Policy Information

Auditing Credit Courses
Continuing Education and University Outreach offers you the opportunity to participate in a course without receiving a grade. You will need to enroll and pay your fees through Continuing Education and University Outreach and request an optional grade of audit.

Class Location
Continuing Education and University Outreach will mail you a registration confirmation. Your registration confirmation will include the class location and campus map. After 5:00 pm, the location and time of course offerings for the day will be available on the office voice mail, as well as posted on the door at Jespersen Hall (Bldg. 116). Building location information is also available on-line at the Cal Poly Web site. Go to www.continuing-ed.calpoly.edu.

Certificate or Letter of Participation
A record of your attendance at a course, conference, workshop or seminar is available. You may request the documentation individually or your instructor may request it for all class participants.

Credit Courses
Course numbers 100 - 599 denote credit courses at Cal Poly. With the approval of your academic advisor, you may apply up to a maximum of 24- semester units (or 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. Continuing Education and University Outreach will record all Credit quarter units and grades in the campus Student Information System and you may request a Cal Poly transcript.

Change of Personal Information
To update your personal information on your Continuing Education and University Outreach record please call 805-756-2053, M-F 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. You may fax your request to 805-756-5933. Include your name presently on record, the date, your new name, Social Security number, address on record, new address, city, state, zip, business phone, home phone, and E-mail address. You may also mail this information to:
Continuing Education and University Outreach,
California Polytechnic State University,
San Luis Obispo CA 93407.

Discounts
Only one discount applies per non-credit course. We will apply the larger discount for which you qualify.

Continuing Education Unit (CEU)
Continuing Education Unit (CEU) One CEU = ten contact hours of participation in organized continuing education/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 licensure. They may also document your continuing professional education for an employer, association or credentialing agency. Continuing Education and University Outreach will maintain a record of the CEUs you have earned through our programs and courses. 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 or your records, please contact Continuing Education and University Outreach by phone: 805-756-2053, E-mail:
continuing-ed@calpoly.edu, or fax: 805-756-5933.

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CEU Record Request
For an official record of your academic history, call the Records Office at (805) 756-2531 or go to www.ess.calpoly.edu/records/forms/.

Certificate Program
Certificate program courses provide you with skill requirements in a particular career field. Continuing Education and University Outreach will award a Certificate of Achievement when you complete a Certificate Program. Your certificate will include the hours of program participation for a specified group of credit or non-credit courses.

Course Fees
State law requires that Continuing Education and University Outreach as an entity of the California State University System must be self-supported. TAXPAYER-GENERATED FUNDS DO NOT PROVIDE SUPPORT TO CONTINUING EDUCATION AND UNIVERSITY OUTREACH. Each campus determines course fees based upon the cost of instruction and supplies for each program or course. Continuing Education and University Outreach credit course fees are $182 per lecture unit, $182 per activity unit, and $199 per laboratory unit. Non-credit course fees are more flexible. Course requirements determine the fee for each non-credit course. Group fees are available for non-credit courses upon request.

Course Changes: Right To Cancel
Continuing Education and University Outreach reserves the right to cancel a course for insufficient enrollment, and to change the class location, date, time or instructor. If cancellations or changes occur, Continuing Education and University Outreach will
notify participants as far in advance as possible and announce changes after 5 p.m. on the office voice mail the night of class. Course fees are subject to
change.

Grading and Academic Transcripts
The grading system used by the California StateUniversity System applies to Continuing Education and University Outreach credit courses. Your grades are available the Wednesday after finals. You can see your grades by going to my.calpoly.edu. If you would like an official record of your academic history, you may call the Records Office at 756-2531 for information on requesting your transcripts or go to
www.ess.calpoly.edu/records/forms/.

Disability Resource Center
If you have permanent or temporary disabilities, the Cal Poly Disability Resource Center can provide information and assistance to you in support of your participation in Continuing Education and University Outreach courses. Once you have furnished
current verification of disability, you are eligible for appropriate supportive services and advisement from qualified DRC staff members. For more information, please contact the Disability Resource Center at (805) 756-1395 (voice or TDD).

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.

Liability
Continuing Education and University Outreach exercises great care 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. Continuing Education is not responsible for any personal property left behind. Students take courses at their own risk.

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Certificate Information
A non-refundable one-time $50 enrollment fee is required for each certificate program. Please complete a separate certificate registration form (available by calling 805-756-2053 and on-line at: www.continuing-ed.calpoly.edu for each certificate program. Some certificate programs have entrance requirements, however, if you are not enrolled in the certificate program, you may take individual courses .

Tax Credits
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 additional 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 a 1098T form to your address on file 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. This statement from Cal Poly will also include the phone number of a person you can call at the school if you have questions. Use this information and your own records about tuition and fees 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 access your Cal Poly form by going to www.1098T.com. Follow the information on the web site to locate your form.

Privacy Statement
When you register for a Continuing Education program or course, we collect personal and business information such as name, mailing and E-mail addresses, telephone and fax numbers, gender, age, Social Security number 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.

Use of Social Security Numbers
University Special Session and Extension Programs Students are required to provide the University with their correct social security numbers (individual taxpayer identification numbers) pursuant to the authority contained in Section 41201, Title 5, California Code of Regulations, and Section 6109 of the Internal Revenue Code. The University uses the social security number to identify records pertaining to the student and, if needed, to collect debts owed the University. Also the Internal Revenue Service requires the University to file information returns that include the student’s social security number and other information such as the amount paid for qualified tuition, related expenses,
and interest on educational loans. That information is used to help determine whether a student, or a person claiming a student as a dependent, may take a credit or deduction to reduce federal income taxes. Students who do not have a social security number at the time of enrollment will be required to obtain a social security number and submit it to the University within (sixty) days. Failure to furnish a correct social security number may result in the imposition of a penalty by the Internal Revenue Service.

Course Withdrawal and Refund Policy

If Continuing Education and University Outreach must cancel a course for which you have paid fees, you will receive a full refund.

If you need to drop a course, you must officially withdraw by written notification to Continuing Education and University Outreach. Your withdrawal effective date is the date we receive your written notification in the office of Continuing Education and University Outreach or the postmark on your mailed notification. Our regular business hours are 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday. You may submit your request by fax, E-mail, mail or in person. 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 and a $35 charge. Failure to withdraw officially in writing could result in a failing grade or non-eligibility for a refund.

Refer to your program brochure for the appropriate refund schedule. Contact our office if you need to request a copy of the refund schedule that applies to your course. Your Refund calculation is in accordance with the formula for refunds established in Title V of the California Administration Code. Please allow up to 6 weeks to receive a refund. Credit card refunds are in check form, not credit on account.

A request to transfer your fees to another course is treated the same as a request to withdraw from a course. Your full fee may not be eligible to transfer. See the refund policy below. This refund schedule does not apply to Open University and some special programs.

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Military Exception
If you are a member of an active or reserve United States military unit, and you receive orders compelling a withdrawal from courses, you are eligible to withdraw without penalty. You are also entitled to a full refund of all enrollment fees paid to Cal Poly Continuing Education and University Outreach, unless the course was completed or units awarded. In order to request this type of withdrawal exception you must submit copies of orders along with a Withdrawal Request Form to Continuing Education and University Outreach.

Distance Learning: Withdrawal and Refund Policy

On-line: Specified Meeting Dates
Withdrawal from a course with specified on-line meeting dates is subject to the same refund policy as if it were a regular course with meetings. All refunds will be subject to the number of meetings elapsed.

On-line: No Set Meeting Dates
Withdrawal from a course with specified begin and end dates and no set on-line meetings is subject to the same refund policy as a regular course with meetings. All refunds will be subject to the amount of time that has elapsed.

On-line: Self-Paced
Withdrawal from a course where you proceed at your own pace using an access code. Once the access code has been sent to you, you will not be eligible for a refund.

CD-ROM/Disk Courses
Withdrawal from a course accessible by a CD-ROM/disk and at your own pace is subject to a 65% refund only if the package has not been opened and is returned with your withdrawal request. If you opened the package, you are not eligible for a refund.

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