Studielink.nl is the centralized system for applying to higher education institutions in the Netherlands, through which prospective students apply to universities. Homepage scan: 24 requests total, 4 domains. The configuration is exemplary. The only analytics is private Cloudflare web statistics, running without cookies and without cross-site tracking. Everything else consists of the site's own domains and its API. The scan shows no Google Analytics, no Facebook, no advertising, no session recording, and no third-party commercial trackers. Not a single cookie was set during the session. No violations were recorded.
Request timeline
Declared versus actual
Detected trackers
- Cloudflare Web Analytics (private, cookieless)
Context
www.studielink.nl is the centralized system for applying to higher education institutions in the Netherlands: prospective students use it to apply for admission to universities and colleges. The data controller is Studielink’s operator. The site is service-oriented, with an extension into the applicant’s account area.
Scan: 24 requests to 4 domains, homepage, captured in a clean Edge browser without a VPN or ad blocker. The technical stack is extremely minimal.
Who receives the data
There are no third-party commercial recipients.
The only analytics is private Cloudflare web statistics, running without cookies and without cross-site tracking. The remaining requests go to the site’s own domains and its API. The scan shows no Google Analytics, no advertising networks, no social media pixels, and no session recording.
Was there a consent banner
A full banner for the statistics is not required here: the private web statistics run without cookies and don’t track the user across sites, and are therefore exempt from consent. Not a single cookie was set during the entire session.
What fires before consent
Only private, cookieless analytics and the site’s own API. Before any interaction, Cloudflare’s cookieless web statistics and requests to the site’s own API fire. The scan contains no Google analytics, no advertising domains, no social plugins, and no session recording.
Conclusion
Studielink.nl is a model of a restrained configuration for a service handling prospective students’ data. The only analytics is private Cloudflare web statistics, without cookies and without cross-site tracking, while everything else is the site’s own infrastructure. There is no third-party advertising, no Google analytics, no social media pixels, and no session recording whatsoever, and no cookies are set. The key takeaway for the reader: an admissions service can manage perfectly well with private, cookieless statistics alone, and here that is achieved without a single third-party commercial tracker and without a single cookie. No violations were recorded.
How to verify: download the file and compute its checksum — sha256sum file.har (Linux, macOS) or certutil -hashfile file.har SHA256 (Windows); it must match the one shown. The conclusions apply to the scope of this measurement — see the limitations of the method.
45287e874d41569d4a08275bfd99d86b5fbe48eb2b0e378c7145ad2e4eee403bWant a response from the company about this audit? → Open the tool
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Тема: Запрос доступа к персональным данным (ст. 15 GDPR) — studielink.nl Кому: [укажите адрес компании — DPO / поддержка / юридический отдел] От: [Ваше имя], [контактный email] Прошу предоставить доступ к моим персональным данным, обрабатываемым в связи с использованием сайта studielink.nl. 1. Категории данных и цели обработки (ст. 15(1)(a)-(c)) Прошу предоставить информацию по всем категориям, целям и получателям обработки моих данных на этом сайте — независимо от того, выявлены ли на сегодняшний день какие-либо несоответствия. 2. Получатели, сроки хранения и передача за пределы ЕЭЗ (ст. 15(1)(c)-(d), 46) Прошу также указать полный список третьих лиц-получателей, применимые сроки хранения по каждой категории и правовые основания передачи данных за пределы ЕЭЗ, если таковая происходит. Полный технический разбор с доказательствами (сохранённый сетевой журнал, контрольная сумма SHA-256) опубликован по адресу: https://gdpru.eu/en/audits/nl-studielink-nl/ 3. Автоматизированная обработка и профилирование (ст. 15(1)(h)) Прошу сообщить, применяется ли в отношении меня автоматизированное принятие решений или профилирование, и если да — раскрыть логику такой обработки. С уважением, [Ваше имя] [контактный email] [Страна] [Дата]
Subject: Data access request (GDPR Art. 15) — studielink.nl To: [insert the company's address — DPO / support / legal department] From: [Your name], [contact email] I request access to my personal data processed in connection with the website studielink.nl. 1. Categories of data and purposes of processing (Art. 15(1)(a)-(c)) I request information on all categories, purposes, and recipients of my data processed on this site — regardless of whether any non-compliance has been identified to date. 2. Recipients, retention periods, and transfers outside the EEA (Art. 15(1)(c)-(d), 46) I also request the full list of third-party recipients, the applicable retention period for each category, and the legal basis for any transfer of data outside the EEA. The full technical audit with evidence (saved network log, SHA-256 checksum) is published at: https://gdpru.eu/en/audits/nl-studielink-nl/ 3. Automated processing and profiling (Art. 15(1)(h)) Please state whether I am subject to automated decision-making or profiling, and if so, disclose the logic involved. Sincerely, [Your name] [contact email] [Country] [Date]