Student Policy & Handbook

1. What you get from VAA Global

When you enroll, you join a structured program designed to make you job-ready. Your enrollment includes:

2. Attendance policy

Class schedule: Classes hold every Saturday from 5 PM to 7 PM, unless rescheduled by your instructor.

Attendance requirement: Students are expected to attend every class.

Missed classes

• Students who will miss a class must inform their instructor in advance and provide a valid reason.
• Class recordings are made available so students can catch up on a missed session.
• The number of missed classes that leads to removal depends on the length of your program, as shown below.

• These thresholds apply regardless of the reason for the absence.

3. Project submission policy

Project assignments: Regular projects are assigned as part of the curriculum. They are central to your learning and to earning your certificate.

Submission deadline: Projects must be submitted by the specified deadlines.

Skipped or missed projects

• Students who cannot meet a deadline must notify their instructor in advance and provide a valid reason.
• Students who skip 5 projects in total across the program, whether consecutive or not and regardless of reason, will be removed from the program.

4. Code of conduct

• Respect and professionalism: all students must treat instructors and fellow students with respect and maintain a professional demeanor at all times, in class and in community channels.
• Collaboration and participation: active participation in class discussions and group projects is encouraged and expected.
• Integrity: students must complete their own work and avoid any form of academic dishonesty, including plagiarism. Work drawn from external sources must be clearly cited and referenced.
• Community standards: harassment, abuse, discrimination, or disruptive behavior toward staff or students will not be tolerated and may lead to removal.

5. Communication

• Notification: any issue regarding attendance or project submission must be communicated to your instructor as soon as possible, in advance where possible.
• Official channels: program communication takes place through the channels VAA Global designates. Students are responsible for checking them regularly.
• Feedback: students are encouraged to share feedback on the course to help us improve the learning experience.

6. Certification

Upon successful completion of your program, including meeting attendance and project requirements, you are awarded the VAA Global certificate of completion.

• The certificate is issued by VAA Global.
• Certification is earned, not automatic. It confirms you completed the program to the required standard.
• Students who are removed from the program, or who do not meet attendance and project requirements, are not eligible for certification.

7. Certificate collection & renewal

Certificates are issued after a student completes the program and fulfils all requirements. To keep records current and verifiable, the following applies:

• Students should request and collect their certificate within 6 months of completing their program.
• Students who reach out for their certificate more than 6 months after completion will be required to pay a renewal fee of 30% of the admission fee they originally paid, to cover re-verification, re-issuance, and administrative processing.

8. Payment plans & instalments

You can pay for your program in full, or spread the cost across a 2-part or 3-part instalment plan. The schedule below applies to instalment plans:

• Instalment payments must be made by the dates above to keep your enrollment in good standing.
• Certificates are released once your balance is fully cleared.
• Eligible graduates can apply for job placement support after completing their internship, regardless of which payment plan you choose.

9. Refund policy

We want every student to succeed, and our refund policy is designed to be fair while protecting the program. Refund eligibility is based strictly on the following schedule:

• How to withdraw: students must notify the program director in writing.
• Processing time: approved refunds are processed within 14 days of receiving the written withdrawal notice.
• Refund eligibility is based on the time of written notice, not on whether classes were attended.

10. Re-enrollment & missed cohorts

If you are unable to continue with your cohort, or you stop attending, the following applies:

• While your cohort is still running, you can catch up using class recordings.
• Once the re-enrollment window for your cohort has passed, you cannot simply rejoin a future cohort for free.
• To join a later cohort after your window has passed, you will be required to pay 30% of the current program fee as a re-enrollment fee, because you would be taking a seat in a new, fully resourced cohort.
• Refunds are not available in place of re-enrollment once the refund window (Section 9) has closed.

11. Specific situations explained

To set clear expectations, here is how we handle the situations students most commonly raise. These follow directly from the policies above.

"I paid a long time ago and now want to start / get a refund"

If significant time has passed since your original enrollment (for example, a year or more), the refund window has long closed and the original cohort has ended. In these cases the support we can offer is access to class recordings where available, or re-enrollment into a current cohort at the applicable percentage of the current fee. A refund is not available for enrollments outside the refund window.

"I never attended, so I want my money back"

Refund eligibility is based on the written-notice timeline in Section 9, not on attendance. Reserving your seat and commencing the program commits resources whether or not you attend. After the second class has commenced, the fee is non-refundable even if you never logged in.

"I missed classes/projects but I had a good reason"

Valid reasons should always be communicated to your instructor in advance, and we are understanding. However, the removal thresholds (the missed-class limit for your program length, or 5 missed projects in total) apply regardless of reason, because certification depends on actually completing the work. A valid reason explains an absence; it does not substitute for the learning and assessment.

"Can't you just add me to the next class for free?"

Each cohort is independently resourced (instructor time, materials, support). Joining a new cohort means taking a funded seat, so a re-enrollment fee applies once your original window has passed. This keeps the program sustainable for all students.

"I want my certificate now, years later"

Certificates not collected within 6 months of completion are subject to the 30% renewal fee in Section 7, to cover re-verification and re-issuance.

"I shared my login / recordings with someone else"

All logins, passwords, and class materials are strictly personal. Sharing them with anyone outside the student community is a serious breach of conduct (Section 16) and may result in immediate removal without refund.

12. Laptop award disclaimer

From time to time, VAA Global may award a laptop to recognize outstanding performance within a cohort.

• Where offered, the laptop is awarded to the best overall student of the cohort, based on attendance, project performance, conduct, and overall excellence.
• The laptop award is a discretionary reward, not a guaranteed entitlement of enrollment.
• Whether a laptop is awarded in a given cohort depends on operational factors, including the size of the cohort and the availability of sponsorship for the award. As a responsible business, VAA Global cannot run the award at a loss; in cohorts without sufficient scale or a laptop sponsor, the award may not be offered.
• VAA Global actively welcomes laptop sponsors and partners who wish to support this initiative, which directly expands the reward for top-performing students.

13. Internship & portfolio

Practical experience is a core part of becoming job-ready. VAA Global provides access to an internship portal where eligible students can find opportunities to apply their skills on real work.

• Visit the internship portal at vaaglobal.tech/internship.
• Internship access is intended for students who are in good standing and have completed the required learning and projects.
• Internships build the portfolio and experience that employers look for, and complement the certificate you earn.

14. Career, recruitment & job assistance

VAA Global is committed to helping students transition into work, and offers career guidance, interview coaching, and access to our talent placement service.

• Job-ready graduates can be connected to remote and local opportunities through VAA Global Talent, our talent placement service, at talent.vaaglobal.tech.
• Career support includes guidance on CVs, portfolios, LinkedIn, and interview preparation.

15. Referral commission

• Students who refer new students to VAA Global are eligible for a referral commission.
• If the referred student enrolled without a discount code, the referrer is awarded ₦20,000.
• If the referred student enrolled using a discount code, the referrer is still awarded ₦10,000.
• The commission is paid after the referred student completes their balance payment in full.
• The referred student must mention the referrer's name during enrollment for the commission to apply.

16. Privacy of data

• Data collection: VAA Global Tech Hub collects personal information for enrollment and administrative purposes.
• Data protection: personal information is kept confidential and is not shared with third parties without the student's consent, except as required by law.
• Access to data: students may access and update their personal information by contacting the program administrator.
• Academy data: all logins, passwords, and materials shared with students must not be shared with any third party outside the student community. All such data must be kept confidential. Breaches may lead to removal.

17. Appeals

• Right to appeal: students who are removed from the program may appeal by submitting a written appeal to the program director within one week of removal.
• Review process: the appeal is reviewed by the program director, and a decision is communicated within two weeks.

18. Termination

VAA Global, or the student, has the right to terminate the admission. Please refer to the policies above for the reasons termination may occur, and to the Refund Policy (Section 9) for guidance on any applicable refund. Termination for breach of conduct or policy does not entitle the student to a refund outside the published refund window.