Cookies

Cookies on the main www.ucl.ac.uk website

This cookies notice applies to the main UCL website operated through our central Drupal platform. This cookies notice does not apply where third parties or URLs operated by third parties use cookies on our website. In such cases, users must refer to the relevant third party’s own cookie notice for information about the third party’s cookie practices. 

We will clearly identify on the main UCL website where third party cookies are in use and ensure that users who have rejected non-essential cookies when setting their cookie preferences are presented with an additional consent gate when they encounter third party content on the main UCL website. UCL strives to maintain strict oversight to ensure that any third party use of the ucl.ac.uk domain complies with our standards and applicable legal requirements. 

Some sites or applications under the ucl.ac.uk domain may be provided by other parts of UCL using different platforms. Where this applies, their cookie use may differ from this notice and will be explained in their own dedicated notices. 

What are cookies? 

Cookies are small files of letters and numbers that will be placed on your phone, tablet or computer when you visit a website. We use cookies to collect and store information about how you use this website, such as the pages you visit. 

Cookies may be set by either www.ucl.ac.uk (‘first party cookies’) or by a third party website (‘third party cookies’). 

UCL content teams deliver content through a number of third party platforms such as YouTube and Soundcloud. Our website cookie management settings on the main UCL website will allow you to reject any cookies sent by these third party platforms when setting your cookie management preferences and additionally, if you have already chosen to reject non-essential cookies, you will also be presented with the option to accept the third party cookies when third party content appears on our website. 

Cookies may also remain on your device for different periods of time. Cookies that expire at the end of a browser session (normally when a user exits their browser) are called ‘session cookies’. Cookies that can be stored for longer are called ‘persistent cookies’. Persistent cookies are stored on your device until you delete them, or your browser clears them when the cookie reaches its expiration date. 

This page has a brief explanation of each type of cookie we use. You can find out more about all the cookies, their purpose and lifespan on our Cookie register page.  

Strictly necessary cookies 

Essential for the website to function properly. 

These cannot be disabled. These essential cookies do things like remember your progress through a form and enable core functionality such as page navigation, and access to secure areas. The website cannot function properly without these cookies. 

Analytics and functional cookies 

To improve your experience of the UCL website by understanding visitor behaviour. 

We use analytical cookies to measure how visitors use this website, for example, which pages are visited the most often. We use this information to improve our websites. These cookies do not collect information that identified a visitor. 

We use functional cookies to allow the website to remember choices that you make and provide customisation. These cookies help us to improve your experience of the UCL website, ensuring that we optimise content and the ability to save your preferences on the site.

Advertising/marketing cookies 

These cookies are used to make advertising messages more relevant to you. 

Advertising cookies are linked to services provided by third parties. They perform functions like preventing the same advert from continuously reappearing, ensuring that adverts are properly displayed and, in some cases, selecting advertisements that are based on your interests. We use advertising cookies to send third parties information on your visit so that they can make their advertising more relevant to you when you visit their website. 

Third party cookies 

As above, third party platforms may also use cookies, however these will be set by the third party, rather than by UCL. Please refer to the relevant third party’s own cookie notice for information about the third party’s cookie practices. You will be asked to provide consent to third party cookies in order to view embedded content from third parties where you have already rejected non-essential cookies. 

How do I change my cookie settings? 

You can choose which cookies you're happy for us to use. 

  • For the main www.ucl.ac.uk website you will be asked to set your preferences via our banner when you first land on our site and can use the Privacy settings toggle in the bottom right of all webpages to view and amend your choices
  • For other UCL and third party hosted sites and applications on the ucl.ac.uk domain, visiting their cookie pages will allow you to accept/reject cookies for that particular URL. Alternatively, most web browsers allow some control of most cookies through the browser settings.
  • To find out more about cookies, including how to see what cookies have been set, visit www.aboutcookies.org or www.allaboutcookies.org 

Find out how to manage cookies on popular browsers: 

To find information relating to other browsers, visit the browser developer's website. 

To opt out of being tracked by Google Analytics across all websites, visit http://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout. 

If you have any questions about our use of cookies, please email us at data-protection@ucl.ac.uk