Terms and conditions

Terms and Conditions for language learning courses – Academic year August 2024 to July 2025

You should print a copy of these Terms and Conditions or save them to your device for future reference.

1. Before enrolling on a language course, consider your personal commitments and circumstances, including your workload and study commitments, to ensure that you can complete the full course.

2. If you are unsure about a language or level you are welcome to attend a ‘drop-in session’ or request an online ‘placement session’ before courses start (timetable available on: www.le.ac.uk/languages-at-leicester), or contact us for further details by emailing lalenquiries@le.ac.uk.

3. Enrolments are processed on a 'first-come, first-served' basis. Courses have limited places to allow for a manageable and positive learning experience. Each course’s page indicates the minimum and maximum number of students. Minimum numbers are required to ensure the financial sustainability of courses. Enrolments are acknowledged and processed upon receipt of full payment. Registrations without payment will not be processed. Enrolments are submitted via the “Enrol Now” button on the course webpage.

4. Fees are payable in advance. The University of Leicester (“University”) regrets that it cannot offer drop-in or pay-as-you-go courses, nor do we offer refunds for any classes that a participant is unable to attend.

5. When registering, learners commit themselves to the full length of the course, whether it is 20 weeks or longer. There is the option to pay for full courses of 20 weeks, or longer, in one payment or two termly instalments. BSL Levels 2 and 3 courses can be paid in one or 3 instalments. Learners who fail to pay subsequent instalments can be liable for the full fee as agreed and legal proceedings may be undertaken to recover the debt.

6. Where possible our courses are taught by the same tutor, on the same day/time and using the same methodology to deliver lessons (i.e.: online or face-to-face) throughout the course. However, the University reserves the right to change a tutor, day/time and/or delivery method at its sole discretion.

7. Courses that are set to be delivered online will continue with this delivery method until completion. Courses that are set to be delivered face-to-face can be moved online if it is required by the University or the Government. Students who register to take a face-to-face course, accept that they may have to move to online learning if the Covid situation, or any other type of emergency, requires it. A change in the delivery method will not be considered as an ‘exceptional circumstances’ as per the Refund Policy and the Exceptional circumstances for withdrawal, refund and deferments set out in Clauses 13 and 15 respectively.

8. The University will not accept responsibility for unforeseen changes in a learner's circumstances that may prevent participation. The University will consider exceptional circumstances as per the Refund Policy and the Exceptional circumstances for withdrawal, refund and deferments set out in Clauses 13 and 15 respectively.

9. All courses and training delivered within the Languages at Leicester (L@L from now on) programme are taught in groups only. No individual lessons are provided. A minimum number of students, depending on the course, is required for a course to run. Should any course not recruit sufficiently a full refund will be provided. The decision to cancel a course due to lack of enrolments can be taken up to 24 hrs before the starting date.

10. Should classes fall on Bank Holidays, these will be rescheduled - the course may be extended to recoup the Bank Holidays.

11. Learners must be over 18 years old at the start of the course. Learners over 16 years old can enrol on language courses subject to submitting, at the enrolment stage, written consent from their parents, carer or legal guardian. The University reserves the right to accept Learners under 18 years old.

12. Enrolling on a language course does not grant the participant University of Leicester student-status; participants are considered visitors to the University. Participants are not granted access to University facilities or Library Services (although members of the public are welcome to join the Library by completing the online application form).

13. Cancellation of Registration Policy

13.1 Students can cancel their registrations only before the service period has started (see pint 14.2). After that point, students can only withdraw from the course.

13.2 Should the participant wish to cancel their enrolment on the course, they may do so within 14 days of purchasing a course online in accordance with the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013.

13.3 All cancellations should be notified to the L@L team via the online cancellation form.

14. Withdrawals and refunds

14.1 The University will refund a participant's fees in full provided a withdrawal request form is submitted to L@L within 14 working days of purchasing a course, and that the service period hasn’t yet started.

14.2 In accordance with the Consumer Rights Act 2015 and any amendment thereto (for further information please consult: https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/changed-your-mind/cancelling-a-service-youve-arranged/), an administrative and/or teaching fee could be applied if a withdrawal request is received after 14 days of purchasing a course online, and/or the service period has started. The administration fee is £40. The teaching fee is equivalent to the full fee of the course divided by the number of lessons that have taken place up to the withdrawal date.

Service period starting dates:
• Term 1 - The service period starts on 30 September 2024.
• Term 2 - The service period starts on 13 January 2025.
• Term 3 - The service period starts on 21 April 2025.

15. Exceptional circumstances for withdrawal, refund and deferments

15.1 Requests for withdrawal and refunds received after the Service period starting date deadlines will be considered only in instances of exceptional circumstances or if no more than two lessons have been delivered and may still be subject to pro-rata status.

15.2 Changes in residence or employment, personal income, personal circumstances, wrongly evaluated study or work workload and other personal, academic or professional commitments are not considered exceptional circumstances by the University.

15.3 Changes in the methodology used to deliver lessons (i.e.: face-to-face or online) derived from the Covid situation, or any other type of emergency, will not be considered as 'exceptional circumstances'. Hence, refunds will not be granted if a course is moved from face-to-face to online delivery.

15.4 Request for a full or prorated refund should be submitted to L@L via the withdrawal request form.

Deferments

15.5 Deferments are only offered when students withdraw from a course due to exceptional circumstances and within the same academic year (i.e.: registrations cannot be deferred to 2025/26 or after).

16. Cancelled courses

16.1 If the University cancels a course and is unable to offer a suitable alternative, then a full refund will be given. No administrative fee will be charged.

16.2 Courses are subject to demand and require a minimum number of registered students for the course to take place. If a course doesn’t reach the minimum number of students required to take place, the University will announce whether the course is going ahead or whether it is cancelled as follows: The first announcement will be made via email 7 days before the start date of the course; if necessary*, a second announcement will be issued up to 24 hours before the starting date of the course, again by email. If the University needs to decide within the last 24 hours before the starting date of the course, it will be announced to those enrolled in the course as soon as practically possible in advance of such course starting.
* because the minimum number of students hasn’t been met

17. Changes to the date or time of a course

If the University makes a change to the date or time of the course and the participant is unable to attend due to the change, then a full, partial or pro-rata refund will be given, accordingly. No administrative fee will be charged.

18. Single session cancellations

If a single lesson is cancelled, the University will endeavour to make up for the lost session by offering alternative dates and/or times. If this is not possible, a pro-rated refund for the cancelled class will be granted. Cancellations for reasons outside the control of the languages department or the University (e.g. weather conditions, a security alert or closure of facilities due to a pandemic) will not be granted a refund. Single session cancellations are not considered as changes to the date or time of a course and will not invoke Clause 17 of these Terms and Conditions. 

19. Limitation of liability

19.1 Nothing in these Conditions shall limit or exclude the University's liability for:

19.1.1 death or personal injury caused by its negligence, or the negligence of its employees, agents or subcontractors; or

19.1.2 fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation.

19.2 Subject to clause 19.1:

19.2.1 the University shall under no circumstances whatever be liable to the participant, whether in contract, tort (including negligence), breach of statutory duty, or otherwise, for any loss of profit, or any indirect or consequential loss arising under or in connection with the courses and or the provision thereof; and

19.2.2 the University's total liability to the participant in respect of all other losses arising under or in connection with these, whether in contract, tort (including negligence), breach of statutory duty, or otherwise, shall in no circumstances exceed the amount of the fees paid by the participant to the University.

19.3 The terms implied by sections 3 to 5 of the Supply of Goods and Services Act 1982 are, to the fullest extent permitted by law, excluded from these Terms and Conditions.

19.4 This clause 19 shall survive termination of the participant’s contract with the University.

20. Data Protection

The University will use the personal information provided by the participant to:

20.1 provide the language course;

20.2 process the payment for enrolling on the language course; and

20.2.1 inform the participant about similar products or services that the University of Leicester provide, however the participant may stop receiving these at any time by contacting the University at the following email address: lalenquiries@le.ac.uk

20.3 L@L will only share personal details with external awarding bodies (such as Instituto Cervantes - DELE exams; Institute of British Sign Language or Signature - BSL accreditation; The Japan Foundation - JLPT; and the CCI Paris Ile-de-France - DFP, Business French Diplomas) when students willingly register to undertake these assessments. The exact information shared with those institutions will be included in the registration forms.

20.4 The L@L online registration form invites participants to voluntarily share personal information regarding their visual and hearing impairments, different abilities, neurodiversity, learning differences and other similar aspects that could require support to access learning. In such cases and when feasible and in agreement with each learner, reasonable adjustments could be applied to support their learning experience. When willingly offered, this information will be shared with the course tutor and then it will be deleted at the end of the course.

20.5 The L@L online registration form invites participants to share personal information regarding any health conditions that may present during classrooms and that can be life-threatening or have a serious impact on their health (e.g.: epilepsy, diabetes, panic attacks, allergies, etc.). When willingly offered, this information will be shared with the course tutor and other relevant staff that could assist in an emergency and then it will be deleted at the end of the course.
20.6 L@L’s students have the right to obtain confirmation as to whether or not their personal data is being processed, and, where that is the case, access to the personal data and processes undertaken according to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

20.7 The University of Leicester’s privacy policy can be found at: http://www2.le.ac.uk/legal/privacy-policy.

21. Disputes and complaints

The L@L programme aims to ensure that all our students have a positive and productive learning experience. We welcome your feedback on how we are doing and understand that occasionally something can go wrong or that you may not be satisfied with an aspect of your experience. Where this is the case, we would encourage you to let us know as soon as possible, so we can try to put it right for you and other students, by following the process below.

21.1 Feedback

We welcome your opinions and feedback on your learning experience as they would show us what we are doing well and/or where there are areas for improvement. We encourage you to first talk to your tutor, as they often can resolve matters quickly. Alternatively, you can also contact us by email to by emailing lalenquiries@le.ac.uk, by using the online feedback form, by calling 0116 252 2662 or in person at the L@L office (ATT1514, 15th floor Attenborough Tower on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 11 am to 6 pm).

21.2 Informal resolution (Stage one considerations)

We treat something as a complaint if you tell us that you are not satisfied with the standard of service we provide or with something we have done or not done. We will listen to your concerns and try to resolve these in a straightforward, reasonable and prompt way. If you would like to raise an informal complaint, please contact lalenquiries@le.ac.uk (FAO: Complaint to programme director).

We commit to:
• taking all complaints seriously.
• dealing with all complaints in confidentiality (your name won’t be divulged to tutors, see clause 21.5).
• issuing a response within 10 working days where possible.
• keeping you informed of our progress should complex cases need longer than 10 days.
• once received, we will acknowledge the complaint within 5 working days, where possible by way of an email receipt.
• refer your complaint to the appropriate member of the team who will then contact you by your preferred method. Most complaints can be dealt with satisfactorily in this informal way within a short timescale. We aim to have a resolution with you within 10 working days.

If the matter is particularly complex, we will indicate how the matter will be taken forward, and give assurance that it is being dealt with efficiently and proactively. You will be kept informed of its progress. Should you deem the resolution to be unsatisfactory it will be escalated.

21.3 Formal complaints (Stage two considerations)

Should you deem the resolution of the first stage of considerations to be unsatisfactory it can be escalated by contacting The Head of the School of Arts, Media and Communication at mcs-hos@le.ac.uk (FAO: Complaint to Head of School AMC – Stage two considerations). The HoS will review the complaint and provide a final resolution within 10 working days.

21.4 University of Leicester student complaints

If you are a student of the University of Leicester and are dissatisfied with any resolution(s) found from the preceding informal attempts, you can use the University of Leicester’s complaints procedure.

21.5 Confidentiality

If a complainant wishes to remain anonymous, the programme will respect this as far as reasonably possible. However, if withholding details prevents a full investigation from being carried out, then the complainant will be advised of this and be given the option to progress with the case with their identity disclosed.

22. Governing Law and Jurisdiction

22.1 These Terms and Conditions and any dispute or claim arising out of or in connection with these Terms and Conditions, or their subject matter or formation (including non-contractual disputes or claims) shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the law of England and Wales.

22.2 The University of Leicester and the participant hereby irrevocably agree that the courts of England and Wales shall have exclusive jurisdiction to settle any dispute or claim arising out of or in connection with these Terms and Conditions or their subject matter or formation (including non-contractual disputes or claims).