Policies

General

• Auditing Credit Courses

  Extended, Professional and Continuing Education (EPaCE) offers you the opportunity to participate in an academic credit course without receiving a grade. The same fees apply. You will need to request an optional grade of audit in addition to registering for the course. Learn more on the Open University Forms Page.

• Change of Contact Information

  In order to change your personal information, contact Extended, Professional and Continuing Education (EPaCE) to request the Change of Contact Information form. If Cal Poly records exist under a different name, we will contact you.

• Confirmation of Enrollment

  Upon registration, a record of your enrollment in a course, conference, workshop or seminar is emailed to you. You may request an additional confirmation by contacting our office.

• Continuing Education Unit (CEU)

  One CEU = ten contact hours of participation in organized Extended, Professional and Continuing Education (EPaCE)/training experience under responsible, qualified direction and instruction (definition of the International Association for Continuing Education and Training-IACET). Continuing Education Units (CEUs) are based on the number of sixty-minute contact hours for a course or program. (Example: If a course or program meets ten contact hours, you will receive one CEU.) To receive CEUs, you must be present for the entire course or program.

  Earned CEUs may be useful in maintaining certification or licensing. They may also document your continuing professional education for an employer, association or credentialing agency. CEUs are for non-credit courses or programs. They cannot be converted to quarter or semester hour credit and they cannot be applied to degree programs. If you have questions about CEUs, please contact EPaCE. CEUs are not rewarded retroactively.

• Course Changes: Right to Cancel

  Extended, Professional and Continuing Education (EPaCE) reserves the right to cancel, reschedule, or combine courses, to alter and discontinue curricula, and to change instructors.

  Because EPaCE receives no state tax support, programs and courses may be canceled at the first scheduled class if fewer than the required minimum number of students enroll. If a course is canceled or rescheduled, you may request a refund. Transfers can only be made for courses of equal or lesser value, unless the difference is paid by the student.

• Course Fees

  State law requires that Extended, Professional and Continuing Education (EPaCE), as an entity of the California State University system, must be self-supported. Taxpayer-generated funds do not provide support to EPaCE. Course requirements determine the fee for each credit or non-credit course. Course fees are subject to change.
  Please note: In the event that you need to withdraw from a course or EPaCE cancels a course, please see “Course Withdrawal and Refund” below.

  Without exception, students are required to pay all outstanding debt before registering for an upcoming term. Students who receive a financial aid refund (loans, grants and/or scholarships) are advised to confirm that all charges to date have been paid in full.

  EPaCE reserves the right, even after initial fee payment is made, to increase or modify any listed fees, without notice, until the date when instruction for a particular quarter, intersession and/or class has begun.

• Late Registration Fees

  If fees are not paid by the due date, you may be subject to cancellation from your course(s).

• Course Withdrawal and Refund

  If Extended, Professional and Continuing Education (EPaCE) cancels a course for which you have paid fees, you will receive a full refund.

  To drop an academic credit course, you must officially withdraw (see below for specific details). Non-attendance, stopping payment on a check or payment voucher, or simply informing the instructor, does not constitute an official withdrawal. Stopping payment will result in a financial obligation to the university in the amount of the original check plus a $35 charge. Failure to withdraw officially in writing could result in a failing grade or non-eligibility for a refund.

  Documentation and approval needed to withdraw from class, by course type:

  • Academic Credit Classes: Before the first class meeting date, a written request is required (email, fax or U.S. mail). Instructor approval not required. On or after the date of the first class meeting, Petition To Withdraw Form is required and must include the instructor's signature.
  • Continuing Education Unit (CEU) classes : Written request required (email, fax or U.S. mail). Instructor approval not required.
  • Non-Credit (NCR) classes : Written request required (email, fax or U.S. mail). Instructor approval not required.

  Fees paid by check will be refunded by check. Please allow up to eight weeks from the date the refund is requested to receive the check. Fees paid using a credit card are credited back to that card. Your credit should appear on your next monthly statement. If we are unable to issue a credit directly to the card, a check will be issued and, as stated previously, refunds by check take eight weeks or longer.

  Academic Credit Refund Policy

  For Academic Credit courses, please refer to course or program information.

• Credit Courses

  Course numbers 100-599 represent credit courses at Cal Poly. With the approval of your academic advisor, you may apply up to a maximum of 36-quarter units of undergraduate extension credit toward your baccalaureate degree. Credit courses quantify and measure the learning or proficiency of the individual attending the course. Testing and grading are required along with specified hours of instruction. Ten hours of lecture is equal to one-quarter unit of instruction, twenty hours of activity is equal to one-quarter unit of credit and thirty hours of lab work is equal to one-quarter unit of credit. Extended, Professional and Continuing Education (EPaCE) will record all Credit quarter units and grades in the campus Student Information System and you may request a Cal Poly transcript.

• CSU Student Internal Complaint Process and Contact Info

  Pursuant to the United States Department of Education's Program Integrity Rule, each institution of higher education is required to provide all prospective and current students with the contact information for the state agency or agencies that handle complaints against postsecondary education institutions offering distance learning within that state. Students are encouraged to utilize California State University's internal complaint or review policies and procedures prior to filing a complaint with a state agency. For a copy of the CSU internal complaints process, go to the CSU Policies Website. Should the student wish to file a complaint in their home state please select the state contact from the State Authorization Guide to file a complaint directly in their state.

• Disability Resource Center

  If you have permanent or temporary disabilities, the Cal Poly Disability Resource Center can provide assistance to you during your participation in Extended, Professional and Continuing Education (EPaCE) courses. Contact the Disability Resource Center at (805) 756-1395 (voice or TDD).

• Distance Learning: Withdrawal and Refund

  Online courses with or without specified meeting dates in a quarter are subject to the same refund policy as regular courses with meetings. For further information about distance learning policies, please visit the Extended, Professional and Continuing Education (EPaCE) State Authorization Page.

• Equal Opportunity

  Cal Poly is an equal opportunity/affirmative action university and is committed to the principles and practices outlined in applicable federal, state and California State University policies. The university does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, or mental or physical disability in any of its employment practices or educational programs. Cal Poly protects the rights of its students and employees to learn and work in a nurturing atmosphere free from sexual harassment, racial harassment or any other acts that would create a hostile campus environment.
  For more information visit the Title IX Office of Equal Opportunity Page.

• Grades

  The grading system used by the California State University system applies to Extended, Professional and Continuing Education (EPaCE) academic credit or CEU courses. Grades are available the Wednesday after finals week by going to your
  Cal Poly Portal.

• Liability

  Extended, Professional and Continuing Education (EPaCE) exercises great care in selecting knowledgeable and competent instructors. We make no guarantees, expressed or implied, that classroom instruction will result in specific gain. We cannot be held responsible for any loss, material or otherwise, incurred while following an instructor's directions. EPaCE is not responsible for any personal property left behind. Students take courses at their own risk.

  EPaCE is not responsible for typographical or pictorial errors on our website or in any printed material that we may distribute. We reserve the right to correct all printed/web errors. Any typographical error related to any course or policy listed on our webpage will be corrected in the applicable area. EPaCE reserves the right, even after initial fee payments are made, to increase or modify any listed fees, without notice, until the date when instruction for a particular quarter, intersession and/or class has begun.

• Privacy Statement

  When you register for a program, we collect personal and business information such as name, mailing and e-mail addresses, telephone number, gender, age, birthdate, and credit card information for payment purposes.

  The information we collect is used solely for university purposes such as maintaining accurate student records and keeping you informed about university programs and services. This information may only be released to a court or government agency if required by law.

• Procedure for Paying Fees

  When you register for Extended, Professional and Continuing Education (EPaCE) classes that offer academic credit, charges will appear in your student account at the time of enrollment. It is your responsibility to log into your student portal to make payment by the due date(s). See the full instructions for paying fees on the Paying Extended Ed Fees Page.

• Tax Credits: Lifetime Learning and Hope Scholarship

  If you are enrolled in an eligible degree or certificate program or are taking courses to acquire or improve job skills, you may qualify for a Hope Scholarship or Lifetime Learning Tax Credit. The Hope Scholarship tax credit is available only to students in their first two years of post-secondary education, who are enrolled at least half-time in an eligible program. The Lifetime Learning tax credit is available to students at all educational enrollment levels who are enrolled in an eligible educational institution. Consult IRS Publication 970 or your tax preparer for more information.

  To apply for the tax credit, you must report the amount of tuition and fees paid as well as the amount of certain scholarships, grants, and untaxed income used to pay the tuition and fees. Cal Poly will send you a 1098T form with 1) the name, address, and taxpayer ID number of the school; 2) the name, address and taxpayer ID of the student for whom tuition was paid; 3) whether the student was enrolled at least half-time; and 4) whether the student was only in a graduate-level program, by January 31, for each tax year. Use this information and your own records to complete the IRS Form 8863 and claim a tax credit. If you have questions, talk to a tax advisor for help. If you do not receive a 1098T form, you can learn more inforation on the Student Accounts Website.

• Use of Birth Date

  The university uses student information to identify records pertaining to the student. Be prepared to provide your birth date and other information as documentation for your student records. A unique ID will be assigned to your records when you are added to the database. Contact our office if you need assistance to access your ID information.