General Terms and Conditions
This document states the General Terms and Conditions of INEX-Verein zur Förderung von
Bildungschancen (hereinafter referred to as “INEX“ or “International Network for Educational
Exchange“), a non-profit association registered in Vienna, Austria (ZVR Zahl 772782111). The Terms
and Conditions as outlined below will remain valid until publication of a new version and supersede any
other published policies pertaining to these terms.
YOUR USE OF ANY OF INEX’ SERVICES (including the use of the INEX website) CONSTITUTES YOUR
AGREEMENT TO ALL TERMS, CONDITIONS, AND NOTICES CONTAINED HEREIN AND ON THE OFFICIAL
INEX WEBSITE (www.inex.org).
GENERAL POLICIES
Admission
INEX works with Sending Institutions regarding the collection of applications and sending students to
INEX programs. The Sending Institution is confirmed the right to rank the applications according to its
academic standards. The nomination of students is effectuated by INEX staff by carefully evaluating
their credentials and admission standards. Selection for most INEX programs is done after the referring
application deadline or within a predetermined time span after application. The nomination mode used is
determined in the referring application details section of the INEX website.
INEX reserves the right to reject an applicant for any reason. INEX encourages students to apply as
early as possible to ensure a spot in their desired program as well as in order to have enough time to
prepare for the trip (including finding a suitable flight to the location of the program).
In cases where INEX receives qualified applications in excess of capacity, INEX will create a waitlist of
applicants and propose participation in another upcoming program. Incomplete applications will usually
not be considered. In waitlist situations, INEX favors applicants from INEX partner institutions who have
an outstanding personal essay, grade report, and supportive evaluations.
INEX does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, sexual orientation, religion, age, marital status,
national and ethnic origin, or disability. After selection INEX informs all applicants whether they have
been accepted for a program or not. In case of such a nomination of an applicant, he or she receives a
notice in writing (normally as email, printed letters are generally not sent out) stating that he/she has
been nominated. Nominations are usually sent out by INEX until two weeks after the application
deadline of a program or within one week after the individual application depending on the nomination
mode used in the specific program. The INEX Withdrawal or Deferral Refund Policy (see below) applies
from the moment of submitting the Online Application. In case that, for any reason, NO online
application is submitted by the student, the INEX Withdrawal or Deferral Refund Policy applies from the
moment of submission of any other form of application documents (e.g. handing in printed documents at
the international office of the home institution, emailing application documents to INEX, etc).
In case a student has been nominated for the stated program preference but cannot attend, a written
deferral request (preferably per email) has to be received by the INEX Head of Program Development at
least 30 days before beginning of the program to which the students has been accepted for. The student
can then communicate a second Program preference in which INEX staff will try to accommodate the
student. If the student cannot be placed in another INEX program, the student has to withdraw from the
program. In any case the INEX Withdrawal or Deferral Refund Policy applies.
Late Arrival to a Program
Students are expected to be present from the first day of the program. Starting and ending date of a
program can be viewed in the program-related section at the INEX website (www.INEX.org). In
extremely rare cases, there may be valid reasons for a student to arrive late. Permission for such
arrangements can only be granted by the INEX Head of Program Development and only upon receipt of
a written request from the appropriate officer at the student’s home institution. In no case are such
arrangements authorized by any other parties.
Early Departure
All students are required to remain at the program location until the final program date (published on the
INEX website), and to complete and turn in all academic work, including examinations and papers, prior
to departure. Any student who leaves prior to the end of the program, or who fails to complete and turn
in all required academic work, risks receiving a failing grade in all of his or her courses.
The INEX Executive Program Manager will only consider a student’s petition for early departure if it is
based on a serious medical emergency involving the student him/herself, or on an emergency involving
one or more close family members. Executive Program Managers can only very rarely grant exceptions
to this policy, and then only for truly extraordinary reasons.
Program Cancellation
If an emergency requires a program to be canceled after its starting but prior to the originally scheduled
end of the program, INEX will make every reasonable effort to make alternative arrangements in order
to allow students to complete their academic work.
If alternative arrangements cannot be made, INEX will make every reasonable effort to collect
documentation of student work completed to date. INEX will share this information with the home
institutions of students enrolled in the program so they will be able to decide whether to grant their
students full or partial credit for work completed.
Exceptions
During the program, any student who feels there is a justification to request an exception to any INEX
policy should address the request in writing to the Head of Program Development. Individual instructors
are not authorized to grant exceptions to academic policies. The Executive Program Manager may
recommend that an exception be granted, in which case the Head of Program Development makes the
decision.
Drugs and Alcohol Violations
Penalties for drug violations in many host countries are often harsher than in the home country of a
student. Use of illegal drugs can result in expulsion from the program, as well as possible criminal
prosecution. Remember that students traveling abroad are subject to the laws of the country they are
visiting – their own country’s laws do not protect them. The home governments can only seek to ensure
that their citizens are not discriminated against, that is, that they receive the same treatment as citizens
of the country in which they are arrested who are charged with the same offense.
Alcohol Policy
Students are subject to the laws of the host country and any policies and regulations of the host
university. Alcohol abuse by students is viewed by INEX as a serious violation of the terms of
participation and will be treated accordingly. There are degrees of abuse, as follows:
Consumption of alcohol that causes a student to miss class or be unable to participate fully in a
classroom activity is considered alcohol abuse. At first instance, a warning will follow. If there is a
second instance, the student’s home institution and parents may be notified, and counseling may be
required. Repeated instances may result in suspension or expulsion from the program, or a
recommendation of reduced or no credit. Consumption of alcoholic beverages that results in loud,
disruptive, or offensive behavior according to local norms, is more serious. Any infraction will result in a
warning and notification of the home institution. A second instance may, at the discretion of the
Executive Program Manager, result in immediate expulsion from the program. Consumption of alcoholic
beverages which results in any of the following is the most serious degree of alcohol
abuse:
• Loss of consciousness or vomiting
• Destruction of property or abusive behavior
• Endangerment of self or of others
• Admission to a hospital or emergency room
• Treatment for alcohol poisoning
• Incarceration
Any instance of these circumstances or other circumstances of equivalent severity may, at the discretion
of the Executive Program Manager, result in immediate expulsion from the program.
Dismissal from the Program
Participants are expected to comply with regulations established by INEX, their home universities and
the host institution. Resident staff may establish additional requirements that are essential to the
students’ achievement of their educational goals or to continuing good relations with the Host University
or community. Resident staff may dismiss from the program any student who does not comply with the
relevant regulations and requirements. The Local Program Manager or the Executive Program Manager
warns participants if they are not acting in compliance with program regulations. Participants are
expected to take responsibility for changing their behavior or risk early dismissal and consequent loss of
time, money, and academic credit. INEX will not grant participation fee refunds to students who are
dismissed from their programs.
ACADEMIC POLICIES
Program participants are governed by three sets of policies:
• Policies set by INEX for INEX programs.
• Policies set by the host institution.
• Policies set by the student’s home institution.
In the case of conflict among these three sets of policies, the more stringent policy shall apply in every
case, except where otherwise stated in the materials that follow. In most cases, the home institution
grants students credit following their successful completion of coursework abroad. Nomination of
students is generally done by INEX. It is the sole responsibility of the student to become familiar with all
policies and with any more demanding policies that may be imposed by his/her home institution. It is
also the sole responsibility of the student to obtain complete information concerning how academic work
completed overseas is assessed by the home institution, and how credit is counted towards the
student’s degree program.
Course Loads, Credits, Equivalencies, and Grades
Students on INEX academic programs are required to take a full course load as offered by each
program. INEX evaluates course offerings at host institutions, on a case-by-case basis, that report the
workload of courses usually on a basis other than the ECTS system. Final authority for the published
credit equivalency rests with the INEX Head of Program Development. Final authority for awarding of
credit to an individual student rests with the appropriate authority at the student’s home institution.
In general, a block of fifteen 45-minute sessions is equivalent to one semester hour of credit. ECTS
credit points take the complete required time for completion of the course (also described ad work load)
into consideration. Usually, 2 to 4 ECTS points are equivalent to the course load of a two-semester-hour
course taken at an INEX program but depend on the specific course offered and completed by a
student. The student, with his/her home institution, must negotiate credit for internship activities and
independent study projects. Grades are awarded for student performance using a U.S. system of letter
grades, a host-country system of letters, numbers, and/or descriptors, or a combination of these
methods. INEX or the host institution provides a suggested U.S. letter grade if requested by a
participant. Determination of the final grade based on the documentation provided by INEX is at the
discretion of the student’s home institution. The student’s home institution may or may not post grades
earned overseas to the student’s transcript.
Grade Transcripts for Academic Courses
All students of INEX academic programs receive an official grade transcript of the receiving university
upon completion of the academic course program. Grade transcripts are sent, along with other
supporting documentation from the host institution (when available), to the home institution of the
participant or the INEX office in Austria, and then forwarded to the participant. The grade transcript
usually lists the student’s name, name and dates of the program attended, each course studied, hours
of instruction, grade given and a grade conversion chart. Normally the transcripts also bear additional
information for easier accreditation of the courses at the home university of INEX students.
Students typically receive grade transcripts from INEX approximately four to ten weeks after the
program ending date. Grade transcripts are not released when participants have outstanding financial
obligations to INEX or to the program site, or have not fulfilled all program parts. Students interested in
learning what grades they earned, after the end of their programs abroad, must request this information
from their home institutions, or can send a request in writing to the Executive Program Manager.
In case participants require copies of the grade report, requests must be made to the INEX Head of
Program Development in writing. The INEX Head of Program Development and the Head of
International Relations are the only people who are authorized to release student’s final grades.
Course Work
All course work MUST be turned in directly to the lecturer unless the student has received other explicit,
documented instructions to the contrary. Students are required to keep hard copies of all of their
assignments (every major paper or take home examination) until after their grades have been reported
to their home institutions – electronic copies can only be used to supplement the hard copy versions of
the work. Individual professors do not have the final authority to extend deadlines, make special
arrangements for students, or otherwise modify the INEX academic policies. Any special arrangements
tentatively proposed by professors must be submitted to the Executive Program Manager on site for
review and final approval. It is each student’s responsibility to understand all local regulations governing
completion of work and departure from the program site. If you are not sure…ASK! The INEX Head of
Program Development is the only person authorized to approve exceptions to these policies.
Attendance
Class attendance is required throughout the program. Students may not arrive late to, or leave early
from, the academic program. Students may be excused from class only with the permission of the
Executive Program Manager.
Students who miss class for medical reasons must inform the Executive Program Manager. Students
who do not attend all classes regularly will receive a warning. Continued absence may lead to dismissal
from the program. Students are not permitted to travel away from the program site while classes are in
session. Weekend travel or travel on days without academic program is permitted but has to be agreed
upon with the Executive Program Manager.
Withdrawal from a Course
Students can withdraw from courses without penalty. In this case either no grade, or a negative/failed
grade, is given to the student and no credits will be issued. No refunds will be given for not attended
courses.
Academic Honesty
INEX requires that students exhibit the highest standards regarding academic honesty. Usually two
important principles are considered when defining and demanding academic honesty. These are both
related to the fundamental tenet that one should not present the work of another person as one’s own.
The first principle is that final examinations, quizzes and other tests must be done without assistance
from another person, without looking at or otherwise consulting the work of another person, and without
access to notes, books, or other pertinent information (unless the professor has explicitly announced
that a particular test is to be taken on an “open book” basis).
The second principle is that any use of the work of another person must be documented in any written
papers, oral presentations, or other assignments carried out in connection with a course. You do not
need to document facts that can be considered general knowledge. The general rule is that if you have
to look something up, or if you learned it recently either by reading or hearing something, you have to
document it. A third principle that applies specifically to course work is that the same written paper may
not be submitted in two classes. Nor may a paper for which you have already received credit at the
home university be submitted to satisfy a paper requirement while studying overseas.
Appeals
During the program, any student appeal related to INEX academic policies should be addressed to the
Head of Program Development. Any appeal of a policy or decision taken by the student’s home
institution must be addressed directly to authorities at the home institution.
An appeal arising after the conclusion of the program should be addressed to the INEX Head of
Program Development. The Head of Program Development, after consulting with the student’s home
institution, adjudicates appeals and approves these determinations. The Head of Program Development
may, at his/her sole discretion, convene an appeal board to consider a particular case.
If a student believes the grade reported for a specific course is either in error or unfair, the student must
initiate an inquiry or appeal by sending an email to the Executive Program Manager. Participants have
six months from when grades are forwarded to their home institution to file an appeal.
PARTICIPATION FEES AND PAYMENT POLICIES
Participation fees
INEX publishes participation fees for each program in the program section of the INEX website
(www.inex.org). Participation fees are published as soon as they are available, which is usually at least
two months prior to the end of the application period.
Payment of INEX Participation Fees
Participants are billed after nomination to an INEX program. Through nominating students, INEX
accepts an applicant for the INEX program of his/her preference. Students do not need to confirm
nomination. The complete participation fee is due from the date of nomination. The INEX Withdrawal or
Deferral Refund Policy (outlined below) applies. Nomination notifications are sent directly to the
students’ email address (as indicated on the application form). When transferring the amount due, the
student has to cover all bank charges that may apply (or otherwise subsequently pay them on site to
INEX staff on site).
Due Dates
Participants are responsible for maintaining their own accounts. If a parent or other designee will be
managing payment of fees on behalf of the participant, it is the participant’s responsibility to ensure that
all invoices and other billing information are forwarded appropriately. The participation fee must be paid
in full within one week after nomination and payment confirmation should be submitted. After nomination
further information is collected upon the students personal details to accommodate her/his needs during
the program. The due dates herefore are communicated accordingly.
Exclusion from Participation
Any participant who fails to pay in full until 30 days prior to the advertised arrival date may be subject to
exclusion from participation at the discretion of INEX. Notification of exclusion for non-payment may also
be delivered at any time during the program, but students will receive a late payment notification before
any action to exclude is taken.
Late Fees and Interest
Any participant who fails to have the participation fee transferred to INEX in full until 30 days prior to the
start of a program will be charged a Euro 100 late fee and is required to immediately submit payment for
all remaining fees in full. Grades will not be transmitted for any student for whom an unpaid balance
remains. Returned transfers and declined credit card payments will be considered as failure to make the
payment.
Withdrawal or Deferral Refund Policy
Withdrawal before the advertised program starting date
Generally the Withdrawal or Deferral Refund Policy does not depend on or change due to the reasons
for the request. If written notification of withdrawal or deferral of an applicant is received by INEX prior
to the student being nominated for a program, no fees will have to be paid by the applying student. If
the student does NOT get accepted and NOT gets nominated by INEX, the student can withdraw his/her
application at no cost for the student. If the student gets accepted and nominated by INEX, he/she can
withdraw his/her application but is subject to the terms stated below (withdrawal after nomination). If
written notification of withdrawal or deferral of a student is received by INEX after nomination, 80% of
the participation fee will be refunded, while the student has to cover all banking charges. The remaining
20% of the participation fee will not be refunded by INEX. In cases where payment has not yet been
received by INEX, 20% of the participation fee is due and has to be paid until the advertised starting
date of the program at the latest. This also applies in any case when the student has been nominated,
even if a student has submitted an application (online or by handing in application documents) and does
not show up for the program or fails to hand in further documents. Requests for program deferral to a
different program are only accepted until 30 days prior to the advertised start of the program. In the case
of deferral for a nominated participant (if request is received after the application deadline or nomination
trough INEX), 20% of the participation fee must be paid for that term, but may be applied towards future
participation on this or another INEX academic program within the next 12 months.
Withdrawal on or after the advertised program starting date
If written notification of withdrawal for a nominated participant is received by INEX on or after the
advertised program starting date, the following refund policy applies:
• Withdrawal on or up to one day after the advertised program start – 50% refund
• Withdrawal at any time after this – full amount due, no refund
This policy applies no matter if the student attends the first days of the program or not. Withdrawals
always have to be presented in writing either to the Executive Program Manager of the program or the
Head of Program Development.
Programs Types
The Withdrawal or Deferral Refund Policy applies for all types of INEX programs.
Program Cancellation
INEX reserves the right to cancel an INEX program due to insufficient enrollment or other factors
beyond its control. In case of program cancellation, participants are provided with alternative program
options or are given the option to defer participation to another term. If the student does not opt for an
alternative program or a deferral, INEX refunds the complete participation fee paid until that point by a
student. Additional fees (eg for bank transfers or late fees) and other costs (eg for insurance taken,
flights booked or any other objects/services) will not be refunded by INEX.
Notes:
1. In the case of a refund, the refund is automatically sent to the billed party except in some
circumstances involving financial aid, unless the participant notifies INEX otherwise.
2. Cancellations and deferrals are effective only upon the date written notification is received by INEX.
Students must also notify their home institution directly if they plan to cancel, withdraw, or defer.
Questions regarding home institution policies should be directed to the home institution, not to INEX.
Home institutions’ payment policies are separate from INEX’ payment policies, and students will be held
to both sets of policies.
3. The 20% of the participation fee are non-refundable.
4. The program starting date is the advertised arrival date, which usually coincides with the first day of
orientation for each term.
5. INEX withholds final grades when participants have outstanding financial obligations to INEX or the
program site.
Please direct all questions regarding participant accounts to the Head of Program Development or via
email to f.babinsky@inex.org.
