Terms & Conditions

These Terms and Conditions govern the relationship between Genius Business College (“the College”) and all learners, employers, sponsors, or third parties enrolling in, funding, or participating in any programme offered by the College.

1. Nature of Delivery (Online & Distance Learning)

• Programmes may be offered through online, distance, blended, virtual, workplace-based, or other approved learning modalities, depending on the programme.
• Learners acknowledge that self-discipline, time management, participation, independent study, and adherence to programme deadlines are essential for successful completion.
• Online or distance learning does not mean that a programme is open-ended or that learners may complete the programme at any time of their choosing.
• Every programme may have prescribed commencement dates, completion dates, assessment deadlines, practical requirements, workplace requirements, and other academic milestones.
• The College does not guarantee uninterrupted access to online platforms and shall not be liable for reasonable temporary outages, scheduled maintenance, or technical disruptions beyond its control.

2. Accreditation & Regulatory Framework

• The College delivers programmes within the accreditation, approval, registration, or regulatory framework applicable to each programme.
• This may include requirements of the Quality Council for Trades and Occupations (QCTO), relevant SETAs, Quality Partners, Assessment Quality Partners, or other authorised bodies, where applicable.
• Programmes are delivered in accordance with applicable curriculum, assessment, quality assurance, learner record, implementation, and regulatory requirements.
• The College must comply with regulatory requirements and cannot waive mandatory requirements merely because a learner has missed a deadline or wishes to complete a programme outside the prescribed period.

3. External Integrated Summative Assessment (EISA)

• Where an External Integrated Summative Assessment (EISA) applies, learners must first satisfy all applicable internal programme, assessment, readiness, and eligibility requirements.
• EISA assessments may be administered, scheduled, approved, coordinated, or controlled by the QCTO and/or the relevant authorised assessment or quality assurance body.
• EISA dates, venues, formats, methods, approvals, and external administrative processes may fall outside the direct control of the College.
• The College shall not be held responsible for external delays, postponements, rescheduling, cancellations, or regulatory processing delays that are outside its reasonable control.
• Completion of internal assessments does not guarantee immediate access to an EISA, immediate certification, or a particular external assessment date.
• Learners remain responsible for complying with all instructions, deadlines, and readiness requirements communicated for the EISA.

4. Certification & Statements of Results

• Certification and Statements of Results are processed and issued in accordance with the requirements applicable to the relevant programme and quality assurance body.
• The College cannot guarantee a specific certification or external processing timeframe where issuance or approval depends on a third-party regulatory or quality assurance body.
• Learners must ensure that all required academic, administrative, identity, assessment, workplace, practical, and financial requirements have been satisfied before programme closure and applicable certification processes can be completed.
• Outstanding learner requirements may delay the College's ability to process programme completion or submit the learner for further regulatory processes.

5. Programme Duration, Completion Dates & Enrollment Validity

• Each programme has a prescribed or communicated duration, commencement date, completion date, or implementation period.
• Learners are expected to complete the programme within the official programme period communicated at enrollment, induction, or commencement.
• A learner's enrollment does not provide an unlimited period in which to complete the programme.
• For example, where a programme is scheduled for thirty (30) days, the learner is expected to complete the applicable learning and assessment requirements within that thirty (30) day programme period, subject to any formally approved extension.
• Learners who have not completed the required programme activities by the official completion date may automatically be classified as:
  • Overdue;
  • Incomplete;
  • At Risk;
  • Extension Required;
  • Deferred; or
  • Inactive, where applicable.
• Remaining registered or having access to an online platform does not automatically extend the official programme completion date.
• Learners may not assume that because learning material remains accessible online, the programme deadline has been extended.
• Any extension of the programme period must be formally approved and recorded by the College.
• Learners who fail to complete the programme after the permitted completion period and any approved extension may be deferred to another intake or required to apply for reactivation.
• Re-entry, deferral, or reactivation is subject to the continued availability of the programme, curriculum, accreditation, learning material, assessment arrangements, capacity, and any regulatory requirements applicable at the time.
• Where a learner remains inactive for an extended period, including a continuous period of twelve (12) months, the College may classify the enrollment as lapsed or inactive.
• A lapsed enrollment does not guarantee a right to resume under the original programme structure, curriculum, fees, assessment arrangements, or accreditation requirements.

6. Assessments, Submission Deadlines & Grace Periods

• Learners are responsible for submitting assignments, assessments, practical evidence, Portfolio of Evidence (POE) activities, and other required work by the communicated deadline.
• Assessment deadlines may be communicated through the LMIS/LMS, email, learner timetable, assessment plan, induction information, programme schedule, or another official College communication channel.
• A submission received after its official deadline may automatically be recorded as a Late Submission.
• Unless otherwise stated for a particular programme or assessment, learners may be permitted a grace period of up to three (3) calendar days after an assessment deadline.
• The grace period does not change the original assessment deadline. Any submission made during the grace period may still be recorded as late for learner progression and monitoring purposes.
• Once the grace period has expired, the learner may be required to submit a formal extension request before the outstanding assessment can be accepted or progression can continue.
• Failure to submit an assessment within the prescribed period may result in academic progression restrictions until the outstanding requirement has been resolved.

7. Extensions, Overdue Learners & Non-Compliance

7.1 Extension Requests

• Extensions are not automatic.
• Learners requiring additional time must submit a formal extension request through the process prescribed by the College.
• The learner may be required to provide the reason for the request and supporting evidence where reasonably required.
• Extensions may be approved or declined based on the circumstances, programme requirements, learner progress, assessment requirements, regulatory requirements, and the reason supplied.
• Unless otherwise approved, a learner may ordinarily receive one (1) programme extension of up to fourteen (14) calendar days.
• The approved extension will have a specific revised completion date.
• Approval of an extension does not create an indefinite or open-ended enrollment period.

7.2 Exceptional Circumstances

• The College may consider additional or exceptional extensions where reasonable circumstances exist.
• Such circumstances may include serious illness, hospitalisation, bereavement, significant family emergencies, disability-related reasonable accommodation, verified workplace circumstances, or other exceptional events considered reasonable by the College.
• Exceptional extensions must be formally authorised and recorded.

7.3 Failure to Meet the Programme Completion Date

• Where a learner reaches the official programme completion date without completing the required programme components, the learner may automatically be classified as Incomplete – Programme Deadline Exceeded.
• The College may restrict progression to later assessments, practical activities, workplace activities, readiness processes, or final assessment processes until outstanding requirements are resolved.
• Learning material may remain accessible where appropriate; however, continued access to learning material does not constitute an extension of the programme deadline.
• The learner may be required to contact Student Support or submit an extension request before continuing.

7.4 Failure to Complete After an Approved Extension

• Where a learner fails to complete the programme by the final approved extension date, the learner may be classified as Deferred or Inactive.
• The learner may be required to continue with a future intake, undergo reactivation, complete outstanding or updated activities, or re-register where required.
• Previous work may only be carried forward where permitted by the College, the applicable curriculum, assessment requirements, and regulatory requirements.
• The College does not guarantee that all previously completed work will remain valid indefinitely.

7.5 Reactivation & Additional Administration

• Learners who exceed the normal programme period and approved extension may be required to apply for programme reactivation or transfer to another intake.
• Where reactivation results in additional administrative, facilitator, assessor, moderation, system access, learning support, or programme management services, the College may charge a reasonable reactivation or extension administration fee.
• Any applicable reactivation or extension fee shall be communicated to the learner before reactivation and shall be subject to the College's published fee schedule and applicable law.
• The College shall not impose arbitrary daily monetary penalties merely because an assessment is late.
• Payment of a reactivation or extension fee does not guarantee a finding of competence and does not remove any academic or assessment requirement.

7.6 Persistent Non-Participation

• Learners who repeatedly fail to participate, submit assessments, respond to official communication, attend required sessions, or comply with an approved intervention plan may be classified as At Risk.
• The College may issue reminders, warnings, intervention notices, or requests for the learner to contact Student Support.
• Continued non-participation may result in the learner being deferred, made inactive, or withdrawn from the current intake, subject to applicable College procedures.

8. Academic Integrity & Misconduct

• Plagiarism, impersonation, falsification of evidence, collusion, unauthorised assistance, or other forms of academic dishonesty are strictly prohibited.
• The College may investigate suspected academic misconduct.
• Where misconduct is confirmed, the College may take appropriate academic or disciplinary action in accordance with its policies.
• This may include invalidation of affected evidence, reassessment, disciplinary action, suspension, or termination of enrollment where justified.
• Serious misconduct may be reported to the relevant regulatory, quality assurance, employer, funding, or law enforcement body where required or permitted by law.

9. Learner Identity & Authenticity

• Learners confirm that all submitted work represented as their own has been completed by them, except where collaborative work is expressly authorised.
• The College may require identity verification at any stage of the learning or assessment process.
• Learners may be required to produce valid identification, participate in identity verification, or comply with reasonable assessment authentication measures.
• Impersonation constitutes serious academic misconduct.

10. Technology & Connectivity Requirements

• Learners are responsible for obtaining suitable internet access, devices, software, electricity, data, and other technology reasonably required to participate in an online or distance programme.
• Learners are encouraged to report significant technical problems to the College as soon as reasonably possible and before the applicable deadline where possible.
• Ordinary personal connectivity or device difficulties do not automatically extend assessment or programme deadlines.
• Where a verified College system failure materially prevents submission, the College may provide an alternative submission method or reasonable extension.

11. Communication, Reminders & Official Notices

• Official College communication may be conducted through email, LMIS/LMS notifications, SMS, WhatsApp, telephone, or the contact details registered by the learner.
• Learners are responsible for ensuring that their contact information remains accurate and up to date.
• Learners are responsible for regularly monitoring official communications and their learner portal.
• Failure to read an email, message, LMS notification, or other official communication does not automatically exempt the learner from complying with a deadline.
• The College may issue automated or manual reminders before and after assessment or programme deadlines.
• Reminder notices are provided as a learner support measure. Failure by the College to issue a reminder does not cancel a deadline that has otherwise been properly communicated.

12. Learner Support, Intervention & At-Risk Learners

• Learner support is provided during the College's official business and support periods.
• Response times may vary depending on the nature, complexity, urgency, and volume of requests.
• The College may monitor learner progress, participation, assessment completion, and inactivity for the purpose of learner support and programme management.
• A learner who falls behind the expected programme progress may be classified as At Risk.
• At-risk learners may receive:
  • Progress reminders;
  • Assessment deadline warnings;
  • Academic intervention notices;
  • Catch-up instructions;
  • Requests to contact Student Support;
  • Facilitator or assessor feedback; or
  • A formal learner intervention plan.
• Learners are expected to cooperate with reasonable academic intervention measures.
• Intervention support does not remove the learner's responsibility to complete the programme within the required period.

13. Employer-Sponsored & Third-Party Funded Learners

• Where training is funded by an employer, sponsor, organisation, bursary provider, or other third party, the applicable funding agreement may contain additional conditions.
• Learners remain personally responsible for complying with academic, assessment, attendance, participation, and programme completion requirements.
• Employment disputes or employment-related matters remain the responsibility of the learner and employer unless the College is specifically required to participate.
• Subject to applicable agreements and data protection requirements, the College may provide appropriate learner progress information to an authorised sponsor or employer.

14. Intellectual Property

• Learning materials, assessment instruments, videos, presentations, guides, templates, systems, graphics, documents, and other content supplied by the College remain subject to the applicable intellectual property rights.
• Materials are supplied for the learner's personal educational use unless otherwise stated.
• Unauthorised reproduction, distribution, resale, publication, uploading, commercial use, or sharing of protected College materials is prohibited.

15. POPIA & Data Protection

• Learner personal information is processed in accordance with applicable data protection requirements, including POPIA where applicable.
• Learner information may be used for enrollment, programme administration, learner support, assessment, moderation, quality assurance, certification, regulatory reporting, funding, compliance, and related legitimate educational purposes.
• Learner information may be shared with authorised regulatory, quality assurance, assessment, funding, employer, or government bodies where required or legally permitted.

16. No Guarantee of Employment

• Enrollment or successful completion of a programme does not guarantee employment, promotion, salary increases, business opportunities, professional registration, or any particular income.
• Employment and career outcomes depend on numerous factors outside the control of the College.

17. Refunds, Non-Completion & Outstanding Assessments

• Refunds are governed by the College's Refund Policy and applicable law.
• Failure by a learner to participate, submit assessments, complete the programme, comply with deadlines, or make use of learning services does not automatically create an entitlement to a refund or fee reduction.
• Approval of an academic extension does not automatically extend payment deadlines or cancel outstanding amounts.
• Deferral, inactivity, or failure to complete a programme does not automatically cancel financial obligations already lawfully incurred.

18. Appeals, Complaints & Review

• Learners may use the College's applicable complaints, appeals, assessment appeals, or review procedures where they believe that a decision has been made unfairly or incorrectly.
• A request for review or appeal must be submitted within the prescribed period and through the required process.
• Lodging an appeal does not automatically suspend every academic, administrative, or payment requirement unless the College confirms otherwise.

19. Force Majeure

The College shall not be liable for delays or failures caused by events reasonably beyond its control, including natural disasters, widespread infrastructure failures, national disruptions, civil unrest, regulatory actions, government restrictions, major system failures, or other comparable events.

Where reasonably possible, the College may implement alternative arrangements, revised schedules, or other appropriate measures.

20. Limitation of Liability

To the extent permitted by applicable law, the College shall not be liable for indirect, consequential, regulatory, employment-related, or third-party losses arising from circumstances outside its reasonable control.

Nothing in these Terms and Conditions is intended to exclude any right or protection that may not lawfully be excluded under applicable legislation.

21. Amendments

The College may amend these Terms and Conditions where reasonably required because of changes to programmes, academic processes, regulatory requirements, technology, College operations, or applicable law.

Material changes affecting current learners will be communicated through an appropriate official communication channel where reasonably required.

22. Acceptance of Terms

By enrolling with Genius Business College, accessing the College's learning systems, participating in learning activities, submitting assessments, or otherwise continuing with the programme, the learner acknowledges the applicable academic and administrative requirements contained in these Terms and Conditions.