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

Privacy Policy
Policies for Online Programs
Policies for Classroom Programs

 

Privacy Policy

Your privacy is very important to us. When you visit our website, we do not collect personally identifiable information from you unless you register. If you register, we have your information in a secure database and it is kept confidential. We do not sell, rent, share, or otherwise disclose mailing lists or other personally identifiable information with third parties.

If you give us your information, we may occasionally contact you about courses, or send you information in which you've indicated an interest. You will always be given the opportunity to decline receiving further communications from us.

We use password protocols and encryption software to protect personal and other information we receive when a payment is made online. Our software is routinely updated to maximize protection of such information. We do not store any credit card or banking information.

If you have any questions about our privacy policy, feel free to contact us.

 

Policies for Online Programs

Admissions
Registration
Enrolment
Terms of Service
Student conduct and dismissal
Plagiarism
Conflict Resolution
Course Deferrals
Refunds
Retaking a Course
Gaia College Certificate
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.

Students can register directly with Gaia College or with an Education Partner.

Registration

Students registered through an Education Partner must create a Gaia College account.

Students register with Gaia College by creating their student account.

Enrolment

Gaia College may limit the number of students who may enrol in any particular program.

Students will be required to agree to the Terms and Conditions during the enrolment process and adhere to them throughout their course. The Terms of Service are shown below.

Terms of Service

By completing this registration I agree that:

• I shall not share my access or access information to the Gaia College online resources with anyone.
• I shall not reproduce or copy the resources provided at the Gaia College website or in the classroom in any form or by any process without written permission from Gaia College.
• I shall not use the Gaia College online resources for any purpose other than personal education, or teaching Gaia College courses under contract or license with Gaia College.
• Gaia College and the authors and creators of the resources provided at the Gaia College website shall not be liable in connection with the use or misuse of the information provided in those resources.
• I agree to receive e-mails from Gaia College.
• I agree to the policies outlined here: https://www.gaiacollege.ca/policies.html
• I have read the course outline (available on the course overview page) and understand the requirements for successfully completing the course. 

Student conduct and dismissal

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

• Invalidated payment of fees
• Providing incorrect registration information
• Plagiarism
• Publishing, distributing or sharing access to program material without prior written authorization
• Using Gaia College resources for purposes other than personal study and
• Conducting their self 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.

Plagiarism

We appreciate that there is an overabundance of information available on the internet. Students are encouraged to compile information from various sources, but are expected to form their own ideas for assignments and discussions while properly crediting each source. Citation Guidelines are available within each course. All course work submitted to Gaia College is subject to plagiarism checks.

Conflict Resolution

Should conflict arise between students, or between student(s) and an instructor, 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 may ask the Gaia College administrator to intervene. The administrator can simply act as an advisor or sounding board to help the parties resolve the conflict, or may directly mediate between the parties. The administrator may request written submissions from all parties, and may provide a written decision. That decision is final.

Deferral Policy

A student can request to defer a course within two weeks of the course start date at no charge. The course must be deferred to a semester within one year of the original course start date.

Refund Policy

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

For students registered before the course start date:

• If written (e-mail) notice of withdrawal is received before commencement of the course, tuition fees are refunded in full.
• If written (e-mail) notice of withdrawal is received within the first 2 weeks of the course, tuition fees less a $200 withdrawal fee are refunded.
• No refunds are issued if notice of withdrawal is received after the first 2 weeks of the course.

For students registered after the course start date:

• No refunds are issued

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.

Retaking a Course

Students may retake any online course once within one year of the original registration. There is a $400 administrative fee. Gaia College reserves the right to change this policy at any time. 

Gaia College Certificate

After successful completion of your online course, your Certificate of Completion will be mailed to you within a month. While your first Certificate of Completion per course is included in your enrolment fee, we charge $25 per duplicate certificate.

Copyright

By posting assignments and other material to the Gaia College website and learning platform students grant limited copyright to Gaia College for the purpose of making archival copies. We may request permission to publish students' work for informational and promotional purposes, if this is the case explicit permission will be requested.

Policies for Classroom Programs

Admissions
Account Creation
Enrolment
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.

While applicants without this level of prior education will 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.

Students register with an Education Partner.

Account Creation

Students must create an account on the Gaia College website.

Enrolment

Gaia College may limit the number of students who may enroll in any particular program.

Student conduct and dismissal

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

• Providing incorrect registration information
• Plagiarism
• Publishing, distributing or sharing access to program material without prior written authorization
• Using Gaia College resources for purposes other than personal study and
• Conducting their self 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. Students are also expected to adhere to the classroom policies of the education partner with whom they are registered.

Conflict resolution

Should conflict arise between students, or between student(s) and an instructor, 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 may ask the Gaia College administrator to intervene. The administrator can simply act as an advisor or sounding board to help the parties resolve the conflict, or may directly mediate between the parties. The administrator may request written submissions from all parties, and may provide a written decision. That decision is final.

Refund Policy

Because classroom courses are offered through our Education Partners, their refund policy applies.

Copyright

By posting assignments and other material to the Gaia College website students grant limited copyright to Gaia College for the purpose of making archival copies. We may request permission to publish students' work for informational and promotional purposes, if this is the case explicit permission will be requested.

Revised March 3, 2024