Students may cancel their enrollment at any time. Carlsbad On Campus students and all US Distance Education and Lab students must submit their cancellation  to the GIA Manager of Admissions by fax to 760-603-4003, by e-mail to admissions@gia.edu, by mail to 5345 Armada Drive, Carlsbad, CA 92008, by phone to 760-603-4001 or in person.

New York students must submit their cancellation request to the Director of Education by fax to 212-719-9563, by e-mail to nyedu@gia.edu, by mail to 270 Madison Avenue, 2nd floor, New York, NY 10016-0601, by phone to 212-5858 ext. 3577 or in person.

Los Angeles students must submit their cancellation request to the Director by fax to 310-410-4452, by e-mail to laedu@gia.edu, by mail to 600 Corporate Pointe, Suite 100, Culver City, CA 90230-7616, by phone to 310-670-2100, or in person.

For Distance Education/Online and Lab students, the date of cancellation is the date GIA receives your cancellation request. For on campus students, the date of cancellation is the last day of attendance. GIA’s refund policy is explained in detail in this section. For more information, please contact GIA’s admissions department at 800-421-7250 ext. 4001 or admissions@gia.edu

Refunds will be mailed within 30 days after GIA receives the cancellation notice. If a refund is due, funds are returned to the original remitter. No refunds are made for books or materials. Enrollment in a class, course, or program is referred to as a “class” in the following refund policy.

For students receiving financial aid, you are subject to the Federal Student Aid refund policy (also called the Return of Title IV aid policy) if you withdraw or are dismissed prior to completing 60% of your educational program. This refund policy determines how much of your student aid can be kept by GIA or you based on the amount of your educational program that has been completed on a prorated basis, i.e., 25%, 30%, etc.

Any refund of financial aid funds determined under the Return of Title IV aid policy must be returned to the financial aid program or lender before a student can receive any portion of the tuition refund. Financial aid funds to be returned to the aid program will be returned on the basis of loans first, then grants if applicable. If your aid has been utilized for living expenses rather than tuition, we will prorate the amount of aid you were entitled to keep based on the percentage of your program you completed. If you received more aid than your cost of living for that time period, we will bill you for the excess. For additional information on refunds as they apply to financial aid funds, contact GIA’s Office of Student Financial Assistance: 800-421-7250 Ext. 4004,4005, or 4175 or financialaid@gia.edu

In addition to these general policies, specific refund policies are applied to different enrollment types as explained below. See pages pages 75–76 of GIA's 2007 Education Catalog for policies specific to GIA New York.

Add/Drop Policy (School of Business)
Requests to add, drop, or withdraw from a course must be submitted to GIA’s Admissions office. Adds are subject to approval by the Dean of the School of Business. The add deadline for all School of Business courses is seven calendar days following the first day of class. All applications to add a course must be received by the Admissions office by the close of business on the add deadline. After the add deadline, but prior to completion of 14 calendar days of the term, students may submit a written petition to add a course to the Admissions office. Adding courses after the initial add deadline is completely within the discretion of the Dean of the School of Business and the faculty, and such determination will be made on a case-by-case basis. Students may drop any School of Business course, with no reflection whatsoever on their transcripts, through the second week, or fourteen calendar days, of the term. Drop requests must be received by the Admissions office by close of business on the drop deadline.

On Campus Refunds
FULL TIME, ON CAMPUS PROGRAMS AND CLASSES
(EXCEPT NEW YORK )

Example of Refund Calculation for on campus programs and classes (Except New York). Student paid the total price of $9,000 for a 600 hour program, and completed 200 hours. GIA retains the application fee, the books and materials fee, and a prorated portion of the tuition.

Distance Education/Online Refunds

Refunds for all courses except the School of Business use the number of lessons submitted in the calculation; refunds for the School of Business use the number of days enrolled in the calculation. There is a non-refundable $24.95 shipping fee for US and Canadian shipments. GIA retains the non-refundable shipping and handling fee paid by students outside the US and Canada.

Example of Refund Calculation for Distance Education students (except School of Business)

A US student paid the total price of $895 for a course with 20 assignment submissions and a maximum completion time limit of 9 months. Student submitted 10 assignments and cancelled after 3 months. GIA retains the application fee, a prorated portion of the tuition, and a non-refundable shipping fee.

 Example of Refund Calculation for Online School of Business
Student paid the total price of $995.00 for a 10 week (70 day) course.Student cancelled after completing 2 weeks (14 days).

Lab Classes (except New York )

Example of Refund Calculation for Lab Classes. Student paid the total price of $750 for a 35-hour class and cancelled after completing 2 days (14 hours). GIA retains the application fee and a percentage of the class tuition.

Refund Policies: GIA New York Branch
General policies that apply to all GIA New York refunds

How to Obtain a Refund. GIA or you may terminate enrollment at any time. Please see below for a detailed explanation of the refund policy. (The failure of a student to immediately notify the school director in writing of the student’s intent to withdraw may delay a refund of tuition to the student pursuant to section 5002(3) of the Education Law.)

If you or GIA cancels your enrollment, GIA will refund to you all, part or none of your tuition payments, according to the published refund policy. No refund will be made for opened or used books or course materials. Application fee is non-refundable.

If you are due a refund, it will be made to the original remitter. GIA promises to refund all monies due you within 30 days after receiving your written cancellation notice. If you have paid less than what you owe, you must pay the balance within 30 days of submitting your cancellation notice.

For students receiving financial aid, you are subject to the Federal Student Aid refund policy (also called the Return of Title IV aid policy) if you withdraw or are dismissed prior to completing 60% of your educational program. This refund policy determines how much of your student aid can be kept by GIA or you based on the amount of your educational program that has been completed on a prorated basis, i.e., 25%, 30%, etc.

Any refund of financial aid funds determined under the Return of Title IV aid policy must be returned to the financial aid program, or lender, before a student can receive any portion of the tuition refund. Financial aid funds to be returned to the aid program will be returned on the basis of loans first, then grants if applicable. If your aid has been utilized for living expenses rather than tuition, we will prorate the amount of aid you were entitled to keep based on the percentage of your program you completed. If you received more aid than your cost of living for that time period, we will bill you for the excess.

For additional information on refunds as they apply to financial aid funds, contact GIA’s Office of Student Financial Assistance at 800-421-7250 ext. 4004, 4005, or 4175 or financialaid@gia.edu.

In addition to these general policies, specific refund policies are applied to different enrollment types as explained below.

Refund Policy for Graduate Gemologist, Graduate Diamonds Programs and Jewelry Design Classes

Refund Policy – Quarters:

A. A student who cancels before the start date receives all monies returned with the exception of the non-refundable application fee.

B. Thereafter, a student will be liable for:
1. the non-refundable application fee, plus
2. the cost of any textbooks or supplies accepted, plus
3. tuition liability as of the student’s last date of physical attendance.

Tuition liability is divided by the number of quarters in the program. Total tuition liability is limited to the quarter during which the student withdrew or was terminated, and any previous quarters completed.

C. The notice of cancellation must be in writing, and the last day of attendance will be the date of cancellation.

*  If a student withdraws during the second quarter, the school must use the “First Quarter” schedule unless the school can demonstrate that no significant educational change has occurred in the program as of the student’s last date of attendance. See the Student Disclosure Notice (BPSSD-114) on page 77 of GIA’s 2007 Education Catalog.

Example of Refund Calculation for Student Enrolled in Graduate Gemologist Program. Graduate Gemologist Program,$14,695 tuition paid, canceled enrollment during 15th week of program.GIA is entitled to application fee ($100), books and materials costs($1,280), and the cost of the portion of the course you completed(100% of the first quarter and 50% of the second), according to therefund policy above.

Refund Policy for Graduate Colored Stones, Graduate Diamonds at Night and Graduate Colored Stones at Night Programs

Refund Policy – Terms:

A. A student who cancels before the start date receives all monies returned with the exception of the non-refundable application fee.

B. Thereafter, a student will be liable for:

1. the non-refundable application fee, plus
2. the cost of any textbooks or supplies accepted, plus
3. tuition liability as of the student’s last date of physical attendance.

Tuition liability is divided by the number of terms in the program. Total tuition liability is limited to the term during which the student withdrew or was terminated, and any previous terms completed.

C. The notice of cancellation must be in writing, and the last day of attendance will be the date of cancellation.

Example of Refund Calculation for Student Enrolled in Graduate Colored Stones Program. Graduate Colored Stones Program, $9,700 tuition paid, canceled enrollment during the 5th week of the program.GIA is entitled to application fee ($100), books and materials costs($1,055), and the cost of the portion of the course you completed (70%),according to the refund policy above.

Mini-Program Refund Policy (Programs of 6 or fewer weeks in duration; includes Lab classes). If you or GIA cancel your enrollment,GIA will refund to you either all or part of your tuition payments according to the following refund schedule.

A. A student who cancels before the start date receives all monies returned with the exception of the non-refundable application fee.

B. Thereafter, a student will be liable for:

1. the non-refundable application fee, plus
2. the cost of any textbooks or supplies accepted, plus
3. tuition liability as of the student’s last date of physical attendance.

C. The notice of cancellation must be in writing, and the last day of attendance will be the date of cancellation. GIA will mail your refund to you within 30 days after receiving your written notice of cancellation.

Example of Refund Calculation for Diamond Grading Lab Class Enrollment. Diamond Grading class (35 hours total), $1,150 tuition paid, canceled after 1 day = 7.0 hours (7.0/35 = 20% completed). GIA is entitled to application fee and a portion of the cost of the class, according to the refund policy above.