Student Data Breach – Can I Claim?

Last Updated 11th July 2025. If you suffered harm after personal details about you were compromised in a school or university data breach, you may wish to make a student data breach claim. This guide will explore the eligibility criteria that need to be met in order to do so, as well as the compensation that could potentially be awarded to address the impact of a data breach following a successful claim.

Additionally, we will examine what a personal data breach is and the laws that set out the responsibility certain parties have with regard to the processing, storing and handling of your data. You can also find examples of how a personal data breach could occur if these laws aren’t followed.

Finally, we explain how a data breach solicitor from our panel could potentially assist you in seeking compensation.

For more information on data breach claims, please contact an advisor for free advice. To reach them, you can:

• Call on 020 8050 6279
• Contact us online
• Speak to an advisor through the live chat feature

Jump To A Section

1. When Can I Claim For A Student Data Breach?
2. How Could My Personal Information Be Affected In A Student Data Breach?
3. Potential Compensation From A Data Breach
4. What Do I Need To Claim For A Student Data Breach?
5. How Our Panel Of Solicitors Can Support You
6. Claim Data Breach Compensation Using No Win No Fee Solicitors
7. Learn More About Student Data Breach Claims

When Can I Claim For A Student Data Breach?

There are eligibility criteria that need to be met to start a personal data breach claim.

Firstly, you need to show that the data controller or processor did not follow data protection legislation set by the UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA).

A data controller sets the means and purpose for processing your personal data, whilst a data processor is the party that a controller may instruct to act on its behalf. They must adhere to the UK GDPR and DPA in order to protect your personal data.

Secondly, you need to show that as a result of the controllers’ or processors’ wrongful conduct, your personal data was compromised in a breach. A personal data breach is a security incident that impacts the availability, integrity and confidentiality of personal data.

Finally, you need to show that you experienced financial damage, emotional harm, or both, as a result.

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) is the body responsible for upholding information rights and enforcing data protection legislation in the UK. They provide a helpful definition of personal data as information that can identify you as a living person.

If you have evidence that your personal data has been compromised in a breach caused by the failings of a controller or processor, and this resulted in you sustaining damage, call our team. They can assess your eligibility to start a student data breach claim.

How Could My Personal Information Be Affected By A Student Data Breach?

Schools and universities may have access to several types of personal data, such as your name, email address, phone number, address, and information relating to any medical conditions you have. If this personal data is affected in a breach, it could lead to emotional harm, financial loss, or both.

Examples of how a student data breach could occur in a school or university include:

• An email that contains personal data, such as details of a university student’s counselling appointment, is sent to the wrong recipient in a human error data breach. As a result, the student suffers anxiety and distress.
• Poor cybersecurity systems mean a school system is hacked, and parents’ personal information gets stolen in a ransomware attack. This leads to significant emotional distress for the parent, who also has to pay for extra home security.

To discuss your specific case and learn whether you could claim compensation for a data breach, call our team on the number above.

Potential Compensation From A Data Breach

Following a successful data breach claim, compensation may be made up of:

• Non-material damage: The psychological harm. It can include emotional distress, depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), in more severe cases.
• Material damage: The monetary loss stemming from the breach.

The Judicial College Guidelines (JCG) is a publication often used by professionals to help value someone’s psychological harm. That is because the document publishes suggested brackets for compensation related to this harm.

The table in this guide shows some of the brackets from the JCH. Please note these are only intended to be used as a guide and the top figure was not taken from the document.

Guideline Award Brackets

Type of Psychological Harm	Level of Severity	Award Bracket - Guidelines	Notes
Multiple Severe Instances of Psychological Harm and Financial Losses	Severe	Up to £250,000 plus	This may be awarded to those who suffered multiple instances of psychological harm that are severe, together with financial losses like extra home security.
General Psychiatric Damage	(A) Severe	£66,920 to £141,240	Marked problems in different areas of life, such as education, and a very poor prognosis.
	(B) Moderately Severe	£23,270 to £66,920	A better prognosis is indicated but there are still significant problems across different areas of life, such as work.
	(C) Moderate	£7,150 to £23,270	A significant improvement and a good prognosis. Claimant may have experienced issues similar to above brackets, including impact on relationships with loved ones.
	(D) Less Severe	£1,880 to £7,150	The exact level of the award can depend on how long claimant is affected and the degree of impact on sleep and day-to-day activities.
PTSD	(A) Severe	£73,050 to £122,850	Permanent issues preventing the person from working or at least being able to function at a pre-trauma level. They will see all aspects of their life badly affected.
	(B) Moderately Severe	£28,250 to £73,050	A better prognosis with some degree of recovery facilitated by professional support. However, the PTSD means the person affected will still face the likelihood of experiencing a significant disability for the foreseeable future.
	(C) Moderate	£9,980 to £28,250	Claimant will have largely recovered with any ongoing issues not being considered to be grossly disabling.
	(D) Less Severe	£4,820 to £9,980	Virtually a full recovery within 1-2 years, and only minimal symptoms persisting beyond this period.

Claiming For Material Damage In A Data Breach Compensation Claim

Material damage in a data breach compensation claim might be for:

• Additional home security
• Moving to a new address
• A loss of earnings
• Therapy

These losses must be substantiated with evidence, such as bank statements and payslips.

For further guidance on compensation in a successful student data breach claim, call an advisor at the number above.

What Do I Need To Claim For A Student Data Breach?

There are different steps you can take following a personal data breach. For example:

• Contact the organisation. They should inform you of a data breach that has put your rights and freedoms at risk without undue delay. However, if they don’t, and you suspect your personal data has been affected, you can contact them directly. Any correspondence you have with them, such as letters or emails, can be used as evidence to support your claim.
• Contact the ICO. This should be done within 3 months of your last meaningful contact with the organisation responsible for the breach. The ICO may investigate your complaint or any concerns you have raised with them about a breach. If the findings from their investigation support your claim, you could use them as evidence.
• Having any psychological issues assessed by a professional. The medical report they produce could highlight any mental harm you suffered.
• Collecting evidence of your financial losses, such as receipts and bank statements.

A data breach solicitor from our panel could assist you with the different stages of the claims process. To learn whether they could help you with your student data breach claim, please contact an advisor at the number above.

How Our Panel Of Solicitors Can Support You

At Data Breach Claims, we work with an excellent panel of solicitors who have the skills necessary to support you in claiming compensation for a student data breach. They have undergone extensive training and built on this specialist knowledge through years of combined experience helping clients nationwide. 

If you are eligible, one of the solicitors from our panel can support you by:

• Walking you through the breach of student data claims process
• Clarifying the terminology associated with your claim
• Helping to obtain evidence to establish third-party liability 
• Explaining how your compensation may be calculated 
• Helping you apply for interim payments to cover emergency costs during your claim, such as therapy sessions
• Setting you up with appointments to support your recovery, particularly mental health services
• Negotiating settlements with third parties to secure the best possible compensation on your behalf 

Understandably, it may feel overwhelming to start a student information data breach claim, especially if you are not familiar with the steps involved in pursuing compensation. However, our advisors and the solicitors making up our panel are dedicated to taking the steps needed to support you at every stage of the process to help you claim the compensation you deserve. 

If you would like more information on how our panel of solicitors may support you throughout the claims process, please contact our friendly advisors. 

Claim Data Breach Compensation Using No Win No Fee Solicitors

Our panel of data breach solicitors can provide services, including evidence gathering, on a No Win No Fee basis. As such, they could offer you a contract called a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA). That means that they can offer their services without the need for any upfront or ongoing solicitor fees. Furthermore, these fees won’t be paid for completed work in the event of a claim being unsuccessful.

A small percentage will be taken from your compensation by your solicitor if the claim wins as payment for their work. However, this is subject to a cap, and you will have the opportunity to discuss the success fee prior to any work starting on your case.

To find out whether a solicitor from our panel could represent your student data breach claim on this basis, get in touch with an advisor. To do so, you can:

• Call on 020 8050 6279
• Contact us online
• Speak to an advisor through the live chat feature

Learn More About Student Data Breach Claims

For more of our guides:

• Medical Records Data Breach – Can I Claim?
• Mortgage Broker Data Breach – Can I Claim Compensation?
• Disciplinary Records Data Breach – Could I Make A Claim?

For more helpful information:

• GOV.UK – Data protection.
• National Cyber Security Centre – Guidance for data breaches
• ICO – Data security incident trends.

Thank you for reading our guide about student data breach claims. If you have any other questions, please don’t hesitate to contact an advisor using the details provided above.

Writer Jeff Walker

Editor Meg Monsoon