Important Note: Please ensure that you read the enrollment terms and conditions, and complete all sections of this application which are applicable. Applications that are not complete or unsigned will not be accepted.

1. Transfers of enrollment are only accepted for transfer into currently scheduled cohort. Transfer candidates may choose to enroll in either the Online or In-Person Diploma programs. In some cases, dependent upon the remaining Units the candidate needs to complete, the candidate will take courses and exams scheduled in more than one cohort.

2. Transfer candidates will be charged a prorated tuition for the Units that have yet to be completed by the candidate. A transfer administrative fee of $250 will be applied to the prorated tuition. Candidates have the option of making payment for the entire tuition in-full at the time of registration or to make payments on an agreed upon payment plan schedule (payment plan options should be discussed with the Diploma Advisor and are granted on a case-by-case basis dependent on course timing and registration deadlines).

3. If a transfer candidate has already completed a Unit course but has not taken the corresponding exam for that Unit at their previous APP, the transfer candidate may sit just the exam for that Unit with the Napa Valley Wine Academy and not the full course. The candidate must provide proof of completion of that Unit’s course of study at their previous APP, otherwise the candidate will be required to enroll in the Napa Valley Wine Academy’s course for that Unit. The candidate will pay only the exam fee in this case, which will be added to the prorate amount of the other Units remaining for the candidate to complete their Diploma. The above applies to any exam retakes the candidate needs, with the candidate required to pay only the exam resit fee.

4. Candidates who request a transfer of enrollment to the WSET Level 4 Diploma in Wines & Spirits program at Napa Valley Wine Academy are required to submit a completed Diploma APP Transfer Form. This form will be made available to the candidate upon request of transfer. The candidate is solely responsible for ensuring the Diploma APP Transfer Form is reviewed and signed by the candidate’s previous APP Main Contact. Completed Transfer Forms must be returned to Napa Valley Wine Academy before the registration deadline for the first Unit in which the candidate wishes to transfer. The candidate must also provide their Diploma Record of Achievement, which they can request from their previous APP or the WSET directly.

5. Any administrative, course, and/or exam fees the candidate has already paid to the previous APP or the WSET are not transferrable to the Napa Valley Wine Academy Diploma program fees and tuition. No credits or refunds will be issued to a candidate by the Napa Valley Wine Academy for fees and/or tuition already paid to another APP or the WSET. The candidate is also solely liable for any and all fees charged by their previous APP that are associated with transferring enrollment.

1. Vacancies are allocated strictly in the order that complete and valid application forms are received. An application form without the initial payment of $2,100 or invoice request will be invalid and no course enrollment/exam booking will be made unless the full initial payment has been received prior to any deadline set or all vacancies being filled.

2. All applications will be automatically registered and confirmed for a place in the exam(s) taking place in Napa, California as outlined above under “Your Exam Dates.” Any applicant who wishes to postpone their exam(s) will be required to pay an administration charge of $ 75 USD per exam (for requests made before the relevant exam registration deadline) or the full exam retake fee (when request is made after the registration deadline, subject to price changes from WSET in the UK), which may be subject to change according to the relevant academic year fee schedule. Candidates who have already taken and passed an exam will not be permitted to retake the exam. Candidates who have not successfully passed the exam may retake it as many times as required to achieve a pass grade, although candidates must do so within their allotted 3-academic year program window. For any exam registrations made outside of the 3-year program window, a WSET re-registration fee will apply. Candidates who have postponed their exam(s) will still follow the same study program of the intake or academic year of the original registration, including class sessions, WSET Feedback Tests and all related study support.

3. If a candidate is unable to attend a session, no make-up session will be available for the WSET® Level 4 Diploma in Wines & Spirits Course, except in exceptional cases in which Napa Valley Wine Academy, at its sole discretion, will make the final decision on whether or not a candidate is permitted to make up the particular session(s). This is subject to said session(s) being available and still fit the schedule leading to the registered exam. Any individual session change will incur an administration charge of $175 USD per session. No requests will be processed without a proper written request, payment in advance and written confirmation from Napa Valley Wine Academy that a makeup session can be arranged. [Note: Make-up sessions for the WSET® Level 4 Diploma in Wines & Spirits course are generally not permitted].

4. Candidates requiring special examination conditions because of dyslexia or other medical reasons must submit their request at the time of their application to Napa Valley Wine Academy. Such requests must be supported and verified by a medical doctor’s certificate or similar document.

5. Napa Valley Wine Academy reserves the right to change the published prices of its program or materials or cancel courses or examinations if necessary.

6. Once an application form for the WSET® Level 4 Diploma in Wines & Spirits course has been received, no cancellation of the application will be permitted and any course fees (including any exam fees) will be forfeited.

7. (Only applicable to 1st year students) Napa Valley based candidates are required to pick-up their study materials on or after the start date of the course, subject to availability, which may be affected by international delivery. Candidates should check with Napa Valley Wine Academy that their study materials are available before arranging pick-up. Candidates picking up their study materials are required to check the items in the study pack carefully against the packing list prepared by Napa Valley Wine Academy. Candidates are required to sign their name on the study materials pick up list to confirm receipt of the materials. Once a candidate has signed the list, no subsequent claim of missing or incorrect study materials will be entertained under any circumstances.

8. (Only applicable to 1st year students) For candidates residing outside of the Napa Valley, study materials will be posted by courier (FedEx or UPS with tracking and required signature), after the successful registration into the course, to the mailing address as indicated on the application form. Candidates are required to check the items in the study pack carefully against the delivery list prepared by Napa Valley Wine Academy. If there are any missing or incorrect study materials, candidates should inform Napa Valley Wine Academy by the deadline indicated on the delivery list. No subsequent claim of missing or incorrect study materials will be entertained under any circumstances after the deadline indicated on the delivery list.

9. Overseas candidates (registered with non-US mailing address) will need to pay a one-time non-refundable postage fee of $200 USD at the time of applying for the WSET® Level 4 Diploma in Wines & Spirits course. The fee will include postage of study materials by courier, and exam results by registered post, for the 3-academic year Diploma program.

10. Any candidate who requests to defer their WSET® Level 4 Diploma in Wines & Spirits [both Unit Course(s) and the related exam(s)] to a subsequent enrollment or academic year for any reason whatsoever will generally not have their request accepted except in very exceptional cases and with the agreement of Napa Valley Wine Academy. Even if accepted, this will only be possible if there are any vacancies in the subsequent intake or academic year. Such instances will be evaluated on a case-bycase basis. Should Napa Valley Wine Academy agree to such an exceptional case, the candidate will be required to fill in the WSET® Level 4 Diploma in Wines & Spirits Deferral Request Form available from Napa Valley Wine Academy and the completed form MUST be returned to Napa Valley Wine Academy together with the payment proof of an administration charge of $500 USD plus ANY RELEVANT charges/ fees resulting from this deferral arrangement as stated in paragraph 2. All course deferral requests MUST be submitted to Napa Valley Wine Academy for approval BEFORE the commencement of the last (in-class or online) session of the relevant Unit Course(s) in accordance with of the candidate’s original application intake, regardless of the study mode which the candidate has previously enrolled. Napa Valley Wine Academy may, at its sole discretion and without giving reasons, reject any application for deferral of the Unit course(s). The administration charge will be refunded should the request for deferral be rejected. Please note that NO refund request of paid WSET® Level 4 Diploma in Wines & Spirits course fees will be accepted under any circumstances. Should Napa Valley Wine Academy accept any deferral request, the candidate will have to purchase any new course materials if WSET® has changed the version of the materials since the candidate’s original application. Please note that it is the CANDIDATE’S responsibility to ensure that they have the study materials relevant to the exams they will be sitting in the event of any deferral. Napa Valley Wine Academy accepts NO responsibility whatsoever for candidates who endeavor to take an exam based on outdated study materials. The candidate will also be required to pay any new exam fees due to any change in exam fees since the candidate’s original application.

11. No deferral requests will be valid without a proper written request through a WSET® Level 4 Diploma in Wines & Spirits Deferral Request Form available from Napa Valley Wine Academy, payment of the administration charge in advance, and written confirmation from Napa Valley Wine Academy that the deferral has been granted.

12. (Only applicable to 1st year students) Candidates who have not passed the WSET® Level 3 Awardin Wines(and Spirits) exam and do not have the results of any recently sat Level 3 Awardin Winesexam MORE THAN 3 weeks before the application deadline of a WSET Level 4 Diplomain Wines & Spirits intake will be considered as not qualified for that particular intake and their application will not be processed under anycircumstances.

13. Once an application for the WSET Level 4 Diploma in Wines & Spirits has been received, any transfer to another program/intake, or to another applicant, will not be permitted under any circumstances.

14. Napa Valley Wine Academy must be notified in writing within seven days of the examination date where special consideration is being requested using the “Request for Special Consideration” form available from the exam officer. Eligibility will only be considered if accompanied by supporting independent documentation. Where a candidate is unable to attend an examination due to recent personal illness, accident or bereavement, WSET® Awards & Napa Valley Wine Academy will endeavor to transfer the candidate to an alternative examination date at no extra cost, provided that a “Request for Special Consideration” form and supporting documentation has been submitted to the exam officer . If a candidate is unable to attend an examination for which they have been registered due to circumstances outside their direct control, they should notify the exam officer as soon as possible, and complete the “Request for Special Consideration” form submitting written 3rd party evidence to support their application. Failure to attend due to work commitments does not qualify for “special consideration”.

15. All courses and examinations are subject to minimum numbers. Napa Valley Wine Academy reserves the right to cancel courses and/or examinations if there is an insufficient number of students.

16. Minimum numbers of fully paid students are required for a particular course, including Intensive In-Class Program and Online Learning Programs, to run. If upon reaching the application deadline, there are insufficient students to run a particular course or program, that course or program will be canceled and a full refund will be arranged for those students who have already paid. Students must note that refunds can take six to eight weeks to process. Faculty who teach the WSET® Level 4 Diploma in Wines & Spirits course are highly experienced and qualified professionals and, therefore, it is very difficult to find a replacement educator for a particular lesson if the scheduled instructor is ill or for any other reason unavoidably unable to teach the lesson that day. For this reason, there may be the very rare occasion whereby a class will be canceled in which case it will be re-scheduled to a date and time at the absolute discretion of Napa Valley Wine Academy. Napa Valley Wine Academy will make every effort both to keep such occasions to an absolute minimum and to reschedule to a date and time as convenient to the majority of students as is possible. It must be noted, however, that NO REFUND will be made to ANY student who is unable to attend the rescheduled lesson for whatever reason.

17. It is a WSET® requirement that candidates show proof of Identification with a valid government-issued photo ID on the day(s) of the in-class course and the examination. Candidates will not be permitted to take part in the course or exam if they are unable to produce a valid form of ID.

18. In accordance with the WSET® Diploma Examination Notice, candidates are responsible for their glasses and spittoon for the tasting papers of WSET® Level 4 Diploma in Wines & Spirits exams. Cleanliness of the glasses and the spittoon and their storage is entirely the responsibility of candidates. Napa Valley Wine Academy will not entertain any requests whatsoever UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES for the loan or storage of either glasses or spittoons for WSET® Level 4 Diploma in Wines & Spirits examination purposes.

19. Examination results will be posted EXCLUSIVELY registered mail to the mailing address as indicated on the application form. If no mailing address is provided, candidates will be contacted to collect the exam results at Napa Valley Wine Academy. Please note that examination results WILL NOT be passed to candidates by phone or fax under any circumstances and will ONLY be sent to the enrolled student and WILL NOT be shared with employers, spouses, family members, or any other individuals.

20. If an organization requests an invoice for a place on a course for one of its employees and that employee, at any time subsequent to the invoice being created, leaves the organization’s employ, for whatever reason, the organization which requested the invoice remains liable to pay the full course fee.

21. Please note that the WSET® Level 4 Diploma in Wines & Spirits course is 100% non-refundable and non-transferable. You are enrolling in the WSET® Level 4 Diploma in Wines & Spirits course offered by Napa Valley Wine Academy and in doing so you are committing to completing the Diploma level in its entirety during the dates selected. You have also agreed to make the full payment of Tuition for the selected course of study and exams regardless of your attendance. No refunds will be issued as registration for this course is limited. No transfers to another session will be permitted.

22. In the event you have any overdue invoices or tuition payments with Napa Valley Wine Academy, we will NOT be able to issue you any exam results until such outstanding payments are settled. Furthermore, we reserve the right to deny your participation in any course days or access to online course materials until such outstanding payments are settled.