General Terms and Conditions (GTC)
These terms and conditions apply to the contractual relationship between all schools of ipso Bildung Holding AG (formerly Basler Bildungsgruppe AG) on the one hand and the pupils, students and course participants on the other. All schools are listed on the website www.ipso.ch.
In the interest of better readability, we exclusively use the male gender form. Of course, we always refer to both women as well as men with this simpler linguistic form. The term “tuition” is used in reference to course fees, the term “educational course” is used for course, seminar, or programme, and the term “course participants” is used for pupils, study partners and students.
Registration
The educational contract is effectively established upon confirmation of registration. An enrolment fee will be charged. The contractual partner furthermore confirms by registration that he has taken notice of and agrees with the present General Terms and Conditions.
The rules such as guidelines, manuals, house rules, course regulations, progression rules, and preliminary diploma and diploma regulations that are relevant for the educational course and made likewise part of this contract will be distributed on the first day of classes and can be requested and respectively viewed on inquiry. Programme updates and changes to the rules by the school remain expressly reserved. For the rest, the provisions of the Swiss Law of Obligations apply.
Costs
Besides the enrolment fee and the tuition, also the teaching materials, scripts, school materials as well as exam fees, etc. that are not explicitly specified as being included in the tuition, will be charged to the course participant. Costs for external activities (e.g. admission fees and transport tickets, boarding), external exams and educational components (in particular, academic trips, stays abroad for language studies) are likewise not included and will be charged to the course participant.
The tuition can be adjusted unilaterally by the school at any time.
The tuition as well as the enrolment fee, costs for teaching materials, copier fees and other incidental costs will usually be invoiced periodically, whereas only once if contracts have terms of less than one semester, and these costs will be payable before the start of the educational programme. In case that invoicing is issued later than 10 days before the start of the educational programme, payment is required within 10 days after invoicing.
If tuition is paid in instalments, the 1st instalment will be due on the start of the educational programme. The further instalments have to be paid against deposit slip, usually on a monthly basis. The number of possible instalments is determined by the particular school. Enrolment fees, exam fees and incidental costs are charged separately. Public approvals of cost assumption provided to the school are deducted periodically either directly or are reimbursed.
In case of a delay in payment, the following fees will be charged: Account statement free of charge, 1st dunning CHF 10.00, 2nd dunning CHF 20.00. From the 1st dunning onward, default interest of 5% will be charged. On default of payment, the school has the right to exclude the course participant from classes.
Implementation
The school is entitled not to conduct educational programmes if there are too few participants. In the case that teaching staff is prevented from performance, the school can cancel the courses if no academically or professionally equivalent substitute is available. It will normally be attempted when there are too few participants to find a solution that is satisfactory for both sides by rearranging course enrolments, reducing hours or adjusting prices before or at the latest within the first two weeks after the start of the educational programme.
Should it be impossible to conduct an educational course, the cancellation will be announced to course participants as quickly as possible, however at the latest 10 days before the start of the educational programme. Educational courses held over a period of less than 6 months can be cancelled up to one day before the start of the programme.
If an educational course is cancelled by the school, the tuition, enrolment fee and incidental costs will be refunded, provided that these have already been paid.
Semester breaks and days without classes are determined according to the respective school-specific annual calendars. Changes due to unexpected internal and external circumstances are possible at any time.
The educational courses of the individual schools can be modified at any time without prior announcement. Accordingly, e.g. days and times for classes, the number of lessons, teaching contents and exams can be continually adjusted to the internal and external needs, insofar as they do not decisively modify the overall nature of the educational course or degree.
Deregistration before the start of the educational programme
If an educational course is not attended, tuition will be owed as follows:
- up to 31 day before the start of the educational programme: enrolment fee;
- 30 or fewer days before the start of the educational programme: enrolment fee and tuition for the first period (e.g. quarter, semester) or, in the case of shorter educational courses with a one-off due tuition, 100% thereof.
Deregistration must be declared in writing by registered letter.
Cancellation
For courses that consist of several time units (e.g. quarters, semesters), cancellation by both Parties is possible respectively toward the end of the period, unless it is noted differently in the announcement. The cancellation must be declared by registered letter 60 days before the last day of scheduled classes.
In serious cases, the school can issue a warning and order a deadline of 30 days to remedy the situation that is contrary to the contract. Such cases are in particular: inadequate performance, unexcused absences or arrears in payment. If the period passes unsuccessfully, the school can declare cancellation immediately. In serious cases, e.g. gross violations of the house rules, the school can declare cancellation without notice.
If the course participant does not declare timely cancellation, he will not begin the course, exit it without ordinary cancellation or if he is expelled from the school, he shall pay compensation to the school for the costs caused thereby. This includes in particular the enrolment fee and the tuition still owed until the next possible date for ordinary cancellation, as well as unsettled incidental costs for this period.
If the course participant is invoiced for reduced tuition because of an amount that is being promised to be paid from public funding toward the tuition and if, in subsequence, the course is not completed or the public funding not granted, the course participant will be obligated to pay the corresponding difference within 30 days. This also applies in case of a premature discontinuation of the educational programme due to a failure to comply with the progression rule or expulsion from the school.
Insurance
Health, accident and liability insurance are within the exclusive responsibility of the course participant.
Right to use personal data
In general, the provisions of the Swiss Data Protection Law apply with regard to personal data. By enrolment, the course participant grants his consent to the storing of his data and to the data being used within ipso Bildung for administrative and marketing purposes. Furthermore, address details can be passed on to teaching staff and other course participants, insofar as this is sensible or required for the organisation of the course. The school has the right to publish photos of course participants, which have been made in the context of educational events, diploma and exam parties, etc.
Confidentiality
The course participant is obligated to treat the sensible data entrusted to him as confidential. This also applies for the time after the termination of the contract.
Changes reserved
These GTC can be changed at any time. The course participant will be informed of any changes. If he does not raise objection within 30 days, the new provisions will be deemed approved.
Place of jurisdiction
The place of jurisdiction is Basel to the legally permissible extent.
1st October 2017
Updated on 30th November 2023