These Terms and Conditions are binding on all applicants to the University. When the Application Form is submitted the applicant is required to agree to these Terms and Conditions. By requiring this, the University seeks to ensure that applicants have completed their due diligence and are fully aware of the position of the University and the nature of their programme before they apply. The Terms and Conditions also apply to any applicant who is admitted without being required to complete the Application Form, and are subject to change without notice.

The terms “European-American University” and “the University” are used as a reference for the entire internet web sites http://www.europeanamerican.university and http://www.europeanamericanuniversity.org, including linked files, as well as its officers, partners, and agents. These web sites are provided by European-American University under the terms of its Royal Charter of Incorporation in Bunyoro-Kitara, Uganda.

The use and/or viewing of this website and the documents, products, services offered are all subject to these Terms and Conditions. The term “services” is used as a reference for all web pages, information, products, documents, and or services provided by European-American University, its officers, partners and agents in any form whatsoever. European-American University provides all services “as is,” with no warranties whatsoever. All express warranties and all implied warranties, including warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement of proprietary rights are hereby disclaimed to the fullest extent permitted by law.

Services, documents and links produced by third parties or operated from a third party internet server are not controlled by the University and the University can accept no responsibility for them.

The University restricts the provision of its services to adults over the age of eighteen years only.

Receipt of information/GDPR
By submitting the Application Form or any enquiry, you agree to receive information from the University in connection with your application/enquiry, in accordance with the European GDPR regulation.

Applications and all correspondence to be in the English language
The University directs its offerings to English speakers. It can only accept applications in the English language and will correspond in English. All materials submitted for assessment and/or examination must either be in English, or if in another language, must be accompanied by a certified translation into English.

Nature of degree awards and their accreditation
The University awards degrees on the basis of its Royal Charter of Incorporation from the Kingdom of Bunyoro-Kitara in Uganda.

The University is an international institution whose programmes are not aligned with any state or national curriculum and whose degrees, diplomas and certificates are designed primarily for personal and professional development.

The University has nothing to do with the United States or the United States system of collegiate accreditation. The word “American” in its name is a generic reference to the academic system it follows, as well as referencing the country of its foundation, the Commonwealth of Dominica, which is located in the Americas. If you are in the USA and a foreign degree is an option for you, we believe this is well worth your consideration. If your options are restricted to US institutions solely there are many to consider, but this is not one of them.

The University maintains contact with several foreign credential evaluators in the USA who will evaluate its degrees positively. We can recommend you to one of these should you wish to obtain this service. Further information is available on the Recognition page.

A University Without Walls

European-American University stands in a long and distinguished tradition of Universities Without Walls, a concept that was developed in the United States of America from the 1960s onwards with some notable earlier precedents. As such, European-American University is a global confederation of scholars and students and non-government organization (NGO) that operates primarily through the educational methods of distance learning, distance assessment, and the technology of the Internet. While the University affiliates with various campus-based institutions that offer validated programmes leading to the University’s degrees, it has no campus or central administrative location of its own and operates entirely as an online institution. Educational institutions such as European-American University which combine the University Without Walls concept with the use of  student-centred assessment methodologies are often referred to as part of the non-traditional university movement, because they offer a distinctive and progressive approach to university education compared to traditional campus-based universities.

Applicants from certain locations cannot be accepted

Although applicants from most locations can be accepted, certain countries and states restrict the provision of distance learning degrees to their residents. Where this is the case, the University will not be able to accept applications from residents of these jurisdictions. Nothing in this website or any marketing materials of the University should be read as a solicitation to residents of locations that do not permit the offering of the University’s degrees, and wherever it is practically possible the University takes steps to exclude those in known jurisdictions of this category from viewing its materials.

Transcripts
For VAE/APEL programmes the University issues a UNESCO/European Union Diploma Supplement which accompanies the degree diploma (degree certificate). The Supplement places the degree in its academic and legal context and follows a standard pattern.

Traditional transcripts are issued for some taught programmes where coursework is the basis of the degree award. However, please note that in the majority of other programs a Diploma Supplement rather than a transcript will be issued and neither grades nor a grade point average will be awarded. For VAE/APEL programmes there are neither grades nor courses since the degree is based entirely on the holistic assessment of the candidate.

For VAE applicants: The process and fees
1. If the contents of the form are acceptable to the University, you will be invited to send copies of your educational documents and resume by electronic mail for preliminary review without fee or obligation. Note that it is never enough to just submit the application form. You must send your full, detailed resume and all college transcripts and certifications to complete the free precognition. The failure to submit transcripts/diplomas for education that has been claimed on the Application Form or resume constitutes grounds for the application to be refused. The University may ask for additional verification on any aspect of the submission, and will also normally ask any applicant whose portfolio includes creative work or publications to submit a representative sample of these. Everything that has been submitted will be assessed and it is not possible to withdraw or alter any items after submission.
2. If the results of the review indicate that you would be suitable for the programme you will be told which degree the University will offer you if you complete the programme successfully. If you accept this offer, you will be required to pay the Credential Assessment Fee of US$250 to matriculate on the programme.
3. After this is done your portfolio will go forward to the jury stage. If the jury recommends you for the award of your degree, you will then be required to pay the Credit Conversion and Graduation Fee of US$1,950. Once this is received,  your degree documentation will be issued and couriered to you.
4. Please note that all programme fees are non-refundable, with the sole exception that if the jury were to find that you were not eligible for the award of any degree the Credential Assessment Fee would be refunded to you. Please see the refund policy below.
5. The University does not offer scholarships, bursaries or fee reductions.
6. The University does not offer any form of instalment payments or other finance arrangements. It may be possible for candidates to enter into a spread payment arrangement with the University’s payment provider PayPal, but any such arrangement is a matter between the candidate and PayPal only, and is not a matter for which the University can take any responsibility.

For the sole purposes of classification by the University’s payment providers, the following definitions apply:
1. The Credential Assessment Fee is payable for a service (that of credential assessment and matriculation on the programme, and assessment by the jury)
2. The Credit Conversion and Graduation Fee is payable for a physical product (the degree award as confirmed by its documentation which is couriered to the graduate).

Timelines and couriers for the VAE programme
If all documentation and payments are submitted in a timely fashion, it is normally possible for the VAE process of assessment to be completed in one week. This is an aspiration and not a guarantee, as numerous factors may be involved that can affect the process. Once the process is complete, the degree documentation is couriered to the graduate. The University uses a tracked and signed for courier service. Once the documents are with the couriers, the University cannot take responsibility for any delays that are caused by the courier or by Customs, which are completely out of the University’s control. If a consignment is reported as lost by the courier, the University will normally send a replacement consignment as a gesture of goodwill.

Degree documentation for VAE programme graduates
Graduates of the University’s VAE programmes receive the official degree certificate (known as a diploma in the United States), which is printed on parchment paper bearing the University’s seal and the signatures of its officers. The design is suitable for framing and many graduates have commented favourably on it. Graduates who are resident in the USA (and other countries where appropriate) also receive a supplementary diploma based on the standard US format which is intended for display purposes. Both diplomas are in the European A4 size. They further receive the Diploma Supplement which provides academic and legal information on the degree and stands in place of a traditional transcript. Lastly, graduates receive an authorization to purchase their academic regalia from the University’s official suppliers.

Shipping of degree documentation
Graduates receive their degree documentation described above by postal mail, using a courier service that offers tracking and requires a signature on delivery. The cost of shipping is included in the degree fees. Consignments must normally be shipped to the mailing address that has been provided by the buyer to PayPal when paying their fees. Only a street address can be used for shipping, not a P.O. Box, and the buyer must also supply a telephone number for use by the courier. Shipping follows the terms of F.O.B. Origin, whereby the University handles shipping and handling from the seller’s location to the final destination and the buyer assumes liability for the risk of loss or damage once the shipment leaves the seller’s location. The buyer is also responsible for customs clearance and paying import duties and taxes if applicable. Insurance is not provided unless specifically arranged and purchased by the buyer.

Available degree fields for VAE, exclusions
Degrees in most academic and professional fields are available by VAE. However, the following fields are not permitted by the University: medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, midwifery, nursing, healthcare, veterinary science, medical science, and paramedical studies. The University also does not award degrees in the experimental sciences. Where a candidate’s experience is mainly or entirely in these disciplines they will not be able to be admitted to the VAE programme.

Engineering and other licensed professional fields are subject to legal and professional restrictions in many countries. The University will not award degrees in licensed fields such as engineering or social work except where the applicant can show that they are already professionally licensed in their country; in such cases the applicant must also accept that the University’s degrees are conferred in an international context and are not intended to meet any form of professional licensing requirement, or be used for the promotion of already-licensed professionals through any professional licensing system.

VAE degrees are earned degrees, not honorary degrees
A degree earned by VAE is classified as an earned degree and is not an honorary degree. The VAE methodology is well-established internationally as equal to all others in the process of earning a degree. The holder of a degree earned by VAE is entitled to use the relevant postnominal letters, wear the prescribed academical dress, and for doctoral graduates, use the title Doctor, subject only to any applicable laws in their jurisdiction of residence.

Acceptance and response is at the discretion of the University; responses to applications
As an independent university, the University has full control of its admissions processes. The University reserves the right to refuse any application or not to respond to an enquiry, and is not required to provide reasons for its decisions.

Decisions in free VAE precognition are final and are not open to debate or appeal, and attempts to debate the University’s decision to refuse an application or to reapply after a refusal will not receive a response. Where possible, the University will provide a reason for its decision to the applicant.

An application is valid for one degree in one field only and cannot be used to apply for multiple degrees or degree fields. Those wishing to earn more than one degree will first need to complete the degree process for their first degree successfully and then reapply for a subsequent degree.

Statement of nondiscrimination
The University stands firmly against any discriminatory factor in its admissions processes. It is committed not to discriminate on the grounds of race, ethnicity, nationality, gender, age (although all applicants must be over the age of 18 years), disability, neurotype, religion or lack of religious belief, or political views.

Deadlines for VAE candidates to submit the final payment
Where a VAE candidate has been notified by email that the jury has decided to recommend them for the award of their degree and that they will graduate on payment of the final (Credit Conversion and Graduation) VAE fee, the final VAE fee must be remitted to the University within fifteen calendar days after the email notification has been sent.

If the payment has not been received by the University within fifteen calendar days, and the University has not granted any extension of time (on application by the candidate for cause), the candidate’s application will be cancelled. The way to avoid this happening is to communicate clearly with the University if any extension of time is needed at the earliest available opportunity.

To reactivate the application after it has been cancelled will be at the University’s sole discretion and will incur a penalty fee of US$250.

Refund policy

For VAE programmes (degrees earned on the basis of work experience/prior education and assessment)
VAE programmes are personalized and so are classified as a bespoke service (in respect of the Credential Evaluation Fee) and bespoke product (in respect of the Credit Conversion and Graduation Fee). Precognition is offered for these programmes free of charge and without obligation to enrol. If the applicant passes precognition and elects to enrol in the programme they are entering a bespoke process of assessment tailored to them resulting in the delivery of a bespoke product and no refund is therefore applicable. The sole exception to this rule is that if the jury were to find that you were not eligible for the award of any degree the Credential Assessment Fee would be refunded to you.

For non-VAE programmes (degrees by taught/learning contract/research/doctorates by published work)
You have the legal right to cancel and receive a refund within 14 days of your payment being received by us. Please see our Terms of Trading which contain details of our Cancellation Policy (in Schedule 1).

After the fourteen day period there is no obligation for us to offer any refund.

Academic regalia is not included in the fees
The fees do not include the provision of academic regalia (sometimes referred to as “cap and gown”). Graduates are sent an authorization form that permits them to purchase academic regalia from the University’s appointed robemakers, should they wish to do so. Alternatively, graduates can choose to approach another robemaker if they are prepared to supply the authorized regalia.

Verification of degrees

All degrees issued by the University are verifiable online at the Register of Graduates. The University also regularly verifies degrees to background checking agencies, employers, other universities and other interested third parties, who with the consent of the graduate concerned may contact the University by email. However, the University as an online institution does not maintain a central email registry or administrative office and as a result, although copies of graduation documents may be sent to third parties for a fee by email or postal mail, they will be sent by individual University officers from the countries in which they are based and using their personal email accounts where applicable.

Apostille and related services
The University does not offer, and cannot assist with, the provision of notary, apostille, and/or embassy legalization procedures.

Affirmations by the applicant (all programmes)
By making application, you affirm that you have read and understood all the information on the European-American University website and that you are familiar with the University’s information on legal status and accreditation. You further affirm that you have read and accepted all policies of the University and will at all times abide by the University Ordinances and Regulations.

If you have applied for a VAE assessment programme, you affirm that you understand the VAE process and that it is based solely on the assessment of your prior work experience and any prior postsecondary education. You further affirm that you understand that VAE degrees are not based on coursework and do not assign credits, grades, or a grade point average, and that they result in the issue of a European-Union style Diploma Supplement rather than a traditional transcript.

You are required to affirm that the University is an international organization and serves an international student body which is based in many different countries. The University’s degree programmes are not designed to meet any national requirements regarding professional licensing or acceptance for the practice of any profession, and nor are they designed to meet any immigration requirements.

You are required to affirm that if there are specific parties (employer, university etc.) that you would wish to accept your European-American University degree for any purpose, it is your responsibility to check this before enrolling in the University with the party concerned, and to satisfy yourself that the University’s degree will be suitable for your present and anticipated future needs. Since each student has an individual profile and particular needs in these matters, it is not possible for the University to undertake these enquiries on the student’s behalf.

You are required to affirm that completion of any qualification at the University does not guarantee that a graduate will meet any or all the requirements or qualifications for employment  in the public or private sectors. Certain employment positions may demand that their employees have completed educational components that do not form part of the University’s academic programme. Anyone considering studying at the University with a view to subsequent employment should speak to potential employers before enrolling to determine the respective employer’s hiring criteria.

You are required to agree that you will not use any products, services, documents and/or correspondence provided by the University to defraud or deceive any third party, or to commit a crime.

You also confirm that you have read the University’s further Terms and Conditions (including Terms of Trading), which you are deemed to have accepted as a condition of your application.

Affirmation of truth; penalties for false statements and misrepresentation of facts
You affirm that the facts represented by you on the application form and any correspondence and/or documentation you may submit are true. You affirm that all facts represented relate to you and your professional and academic achievements, and that you are not impersonating anyone. You understand that any person who is found to have deliberately misrepresented themself, their credentials and/or experience in the course of their candidature may be summarily dismissed from the programme, or if a degree has been awarded, deprived of their degree and subjected to legal action; such matters may also be reported to law enforcement authorities. The University reserves the right immediately to withdraw and revoke academic awards, or to terminate student status, from graduates or students who defame or disrespect the University, its staff, products or partners.

Education from institutions operating legally but not holding institutional or programmatic accreditation will always be assessed on a case by case basis and submission of such education will not disqualify you from the VAE process. However, if you present as a credential educational documentation from an institution that cannot be established to have been operating legally, that provides credentials for payment without any academic process, or that has made false claims as to its legal standing or accreditation, this will be treated as an integrity violation and will disqualify you from the VAE process.

Any claim regarding employment or credentials made on a resume or supporting documentation that is found to be false or of questionable legality will also lead to disqualification. You must also not give the impression on a resume that a credential has been awarded where in fact it has not been completed; incomplete education (which will be given credit in the assessment process) must be cited as such.

You affirm that you are mentally and physically capable and where applicable that you have received the required training to use the products and services provided by the University. You affirm that all such products and services are for your personal use only.

You affirm that you will not obtain documents, products or correspondence for the purpose of publishing a news story in any form of media whatsoever without prior written permission from European-American University. You affirm that you will not obtain products, documents, or correspondence to use as evidence in any type of civil or criminal investigation.

Recognition of degrees in different countries; foreign credential evaluations
As an international institution, the University is sometimes asked about the use of its degrees in different countries. In most countries, the recognition of foreign degrees is the responsibility of state or delegated professional authorities. In some cases, such as professional licensing, this recognition is mandatory, but in general employment or personal use it is rarely so, and it is towards these latter purposes that the University primarily directs its offerings.

The United States of America differs from this pattern in that the recognition of foreign degrees is an unregulated market and is undertaken almost entirely by non-government entities. A wide variety of American institutions, agencies and individuals undertake the commercial evaluation of foreign credentials. Their evaluations are expressions of advisory opinion. They are not necessarily impartial or objective, and can vary widely in their interpretations. Some evaluation agencies enter into exclusive agreements with service users which are then forced to use them and not to accept evaluations from their commercial competitors. In the view of the University such practices are unethical and institutions that engage in them should be avoided.

The University maintains contact with several established American evaluation agencies whose policy is to evaluate the degrees of the University positively and to whom it can recommend graduates who wish to use their degrees in the USA and who are interested in this service. The University strongly recommends graduates who require an evaluation to inform the University about their plans so that the University may advise them accordingly and prevent them from wasting money on agencies that will not deliver what they are seeking.

The University’s degrees are officially recognized by the following evaluation agencies as equivalent to US regionally and nationally accredited degrees:

Career Consulting International, Florida, USA 
https://www.thedegreepeople.com
Member (through its Executive Director): NACE, NAFSA, AACRAO
CCI was established in 2002. Its evaluations have been accepted by Homeland Security, the miltary, the Federal Government and many US universities including Yale, Duke, NYU, the University of Florida etc. Email may be sent to Dr Sheila Danzig, the Executive Director of CCI, at Sheila@thedegreepeople.com and calls/messages may be placed to 1 (954) 440-5599. The Chancellor of European-American University has served as a consultant to CCI on the equivalency of international credentials since 2005.

Evaluation World, Delaware, USA
https://evaluationworld.com
Member: NAFSA, AEA
Evaluation World prepares reports on international education in order to establish the US equivalency for individuals who have studied outside the United States. Its credential evaluations meet the requirements of US immigration and Homeland Security, the Federal Government, most universities and many employers. The Chancellor of European-American University is a past consultant to Evaluation World.

California University Foreign Credential Evaluation, California, USA
https://www.cufce.org
In June 2014, the curricula and academic programmes of European-American University were assessed for comparability to United States standards by California University FCE, a specialist evaluator of foreign education. Their report concluded that EAU curricula and academic programmes met the same minimum requirements as regionally and nationally accredited universities in the United States, and were therefore comparable.

>>View Report
>>View Certificate

Disclaimer
In no event shall European-American University, its officers, partners or agents, be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, special and exemplary damages, or any damages whatsoever, arising from the use (or inability to use) or performance of this web site or services provided or offered by any means, even if  European-American University, its officers, partners or agents, have been advised of the possibility of such damages.

The services provided to you by European-American University, its officers, partners or agents, may contain errors. Whilst European-American University does its best to maintain all services, it cannot be held responsible for any errors, defects, lost profits, or other consequential damages arising from the use (or inability to use) any documents or products provided or performance of any services offered or provided. You agree to indemnify and hold European-American University, its officers, partners or agents, harmless from any claim or demand, including reasonable attorneys’ fees, made by you or any third party due to or arising out of your use of (or inability to use) this web site, documents, products, or services provided by European-American University, its officers, partners or agents, and any violation of these terms and conditions by you or any party working in conjunction with you.