Terms of use

University of St Andrews Academic Documents Terms of Service and Accessibility

Background

These Terms of Service apply to the St Andrews Academic Document service (the "Service") provided by The University of St Andrews, situated in Fife, Scotland, in the United Kingdom. The term "the University of St Andrews" or "the University" shall include, without limitation, its faculties, Schools, research centres, and administrative units.

In these Terms of Service "you" refers to either or both of: i) the individual registered user of the Service (usually a student or alumnus of the University); and ii) any employing entity on whose behalf that user is accessing the Service (such as a company accessing documents related to an alumnus for recruitment purposes).

By using the Service, you accept these Terms of Service on your own behalf and, where relevant, on behalf of your employer (in which case you warrant that you are authorized by your employer to do so).

These Terms of Service apply solely to the Service and do not otherwise affect any other contract you may have with the University.

1. Opening Your Account, Fees and Payment

   Registration

   To access the Service, you must register for an account. We offer two types of accounts:

   • For students and alumni: The Service allows you to access documents related to your attendance or matriculation at the University, including examination results, official correspondence, and certificates (collectively, “Documentation”). Your account will enable you to read and download copies of Documentation relating to you.
   • For organisational users: If a student or alumnus has chosen to share certain Documentation with you (such as a prospective employer or another educational institution), your account will allow you to read and download that shared Documentation.

   During registration, you must provide accurate and up-to-date personal information, which may include your name, email address, date of birth, year of matriculation, employing organisation, and password. Personal data provided will be processed in accordance with the University’s Privacy Policy and applicable data protection laws, including the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

   Fees and Payment

   • The Service is offered on a one-time fee basis:
   • Students and alumni: A single payment grants indefinite access to Documentation.
   • Organisational users: A fee is required per student or alumnus who has shared their Documentation with the organisational user.

   • Fees must be paid before accessing or downloading Documentation.
   • Payments can be made via credit or debit card through our third-party payment processing provider. The University does not collect or process payment details directly.
   • We may revise our fee structure, but any changes will not affect users who have already paid.

   Consumer rights.

   Under the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 , you have a right to pre-contract information regarding fees, access conditions, and service functionality before making a purchase. However, under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 , no cancellation rights apply once digital content has been accessed or downloaded.

2. Using the Service

   Our obligations.

   We shall provide the Service in accordance with these Terms of Service. Some features will only be available to registered users.

   Your obligations.

   By using the Service, you agree:

   • To use it lawfully and not for fraud, spamming, or breaking any local or international laws.
   • To provide accurate information during registration and account management.
   • Not to introduce viruses, malicious code, or attempt unauthorised access to the Service.
   • To keep your account credentials secure and notify us immediately of any unauthorised access.

   Third party access

   If you are a student or alumnus, you may choose to share your Documentation with third parties. You are responsible for ensuring that:

   • The details of the third parties with whom you share your Documentation are correct.
   • The University is not liable for any actions taken by third parties who access your Documentation.

3. The Documentation

   Preservation and Confidentiality

   • You must not alter or amend Documentation to mislead as to any accreditation.
   • Some Documentation may be confidential. If you share it with third parties, you are responsible for ensuring they maintain confidentiality.

   Availability and Accuracy

   • We do not guarantee continuous availability of the Service or Documentation. You should download and keep backup copies.
   • If you notice errors in your Documentation, notify the University so that we may investigate and correct them.

4. Liability

   Exceptions

   • We do not limit or exclude liability for anything we cannot lawfully exclude under Scottish consumer protection laws.

   Service “As Is” and Fair Terms

   • The Service is provided "as is." However, this does not exclude our obligation to provide services with reasonable care and skill under the Consumer Rights Act 2015.

   Limitations of Liability

   • We are not responsible for losses related to business, revenue, contracts, data, reputation, or profit.
   • We are not liable for indirect, consequential, or unforeseeable losses.
   • Our total liability to you will not exceed the fee you paid for the Service
   • We are not responsible for failures due to third-party software, networks, or external factors beyond our control.

5. Indemnity

   If we are subject to a third-party claim due to your breach of these Terms of Service, you agree to indemnify us for all associated costs, including legal fees.

6. Termination

   • The University may suspend or terminate your access if you breach these Terms.
   • You may close your account at any time by notifying us in writing. If you do, your Documentation may no longer be accessible through the Service.

7. Revisions

   We may update these Terms at any time. You will be notified and required to accept the revised Terms before your next login.

8. General legal provisions

   • Data Protection Compliance: The University processes personal data in accordance with UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018. Users have rights under these laws, including access, rectification, and erasure. See our Privacy Policy for details.
   • Accessibility Compliance: We aim to comply with WCAG 2.1 AA standards. Users experiencing accessibility issues can request alternative formats or report issues at [insert contact details].
   • Governing Law: These Terms are governed by Scottish law , and disputes will be resolved in the Scottish courts.
   • Third-Party Links: The Service may contain links to third-party sites. We are not responsible for their content or services.

St Andrews Academic Documents Accessibility Statement

This accessibility statement applies to the following portals:

• https://dcwadmin.transcripts.st-andrews.ac.uk/
• https://student.transcripts.st-andrews.ac.uk/
• https://verify.transcripts.st-andrews.ac.uk/
• https://partnerinstitute.transcripts.st-andrews.ac.uk/
• https://veri.transcripts.st-andrews.ac.uk/

We aim to ensure that as many people as possible can use this website. Additionally, we have made efforts to present the website text in a clear and simple manner for better understanding.

AbilityNet has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability.

How accessible is this website?

We acknowledge that some parts of this website may not be fully accessible. A comprehensive list of known accessibility issues can be found in the "Non-accessible content" section of this statement.

Reporting accessibility problems with this website

We are committed to improving the accessibility of this website. If you encounter any issues that are not listed in this statement or believe that we are not meeting accessibility requirements, please contact the IT Service Desk:

• Email: assessment@st-andrews.ac.uk.
• Phone: +44 (0)1334 46 4100

Enforcement procedure

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is responsible for enforcing the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018. If you are dissatisfied with our response to your complaint, you can contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS)

Technical information about this website’s accessibility

The University of St Andrews is committed to making its website accessible in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.

Compliance status

This system is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.2 AA standard. All areas of the system are compliant, except for those listed below. The non-compliances are as follows:

Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations

Sitewide issues

Dashboard

Links on the dashboard are not descriptive and may be confusing for screen reader users. There are multiple “manage” links on this page. Context for these links can be found immediately before each link. This fails WCAG 2.4.4 Link Purpose (A). Advanced Secure Technologies (the creator and host of this website) are reviewing this issue and will provide a resolution as soon as possible.

Documents

Viewing documents may be a challenge for keyboard and screen reader users, or anyone with vision impairments. Many of the controls are not read out correctly to screen reader users or do not receive appropriate focus indication. This fails WCAG 2.4.7 Focus Visible (AA) and 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value (A). Advanced Secure Technologies (the creator and host of this website) are reviewing the issues users have reading controls correctly and will provide a resolution as soon as possible.

All certificates can be viewed through a document viewer in the web browser. In this case certificates are presented as images of text which cannot be correctly viewed using a screen reader. This fails WCAG 1.4.5 images of Text (A). If you use a screen reader and need to check the content of the document, please contact us and we can provide a screen-readable version of the required documents.

Orders

Checkbox options are only read out to screen readers as “checkbox”. Users should take extra care to ensure they are selecting the correct certificates by reading surrounding text. This fails WCAG 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value (A). Advanced Secure Technologies (the creator and host of this website) are reviewing this issue and will provide a resolution as soon as possible.

Connections

Checkbox options for allowing connection permissions are read out as links. They function as checkboxes and allow users to select permission options for added connections. This fails WCAG 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value (A). Advanced Secure Technologies (the creator and host of this website) are reviewing this issue and will provide a resolution as soon as possible.

Disproportionate burden

At this time, we have not made any disproportionate burden claims.

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was prepared on 13/11/2024.

The website was last tested on 06/11/2024. The test was carried out internally by Advanced Secure Technologies. A representative sample of pages were chosen for testing including all pages and documents that form part of the student journeys.