Gain a qualification from the comfort of your own home Bhaktivedanta College offers a dynamic, convenient way to learn. Under the motto “Swift access towards lifetime success!”, the Online Faculty provides innovative, easy-to-access programmes, focussing on the relevance of ethics and spirituality today. The vibrant online community includes 3,500 registered users from 90 countries.
Online classes give you the opportunity to earn your degree in a way that fits your schedule and your lifestyle. Complete this checklist to help decide if studying online would be an option for you.
If you answered ‘Yes’ to most of these statements, then studying online could be for you!
Lectures are recorded and are accessible 24/7, so students from all parts of the world can access them at their own conveniance, anytime and anywhere. Even if there are webinars for some of the modules they will be recorded for later.
Another option is to postpone the studies for a later date which is also possible only during the first week of the course. For more info on postponing, please follow this link.
After 7 days, if we don’t get any statement from the student, it is considered that s/he has taken the course and refund or transferring is not possible anymore.
Those who need to or want to take the whole course again at a later time can do so after following the second attempt or attendance policy.
Those who started their studies before November 26th 2015 fall within the old refund policies:
If students who sign up for a particular online module or complete program are unable to take up the module due to some unavoidable circumstance, they should communicate with the online course administrator via email. During the first week of any online module it is possible to request transfer to the same module on the next scheduled delivery, free of charge. Changes after seven days are not possible without paying administrative fee of 50% from the tuition fee of a particular module. In general full program payments (Bhakti Sastri) are not refundable since they are discounted.
We will give a 100% refund on cancellations in the first week of the course. We will give a 30% refund if after the first week you decide you don’t want to continue for any reason. After the first week we can discuss a refund, or transfer you to a later course under special circumstances, such as illness. It is our policy to extend the greatest possible flexibility to students under these circumstances.
If a student gives up on taking the module or course for which s/he registered, s/he should inform our secretary latest 7 days from the beginning of the module/course to either get a refund or be transferred to its next scheduled delivery. In case of those who enrolled for full Bhakti-sastri course or combo of courses, a refund is possible only at the beginning of the first module/course from the combo.
After 7 days, if we don’t get any statement from the student, it is considered that student has taken the course and transferring is not possible anymore.
Postponing of a module/course can be made for two consecutive deliveries. In the case of full Bhakti-sastri or combo of courses, this applies to each module/course. After that, new full payment for that particular module/course is required in order to get enrolled in it.
These policies are valid for online courses only. Onsite courses, or those which have an onsite component, have different policies in place.
For any successfully finished online module student can get the printed copy at home address. To get the certificate via snail mail, one should:
Students who have to (second attempt) or want to (second attendance) take a course or exam for the second time can do so with the administration fee. The administration fee is set to 25% of the original price of the course.
If a student is just submitting the missing parts of the assessment, from the moment we confirm the acceptance of the fee the student has 2 weeks timeframe to do it and inform our secretary about it.
This second attempt policy does not apply to students of the Introduction to Yoga Philosophy (IYP) course. More info on the second attempt policy for the IYP course is available in the ‘Assessment and Certification’ section of the module.
IMPORTANT: in the box ‘Special instructions’ on the Paypal payment page you MUST write your BCOC username and course/module name for which you are re-taking the exam.
If a student strongly disagrees with the mark assigned by the tutor for any of the components (which are not automatically marked by the system), s/he can ask for the monitoring procedure:
1. another BC tutor in the role of a monitor marks the component and suggests the change to the original tutor
2. if monitor and tutor agree on the mark (new one or the same), that mark is final
3. if monitor and tutor do not agree on the mark, external monitor is invited to mark the component and that mark is final
A student cannot put another complaint about monitor’s or external monitor’s mark as these marks are final.
For extension of the deadline for taking the final exam, a tutor can approve maximum 2 weeks of extension based on reasons student provide in the extension form. It is not possible to give the extension for weekly assessments, but only for final assessment/s. This doesn’t apply to Introduction to Yoga Philosophy course which doesn’t have a final exam, but only weekly assignments. Extension form is available upon request and it should be sent by email directly to the secretary. The extension request must be sent AT LEAST 3 DAYS IN ADVANCE of the deadline.
Requests for an extension are considered by the tutor, who will only grant an extension if there is a good basis for it. Claims should be accompanied by a valid medical certificate or other valid certified evidence. The tutor should agree and confirm the new deadline date for the student by email. Failure to do the final assessment before the deadline calls for the application of ‘Second attempt’ policy.
Examples of Acceptable Evidence in Support of an Extension
Medical
Extensions will only be granted in exceptional circumstances. We are unable to make allowances for minor illnesses. You are expected to plan your work and allow leeway to cope with minor misfortunes. Notes/letters from a doctor or nurse stating that the illness/ailment ‘may have an impact’ or which state ‘the patient informs me’ will not normally be accepted as valid evidence.
Practical Problems
The tutor will not take account of events such as car breakdowns, public transport delays, and computer breakdowns. For a submission deadline or an exam, you must allow extra time in the case such things happen. It is up to you to back up work on your computer.
One exception is a failure of Bhaktivedanta College Online Campus web-site. However, the failure has to be substantial, very close to the deadline, and documented by our technical department.
Other Obstacles
Students can face other obstacles while preparing for taking the final exam. If that is the case, it is up to the tutor to decide if the reason given by the student is acceptable for granting the extension or not.
You will find a commitment to providing you with extraordinary convenience, online tools and resources, and the opportunity to achieve your educational goals. You can count on an attractive and challenging curriculum in a supportive learning environment.
On average, we have about two dozen students per class.
Courses are open to anyone, anywhere in the world.
Each Bhakti-sastri course runs once a year and you can start with any of it. Bhaktivaibhava Course also runs once a year.
Other courses run multiple times per year:
– ISKCON Disciple Course – 3 times
– Bhakti Yoga for Beginners – 2-3 times depending on interest
– Thematic Bhagavad Gita – 2 times
Do not worry about technical skills – if you can handle e-mail then you’re ready to go.
Yes, if you feel you can manage. However, if you haven’t studied at the university level before or for a long time, you may wish to start with one course to get familiar with the way of studying.
More questions? Contact us. We aim to respond to queries within forty-eight hours.
You can enroll for any future course at any time. For the courses which already started, you can enroll 7 days into the course. If you are not able to enroll untill then, please contact our secretary to explain your situation and try to arrange later registration.
The list of all forthcoming courses is here.
Course materials are made accessible in batches on weekly basis. Students have the freedom to organize their time within each week at their own convenience – they can study at any time of the day, any day of the week, but also follow the deadlines given by the teachers.
After successfully completing the Bhakti Sastri program (six modules) students get Bhaktivedanta College electronic certificate and, if they desire, VTE diplomas. Students of other courses can receive a digital certificate of attendance upon request. For a hard copy, please follow the instructions available here.
No, all materials are included in the course. In some courses the online course notes are available for purchase in book form, but this is for convenience only and is not a necessity.
You can register up to one week into the course. To register, please go to Bhaktivedanta College Online Campus, create a user account, choose the course you wish to attend and pay via PayPal for the automatic registration. If you don’t have a PayPal account, please contact our secretary who will give you instructions on how to make a bank transfer.
Check your spam folder and if it’s not there, please contact our secretary.