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Contract with the University
1. The purpose of these Terms and Conditions is to set out the contractual basis for your relationship with the University, and to draw your attention to key terms.
2. These Terms and Conditions are for the Geopolitical Risk (‘the Course’) offered by the Department of Politics and International Relations (‘DPIR’ or ‘the Department’).
3. Your contract with the University is made up of:
a) these Terms and Conditions,
b) the programme description on the programme web page which is available through the DPIR website [ADD WHEN PUBLISHED] and you should consider printing a copy of this page as a record of the information provided),
c) the acceptance email from DPIR,
d) the University’s Statutes and Regulations, and rules and policies made under them (see paragraphs 7 to 10 below).
4. Your offer of a place on a programme is set out in the email from DPIR (the “Offer”). By accepting your Offer you enter into your contract with the University.
5. You will enter into this contract with the University even if your fees are paid by a third party on your behalf.
Conditions of your contract with the University
6. Your contract with the University may be subject to academic and/or financial conditions set out in your Offer or accompanying documents.
University Statutes, Regulations and Policies
7. By accepting your offer and paying your fees you agree to comply with the University’s Statutes and Regulations as amended from time to time and with the Statements and Codes of Policy, Practice and Procedure which are made under them. These include:
a) the University’s Code of Discipline under Statute XI;
b) other regulations concerning your studies, conduct, and behaviour including regulations relating to harassment, the use of IT facilities, health and safety issues, freedom of speech, and legislative requirements such as data protection;
c) any Health and Safety Instructions (‘HSI’) setting out standards of behaviour required of you during any pandemic, epidemic or local health emergency. HSI means any University code, policy or guidance issued in such circumstances. If an HSI is in force you must comply with it as a condition of in-person access to teaching and facilities, and may be disciplined for non¬-compliance (and/or lose such in-person access);
d) DPIR’s policies and guidance as amended from time to time.
8. You may be excluded from some or all of the programme if the University considers that you are in breach of any of these rules including the Code of Discipline, or if you are found to have breached any HSI.
Your responsibilities
9. It is your responsibility:
a) to act as a responsible member of the University’s community, including treating other members of the community, fellow programme participants and the public with courtesy and respect, and to behave in a manner consistent with the University’s Equality Policy.
b) to comply with any measures or instructions given by the University to reduce risk of transmission of any illness or to safeguard health during a pandemic, epidemic or local health emergency, including any HSI (eg wearing a face-mask, using hand sanitiser or following distancing procedures, if required). You must also immediately declare to the Department if you have any serious and easily transmissible infectious illness (and the Department will inform you if at any point they require students to declare Covid-19 infections).
c) To comply with any other reasonable instructions in relation to the delivery of the programme (eg other health and safety requirements, confidentiality, use of devices in sessions and complying with licence terms on programme materials).
d) To attend all teaching sessions, arrive promptly, carry out all relevant preparation for programme sessions and engage fully with programme activities.
e) To obtain an appropriate visa or immigration permission if necessary, abide by any visa/immigration conditions including maximum permitted working hours and the types of work allowed and provide a copy of your visa/immigration status and passport page if requested by the Department. If your visa/immigration permission expires during your programme and you no longer have valid leave to remain in the UK, or have breached the terms of your student visa, the University may be required to inform UK Visas and Immigration. Failure to comply with these obligations may result in legal consequences for you under UK immigration law. Disciplinary action may also be taken if false or intentionally misleading statements or documents are provided to the University regarding visas or immigration status. Affected students are encouraged to seek support and information from the Department.
10. If you fail to comply with clause 9 above without proper reason, DPIR reserves the right to exclude you from sessions to ensure your behaviour does not have a detrimental effect on other participants, or to take action in accordance with clause 8, if appropriate. If you fail to meet the attendance requirements of the programme, you will not receive a certificate of attendance or an invitation to join the Geopolitical Risk Forum.
Fees and Payment
11. Details of the fees and charges you will have to pay are set out on the programme web page. This fee includes all tuition, teaching materials, accommodation and meals for the duration of the Programme, all other expenses will be covered by the attendee.
12. Once you have received your Offer DPIR will issue you full details of how to pay. It is your responsibility to ensure that the programme fees and all other charges relating to the programme are paid in full by the stated deadlines. Your place is not confirmed until a 20% deposit has been paid in full. Failure to pay the deposit within 7 days of your offer may result in your place on the programme being forfeited and offered to another applicant. Failure to pay the invoiced fees in full will mean that you are not able to attend the Programme.
13. If your fees are to be paid by a third party which informs DPIR that it accepts full liability for your fees, then the University will invoice the third party directly and will seek to recover any unpaid fees from the third party in the first instance. However, the University reserves the right to seek payment from you if recovery from the third party is unsuccessful.
14. The University reserves the right to refuse you admission to your programme if you have not paid all programme, registration and accommodation fees (if booked through DPIR) before the programme starts.
15. If accommodation has been arranged by DPIR with a third-party provider (e.g., Rhodes House), and you wish to cancel your enrolment on a programme or transfer to a later iteration of the same programme in accordance with these Terms and Conditions, you will only be entitled to a refund of the accommodation element of your fees if, and to the extent that, DPIR is able to obtain a refund from the third-party provider. DPIR will make reasonable efforts to recover any eligible amounts from the provider on your behalf; however, no guarantee of a refund can be made. Cancellation charges made by external accommodation providers are outside the control of DPIR.
16. All payments must be in GB Pounds Sterling. You must pay any currency conversion costs or other charges incurred in making the payment or in processing a refund.
Cancellations and refunds – within 14 days
17. If you cancel your place on the programme at any time after the expiry of the 14-day period (i.e. from the date you pay your fees) you will not be entitled to a refund, except at the discretion of the University. If a refund is issued after full payment has been made, the 20% non-refundable deposit will be retained.
18. If you wish to cancel your programme that is due to start within 14 days of commencement of your contract, you will lose your 20% non-refundable deposit in addition to paying for any part of your programme has already begun in which case a pro rata refund will be paid. This amount will be calculated on a pro rata basis taking account of any programme materials, services or sundry items which have been provided to you or purchased on your behalf.
19. To cancel within 14 days of initial payment please email the Executive Education Team. You may use the cancellation form provided with the acknowledgement email if you wish but you are not obliged to.
20. If we do not receive written notification and you do not attend, the full Programme fee will be retained as a cancellation fee.
21. If due to unexpected travel restrictions as a result of extenuating circumstances, you need to cancel your enrolment, we may waive the above deadlines on a case-by-case basis. For questions relating to this matter please email the Executive Education Team.
Cancellations and refunds after 14 days and requests to transfer
22. Programmes at DPIR are usually over-subscribed well in advance of programme commencement. Participants are encouraged to ensure they book out the time to attend a programme in their diaries as:
a) over-subscription usually means another potential attendee has missed out on a place, and
b) reduced numbers may impact the experience of other attendees.
Requests to transfer
23. Participants may, subject to availability, request to transfer to a later iteration of the same programme, provided that DPIR is notified prior to the commencement of the original programme and on payment of the following transfer fees:
a) 6 weeks’ notice or more prior to the commencement of the original programme – no transfer fee payable;
b) Between 3 and less than 6 weeks’ notice prior to commencement of the original programme – 25% of the fees for the original programme.
c) Less than 3 weeks’ notice prior to commencement of the original programme – 50% of the fees for the original programme.
24. The transfer fees above are payable in addition to the full fees for the iteration of the programme that you will be attending.
25. If a transfer to a later iteration of the programme is agreed less than 12 weeks prior to the start of the original programme and you then cancel your place on the new iteration of the programme (at any time), DPIR shall be entitled to retain the transfer fee and to charge the cancellation fees that would have been applicable to cancellation of the original programme based on the timing of the transfer.
26. You are eligible for one transfer only.
27. If there is a transfer fee and programme fees outstanding, then any payments will be applied to the transfer fee first. Both the programme fee and transfer fees must be paid before a programme place is secured.
Cancellation
28. Cancellation causes significant administrative work for DPIR even if a replacement attendee can be found under clause 29. Therefore, in all cases of cancellation after 14 days, will result in the loss of your 20% deposit.
29. If you cancel after 14 days (without requesting to transfer) then the following cancellation fees apply (unless a replacement attendee can be found under clause 29):
a) Cancellation more than 12 weeks before the programme is due to start –20% non-refundable deposit;
b) Cancellation more than 6 weeks but less than 12 weeks before the programme is due to start– 30% of the programme fee;
c) Cancellation less than 6 weeks but more than 3 weeks before the programme is due to start – 50% of the programme fee
d) Cancellation less than 3 weeks before the programme is due to start – 100% of the programme fee (ie no refund applies).
30. Notwithstanding clause 29, if you cancel less than 12 weeks before the start of the programme, but DPIR is able to reallocate your place to another applicant, only the 20% deposit will be retained. DPIR shall offer any cancelled places to those who have applied for the programme but who have not received an offer because numbers were limited. Beyond offering the place on the programme to such previous applicants, DPIR has no further obligation to take additional steps to seek a replacement attendee.
31. To cancel after 14 days, or to ask to transfer, please write to us as early as possible either by email to the Executive Education Team, explaining your reason for requesting the cancellation or transfer, details of the programme you are cancelling and your invoice number reference. If you are asking to transfer you should also tell us date of the programme you wish to transfer to.
Cancellation by us
32. Where there are good reasons to do so the University may cancel your programme and will make every reasonable effort to give you as much notice of cancellation as possible (normally at least 3 weeks prior to the start date). The University will endeavour to offer a transfer to another iteration of the programme if practical and acceptable to you, but if no acceptable alternative can be offered it will refund all fees paid by you.
33. The University’s liability when it cancels a programme will be limited to a refund of any fees or charges paid for the cancelled programme, and to a refund of received University accommodation fees (if booked through DPIR). For partial cancellation of a programme, such refunds will be made on a proportionate basis, subject to paragraphs 38 and 39 below.
Changes to programmes
34. The University will seek to deliver each programme in accordance with the description set out on your programme web page.
35. However, there may be situations in which it is desirable or necessary for the University to make changes in programme provision, either before or after enrolment. The University therefore reserves the right to:
a) make reasonable changes to the timetable, location or academic staff specified for a programme; and
b) make reasonable changes to the content and syllabus of a programme.
37. In exceptional circumstances we may need to suspend, discontinue or combine programmes. This may be because of academic changes within subject areas, or as a result of low student numbers on a programme.
Changes to programmes as a result of a pandemic, epidemic or local health emergency
38. In addition to the above, where a pandemic, epidemic or local health emergency necessitating measures to reduce risk of infection or illness occurs the University may make reasonable changes to comply with government or local authority regulations or guidance, and/or its own health and safety advice and/or to ensure the health and safety of staff, students and third parties and/or to respond to consequential staffing or resource constraints. If it makes such changes the University will inform you and will ensure that the key learning outcomes of your programme are still provided. The University will also provide broadly equivalent teaching and assessment services, and key University services by alternative means, if reasonably possible, although the manner of delivery may need to change. Examples of possible changes under this paragraph are explained in the Changes to Courses Policy (which applies to all programmes offered by the Department).
39. Subject to paragraph 38, no refunds, discounts, damages or waivers of programme fees or other charges will be payable to you where changes or delays have resulted from, been caused by, or are in relation to a pandemic, epidemic or local health emergency necessitating measures to reduce risk of infection or illness. Furthermore, the University will not be liable for any consequential losses or expenses you may incur (eg travel or accommodation costs) as a result of any such pandemic, epidemic or health emergency measures under clause 38 nor in the event of cancellation under clause 32 nor transfer to a later programme under clause 23.
Other changes
40. Other changes to facilities, premises or services which do not concern course provision, and which provide an equivalent service, may need to be made from time to time for operational, legal/regulatory or other reasons. Wherever possible, you will be notified of such changes in advance.
Events beyond our control
41. The University will not be in breach of its obligations under its contract with you, nor liable to you for any loss caused to you under its contract with you, where the breach or loss results from events which are beyond the University’s reasonable control. Examples of events which may fall into this category include: a pandemic, an epidemic or a local health emergency necessitating measures to reduce risk of infection or illness; industrial action; acts of God; acts of terrorism; government order or law; action by any governmental authority; the unanticipated departure or absence of key members of University staff; or failure or delay by third party suppliers and subcontractors. In such circumstances the University will take reasonable steps to mitigate the impact on you and to restore teaching and services. This paragraph is not intended to restrict any legal rights where doing so would be unlawful (eg under consumer law).
Personal Data
42. The University will collect and use your information about you in accordance with the principles set out in the DPIR Privacy Policy on the DPIR website. This includes ensuring that your data will only be used in a way which is fair, lawful and secure.
Complaints Procedure
43. If you have a complaint you should submit details by email to the Executive Education Team.
Termination
44. Your contract with the University will end in the following circumstances:
a) when you finish your programme or if you cancel or withdraw from your programme;
b) if the Department exercises its right to cancel or discontinue your programme under paragraphs 32, 37 or 38 above;
c) if you are excluded from a programme under clause 10. No refunds will be payable to you where you are excluded from the programme, in these circumstances; or
d) if you fail to comply with paragraph 6 above.
45. The following terms will survive termination of your contract with the University for any reason:
a) terms relating to personal data as described at paragraph 42 above; and
b) terms relating to University procedures to the extent that they relate to events that occurred prior to termination including the complaints procedure, the disciplinary procedure, the harassment procedure and/or the academic integrity in research procedure.
Jurisdiction
46. Your contract with the University and any dispute arising from it (including non-contractual disputes) shall be governed by the laws of England and Wales and shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English Courts.
By submitting your application to the Programme, you accept these terms and conditions.