polls. Your last name, phone number, and email are only visible after you make a mutual connection.
  • With companies posting internships: when you apply for an internship, your name, university, faculty, year of study, cover note, and CV (if uploaded) are sent directly to the company's contact email. You consent to this when you submit an application.
  • With marketplace buyers: your WhatsApp number is shared with students who view your marketplace listing so they can contact you directly.
  • With our hosting and technology providers: Base44 (our development platform) and cloud storage providers process and store your data on our behalf under data processing agreements.
  • With law enforcement: only if required by a valid court order issued by a Ugandan court. We will disclose only the specific information required.

We do not share your data with:

  • The Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) or any tax body
  • Your university or any educational institution
  • Advertisers or marketing companies
  • Any government body except under valid court order

5. Academic Data — Special Privacy Protection

All academic information in your Academic Hub (GPA, course grades, credit units, uploaded documents) is private to you only. No other student, no company, no administrator, and no university can access your academic data. It is stored securely and used only to generate your personal unofficial transcripts and academic summaries within the app.

Unofficial transcripts generated through Nest Student Homes are clearly marked as self-reported and are not verified by your university. They are for personal reference only.

6. Student Marketplace Privacy

When you list an item for sale, your WhatsApp number is visible to logged-in verified students. Your full name is not shown — only your first name and university. If you remove a listing, your contact information is no longer shown.

7. Lost & Found Privacy

Lost & Found posts show your first name and WhatsApp contact number (which you enter when posting). You can mark a post as resolved at any time, which removes it from the public feed.

8. Data Security

We protect your information through:

  • HTTPS encryption on all pages and data transfers
  • Password hashing — we never store your password in plain text
  • Campus-based access control — students only see content relevant to their university
  • Role-based access — students cannot access admin, lecturer, or other users' private data
  • Academic data stored with additional access restrictions

9. Your Rights

You have the right to:

  • Access the personal information we hold about you — contact hello@neststudenthomes.com
  • Correct inaccurate information — edit your profile at any time in the app
  • Delete your account and all associated data — contact hello@neststudenthomes.com and we will process within 30 days
  • Withdraw from classmate connections or study groups at any time
  • Remove marketplace listings at any time
  • Opt out of birthday notifications and deadline reminders in your notification settings
  • Request that we stop using your data for platform improvement

10. Data Retention

We retain your account data for as long as your account is active. If you delete your account:

  • Your profile, marketplace listings, and social connections are deleted within 30 days
  • Academic Hub data is deleted immediately upon account deletion
  • Support messages are retained for 12 months for quality and dispute purposes
  • Anonymised, non-identifiable usage statistics may be retained for platform improvement

11. Cookies and Local Storage

Nest Student Homes uses session cookies to keep you logged in. We use browser local storage to save your preferences (such as whether you have dismissed the iOS install banner). We do not use advertising cookies, tracking pixels, or third-party analytics at this time.

12. Children and Age

Nest Student Homes is intended for university students who are 18 years of age or older. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 18. University students under 18 in Uganda may use the platform with parental awareness.

13. Changes to This Policy

We will update this Privacy Policy when significant changes are made to our platform or data practices. When we update it, we will change the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. Continued use of the platform after an update means you accept the revised policy.

14. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or want to exercise any of your rights:

  • Email: hello@neststudenthomes.com
  • Phone: +256-768-898-994
  • Instagram: @neststudenthomes
  • Location: Kampala, Uganda
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