Policies

These policies apply only to courses offered directly by Gaia College. For courses offered by our educational partners the policies of the respective partner apply.

Policies for Online Programs
Policies for Classroom Programs

Policies for Online Programs

Admissions
Registration
Enrollment
Student conduct and dismissal
Conflict Resolution
Refunds
Copyright

Admissions

Gaia College programs are open to everyone with a strong interest in organic land care. Our programs are delivered at the college level, and we expect applicants to have a high school education and a working proficiency in reading and writing English.

Students without this level of prior education may require more time to study, complete the assignments, and participate in the on-line discussions. Also, they may not have the skills to produce acceptable assignments in order to graduate with a Gaia College Certificate. While these applicants may still be admitted to the program, they agree, by registering for a program, to hold Gaia College blameless should they fail to satisfactorily complete the program of study.

Gaia College reserves the right to refuse admission.

Registration

Students may register on-line at the Gaia College web site, or by mail. The documentation for registration by mail can be printed off the web site.

Enrollment

There is no limit to the number of students who may enroll in the on-line programs.

Student conduct and dismissal

Students may be dismissed from the program for the following reasons:

Invalidated payment of fees,
Providing incorrect registration information,
Plagiarism,
Publishing, distributing or sharing access to program material without prior written authorization, and
Conducting him- or herself in a disrespectful manner in any correspondence related to our programs.

In case of dismissal, written notice will be sent to the student’s e-mail address.

Conflict Resolution

Should conflict arise between students, between student(s) and an instructor, or between student(s) and Gaia College, the following guidelines apply:First, an attempt should be made to resolve the conflict directly with the person involved. If this is not successful, the parties involved may contact a mediator from the list of mediators posted on the Gaia College web site. The mediator can simply act as an advisor or sounding board to help the parties resolve the conflict, or may directly mediate between the parties. The mediator may request written submissions from all parties, and may provide a written decision.

If the mediator cannot satisfactorily provide a resolution, the issue must be presented in writing to the Council of Mediators, which is composed of all the mediators posted on the Gaia College web site. The Council of Mediators will arrive at a resolution by majority decision. This decision is final.

Refund Policy

This policy applies to both Canadian and International students.

Non-Refundable Fees

Application Fees
Registration Fees
Subscription fees to on-line texts and instructional material
Assignment evaluation fees

Refundable Fees

Tuition fees as follows

If written (e-mail) notice of withdrawal is received before commencement of study, all tuition fees paid are refunded. Students are deemed to have commenced their studies upon accessing the course web page.

If written (e-mail) notice of withdrawal is received or the student is dismissed (in writing / by e-mail) within the first week of study, Gaia College may retain 30% of the tuition fees.

No part of the tuition will be refunded after completion of the first week of study.

Refunds owing to students must be paid within 30 days of receipt of written notice of withdrawal or within 30 days of written notice of dismissal.

Copyright

By posting assignments and other material to the Gaia College web site students grant limited copyright to Gaia College for the purpose of making archival copies, and publishing their work for informational and promotional purposes.

Policies for Classroom Programs

Admissions
Registration
Enrollment
Student conduct and dismissal
Conflict resolution
Refunds
Copyright

Admissions

Registration

Students may register on-line at the Gaia College web site, or by mail. The documentation for registration by mail can be printed off the web site.

Enrollment

Limits to the number of students who may enroll in any particular program are stated in each case.

Student conduct and dismissal

Students may be dismissed from the program for the following reasons:

Invalidated payment of fees,
Providing incorrect registration information,
Plagiarism,
Publishing, distributing or sharing access to program material without prior written authorization, and
Conducting him- or herself in a disrespectful manner in any correspondence related to our programs.

In case of dismissal, written notice will be sent to the student’s e-mail address.

Conflict resolution

Should conflict arise between students, between student(s) and an instructor, or between student(s) and Gaia College, the following guidelines apply: First, an attempt should be made to resolve the conflict directly with the person involved. If this is not successful, the parties involved may contact a mediator from the list of mediators posted on the Gaia College web site. The mediator can simply act as an advisor or sounding board to help the parties resolve the conflict, or may directly mediate between the parties. The mediator may request written submissions from all parties, and may provide a written decision.

If the mediator cannot satisfactorily provide a resolution, the issue must be presented in writing to the Council of Mediators, which is composed of all the mediators posted on the Gaia College web site. The Council of Mediators will arrive at a resolution by majority decision. This decision is final.

Refund Policy

This policy applies only to courses offered directly by Gaia College, and applies to both Canadian and International students. For courses offered by our educational partners the refund policy of our respective partner applies.

Short Programs (offered over a period of 1 week or less)

If written (e-mail) notice of withdrawal is received before commencement of the program, all tuition fees paid are refunded.

No fees are refunded after commencement of the program.

Longer Programs (offered over a period of more than 1 week)

Non-Refundable Fees

Any portion of the program fee allocated for:

Textbooks and other instructional materials
Access to on-line resources
Non-refundable registration fees (if specified as non-refundable)
Meals and refreshments

Refundable Fees

Program fees as follows:

If written (e-mail) notice of withdrawal is received before commencement of the program, all tuition fees paid are refunded.

If written (e-mail) notice of withdrawal is received or the student is dismissed (in writing / by e-mail) within the first week of commencement of the program, Gaia College may retain 30% of the tuition fees.

No part of the tuition will be refunded after completion of the first week of study.

Refunds owing to students shall be paid within 30 days of receipt of written notice of withdrawal or within 30 days of written notice of dismissal.

Copyright

Revised August 18, 2009