Terms of Service

MITx Online Terms of Service:

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (“MIT”), acting through MITx Online, offers academic courses, programs, and services. Please read these Terms of Service ("TOS") and the MITx Online Privacy Policy and Honor Code prior to registering for an MITx Online Course or program or using any portion of the MITx Online website (“Site”), including accessing any course material, discussion boards, or other electronic services. These TOS, the Privacy Policy, and the Honor Code are agreements (the "Agreements") between you and MIT setting forth the terms under which you may access, and use the Site, and participate in any MITx Online offering. By using the Site, you accept and agree to be legally bound by the Agreements, whether or not you are a registered user. If you do not understand or do not wish to be bound by the terms of the Agreements, you should not use the Site. As used in this Terms of Service, "we," "us," and "our" refer to MITx Online.

We reserve the right to modify these TOS at any time without advance notice. Any changes to these TOS will be effective immediately upon posting on this page, with an updated effective date. By accessing the Site after any changes have been made, you signify your agreement on a prospective basis to the modified TOS. Be sure to return to this page periodically to ensure familiarity with the most current version of these TOS.

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DESCRIPTION OF MITx ONLINE:

MITx Online offers courses that may include opportunities for professor/instructor-to-learner and learner-to-learner interaction, individual assessment of a learner’s work and, for learners who demonstrate completion of the course and/or their mastery of subjects, a certificate of completion (fees may apply) or other acknowledgment.

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RULES FOR ONLINE CONDUCT:

You agree that you are responsible for your own use of the Site and for your User Postings. "User Postings" include all content submitted, posted, published, or distributed on the Site or related sites by you, including but not limited to all forum posts, wiki edits, notes, questions, comments, videos, and file uploads. You agree that you will use the Site in compliance with these TOS, the Honor Code, and all applicable local, state, national and international laws, rules and regulations, including copyright laws, any laws regarding the transmission of technical data exported from your country of residence, and all United States export control laws.

As a condition of your use of the MITx Online and Site services, you will not use the Site in any manner intended to damage, disable, overburden, or impair any MITx Online server or the network(s) connected to any MITx Online server, or to interfere with any other party's use and enjoyment of the Site. You may not attempt to gain unauthorized access to the Site, other accounts, computer systems, or networks connected to any MITx Online server through hacking, password mining, or any other means. You may not obtain or attempt to obtain any materials or information stored on the Site, its servers, or associated computers through any means not intentionally made available through the Site.

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YOU ARE STRICTLY PROHIBITED FROM POSTING THE FOLLOWING TYPES OF CONTENT ON THE SITE:

  • Content that defames, harasses, or threatens others;
  • Content that discusses illegal activities with the intent to commit them;
  • Content that infringes another's intellectual property, including, but not limited to, copyrights or trademarks;
  • Profane, pornographic, obscene, indecent, or unlawful content;
  • Advertising or any form of commercial solicitation;
  • Content related to partisan political activities;
  • Viruses, Trojan horses, worms, time bombs, corrupted files, malware, spyware, or any other similar software that may damage the operation of another's computer or property; and
  • Content that contains intentionally inaccurate information or that is posted with the intent of misleading others.

Furthermore, you agree not to scrape, or otherwise download in bulk, any Site content, including but not limited to a list or directory of users on the system, on-line textbooks, User Postings, user information, or videos. You agree not to misrepresent or attempt to misrepresent your identity while using the Site.

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USER ACCOUNTS AND AUTHORITY:

In order to create a user account ("User Account") and to participate fully in Site activities, you must provide certain information about yourself. You agree that you will never share access to or access information for your User Account with any third party for any reason. In setting up your User Account, you may be prompted to enter additional optional information (e.g., your address). You represent that all information provided by you is accurate and current. You agree to maintain and update your information to keep it accurate and current.

We care about the confidentiality and security of your personal information. Please see our Privacy Policy for more information about what information about you we collect and how we use that information

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YOUR RIGHT TO USE CONTENT ON THE SITE:

For the purposes of these TOS, the term “Site Content” includes all content posted to the Site, including but not limited to texts, exams, video, images, and other instructional materials provided in connection with the courses offered on the Site, as well as User Postings posted by other users.

Unless otherwise indicated, Site Content is protected by United States and foreign copyright laws, and you may engage only in personal, noncommercial use of the Site Content. You may not otherwise reproduce, retransmit, distribute, display, publish, commercially exploit or otherwise make available any Site Content in print, electronic, or any other medium. You may not record any portion of any course. Any additional presentation of any course or of materials derived from any course is also strictly prohibited.

Certain reference documents, digital textbooks, articles, and other information on the Site are used with the permission of third parties, and your use of that information may be subject to certain additional rules and conditions, which will be posted along with the information. By using this Site, you agree to abide by all such rules and conditions.

You agree to retain all copyright and other notices on any content you obtain from the Site. All rights in the Site and its content, if not expressly granted, are reserved.

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USER POSTINGS:

User Representations and Warranties. By submitting or distributing your User Postings, you affirm, represent, and warrant (1) that you have the necessary rights, licenses, consents, and/or permissions to reproduce and publish the User Postings and to authorize MITx Online and its users to reproduce, modify, publish, and otherwise use and distribute your User Postings in a manner consistent with the licenses granted by you below, and (2) that neither your submission of your User Postings nor the exercise of the licenses granted below will infringe or violate the rights of any third party. You, and not we, are solely responsible for your User Postings and the consequences of posting or publishing them.

License Grant to MITx Online. By submitting or distributing your User Postings, you hereby grant to us a worldwide, non-exclusive, transferable, assignable, sublicensable, fully paid-up, royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable right and license to host, transfer, display, perform, reproduce, modify, distribute, re-distribute, relicense, and otherwise use, make available, and exploit your User Postings, in whole or in part, in any form and in any media formats and through any media channels now known or hereafter developed.

License Grant to MITx Online Users. By submitting or distributing your User Postings, you hereby grant to users of the Site a non-exclusive license to access and use your User Postings in connection with their uses of the Site for their own personal, noncommercial purposes.

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CERTIFICATES OF COMPLETION:

Generally. We may offer a Certificate of Completion or other acknowledgment (a "Certificate") for students who, in our judgment, have satisfactorily demonstrated completion of the course and/or mastery of the course material. Certificates will be issued by and under the name of MITx Online. The decision whether a Certificate will be awarded to a given student will be solely within our discretion. We may choose not to offer a Certificate for some courses.

Subject to the foregoing, you will be required to pay the applicable certificate fee.

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ID VERIFIED PROCTORING:

You will be required to pay a fee and complete the ID verification process for verified Proctoring. In order to authenticate your identity for verified Proctoring, you will be prompted to take a webcam photo of yourself, as well as a photo of an acceptable form of photo ID (described below). Although these items are collected by MITx Online in accordance with these TOS and the Privacy Policy, you should be aware that the actual authentication of your identity is performed by a MITx Online third-party service provider and this information will be used only for the purpose of verifying your identity. Acceptable forms of photo ID’s are:

  • Government or State-issued driver's license
  • Passport
  • National ID card
  • State or Province ID card (including cards issued by motor vehicle agencies)

In order to be accepted by MITx Online, your photo ID must:

  • Contain your full name exactly (excluding hyphens, accents, and spaces);
  • Contain a relatively current photograph of yourself;
  • Be an original document; photocopied documents cannot be accepted; and
  • Be current and valid; expired documents cannot be accepted.

Unfortunately, if you do not possess a photo ID meeting the criteria described above, MITx Online is unable to validate your identity for ID verified proctoring.

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REGISTRATION, ENROLLMENT, PAYMENT, AND REFUNDS:

Registration process. In order to participate in a course, individual users must create (register) an account on the platform and also complete the course enrollment process. There is no cost to register an account.

Enrollment deadlines. The deadline for enrollment varies by course and will be posted in the course information. Please note that once enrollment has closed, no late enrollments will be granted.

Payment. Payment for the course is optional, though may be required to access some of the course materials and will be required to earn a Certificate. The deadline for payment varies by course and will be posted in the course information.

The processing of your payment information is done by a third party (“Vendor”) and you will be re-routed to a secure website to complete the payment transaction. You are responsible for paying all fees and any applicable taxes from any taxing authority. All payments shall be made in U.S. Dollars. The privacy statement posted at the payment landing page operated by Vendor will govern the submission and processing of your payment details. Please familiarize yourself with those terms prior to initiating a transaction.

Once your payment transaction is completed, you will be re-routed to an MITx Online confirmation page and will receive a confirmation email with your name, order number, and the payment amount. This email may originate from Vendor. Please retain this email for your records.

Refunds. Certificates and other purchases on the MITx Online Site may be eligible for a refund during the Refund Period. To request a refund during the Refund Period, unenroll from the course and submit a support ticket via mitxonline-support@mit.edu. Refunds will be credited to the payment account used for the purchase and may take up to two billing cycles to process. For more info, visit https://mitxonline.zendesk.com/hc/en-us. If the applicable Refund Period for a purchase has passed, but you believe a refund is warranted, please submit a support ticket via mitxonline-support@mit.edu.

Refund Period. To receive a refund with respect to your enrollment in the Certificate track of a course, you have a period of 14 days after your payment or 14 days after your course starts (up to six months after your payment) whichever occurs later. In any case the Refund Period will not be longer than 170 days after the date of your payment.

You will not be eligible for a refund for a course you have completed or have been awarded a Certificate for.

Entrance Survey. We may request you to provide some personal information via a short voluntary course entrance survey.

Coupon Codes. Any applicable coupon code must be entered at the time of Certificate purchase in order to receive a discount. No discounts can be applied after the purchase request has been submitted. Offers cannot be combined for additional discounts.

Transfers / Substitutions / Deferments. Admission and fees paid will not be deferred to a subsequent session, transferred to another course, or learner. If you determine you are unable to participate in a course, please review our Refunds policy.

No Other Enrollment. When you register for, take, or complete a course through MITx Online, you will not be an applicant for admission to, or enrolled in, any degree program of MIT. You will not be entitled to use any of the resources of MIT beyond the online courses provided on the Site, nor will you be eligible to receive student privileges or benefits provided to students enrolled in degree programs of MIT. You may not imply or state in any manner, written or oral, that MIT or MITx Online is granting academic credit for enrollment in these online courses. None of the courses offered through MITx Online award academic credit or degrees.

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TRADEMARKS:

Use of MITx Online Names, Trademarks and Service Marks. The MITx Online names, logos and seals are trademarks ("Trademarks") of MIT. You may not use any of these Trademarks, or any variations thereof, without MIT’s prior written consent. You may not use any of these Trademarks, or any variations thereof, for promotional purposes, or in any way that deliberately or inadvertently claims, suggests or, in MIT’s sole judgment, gives the appearance or impression of a relationship with or endorsement by MIT.

All trademarks not owned by MIT that appear on the Site on or through the services made available on or through the Site are the property of their respective owners.

Nothing contained on the Site should be construed as granting, by implication, estoppel or otherwise, any license or right to use any trademark or Trademark displayed on the Site without the written permission of its owner.

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DIGITAL MILLENNIUM COPYRIGHT ACT:

Copyright owners who believe their material has been infringed on the Site should contact our designated copyright agent at dmca-agent@mit.edu.

Notification must include:

  • Identification of the copyrighted work, or, in the case of multiple works at the same location, a representative list of such works at that site.
  • Identification of the material that is claimed to be infringing or to be the subject of infringing activity. You must include sufficient information for us to locate the material (e.g., URL, IP address, computer name).
  • Information for us to be able to contact the complaining party (e.g., email address, phone number). A statement that the complaining party believes that the use of the material has not been authorized by the copyright owner or an authorized agent.

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DISCLAIMERS OF WARRANTY / LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITIES:

THE SITE AND ANY INFORMATION, CONTENT, OR SERVICES MADE AVAILABLE ON OR THROUGH THE SITE ARE PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND (EXPRESS, IMPLIED, OR OTHERWISE), INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT, EXCEPT INSOFAR AS ANY SUCH IMPLIED WARRANTIES MAY NOT BE DISCLAIMED UNDER APPLICABLE LAW.

MITX ONLINE AND COLLABORATORS (AS HEREINAFTER DEFINED) DO NOT WARRANT THAT THE SITE WILL OPERATE IN AN UNINTERRUPTED OR ERROR-FREE MANNER, THAT THE SITE IS FREE OF VIRUSES OR OTHER HARMFUL COMPONENTS, OR THAT THE COURSES OR CONTENT PROVIDED WILL MEET YOUR NEEDS OR EXPECTATIONS.

MITX ONLINE AND COLLABORATORS ALSO MAKE NO WARRANTY ABOUT THE ACCURACY, COMPLETENESS, TIMELINESS, OR QUALITY OF THE SITE OR ANY COURSES OR CONTENT, OR THAT ANY PARTICULAR COURSES OR CONTENT WILL CONTINUE TO BE MADE AVAILABLE. “COLLABORATORS” MEANS MIT, THE ENTITIES PROVIDING INFORMATION, CONTENT, OR SERVICES FOR THE SITE, THE COURSE INSTRUCTORS AND THEIR STAFFS.

USE OF THE SITE, AND THE CONTENT AND SERVICES OBTAINED FROM OR THROUGH THE SITE, IS AT YOUR OWN RISK. YOUR ACCESS TO OR DOWNLOAD OF INFORMATION, MATERIALS, OR DATA THROUGH THE SITE OR ANY REFERENCE SITES IS AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION AND RISK, AND YOU WILL BE SOLELY RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY DAMAGE TO YOUR PROPERTY (INCLUDING YOUR COMPUTER SYSTEM) OR LOSS OF DATA THAT RESULTS FROM THE DOWNLOAD OR USE OF SUCH MATERIAL OR DATA, UNLESS OTHERWISE EXPRESSLY PROVIDED FOR IN THE MITX ONLINE PRIVACY POLICY.

User Postings Disclaimer. You understand that when using the Site you will be exposed to User Postings from a variety of sources and that neither MITx Online nor Collaborator are responsible for the accuracy, usefulness, reliability, or intellectual property rights of or relating to such User Postings. You further understand and acknowledge that you may be exposed to User Postings that are inaccurate, offensive, defamatory, indecent, or objectionable and you agree to waive, and hereby do waive, any legal or equitable rights or remedies you have or may have against MITx Online or Collaborators with respect thereto. Neither MITx Online nor Collaborators endorse any User Postings or any opinion, recommendation, or advice expressed therein. Neither MITx Online nor Collaborators have any obligation to monitor any User Postings or any other user communications through the Site.

However, we reserve the right to review User Postings and to exercise our sole discretion to edit or remove, in whole or in part, any User Posting at any time and for any reason, or to allow Collaborators to do so. Without limiting the foregoing, upon receiving notice from a user or a content owner that a User Posting allegedly does not conform to these TOS, we may investigate the allegation and determine in our sole discretion whether to remove the User Posting, which we reserve the right to do at any time and without notice.

Minors. The MITx site and MITx Courses are not intended for children under 13 years of age, and no one under age 13 may provide any personal information to us or through the Site. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under age 13. If you are under 13, do not use or provide any information on our Site or on or through our services. If we learn that we have collected personal information from a child under age 13, we will delete it.

Links to Other Sites. The Site may include hyperlinks to sites maintained or controlled by others. MITx Online and Collaborators are not responsible for and do not routinely screen, approve, review, or endorse the contents of or use of any of the products or services that may be offered at these sites. If you decide to access linked third party websites, you do so at your own risk.

TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, YOU AGREE THAT NEITHER MITX ONLINE NOR COLLABORATORS WILL BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR ANY LOSS OR DAMAGES, EITHER ACTUAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL, ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THESE TERMS OF SERVICE, OR YOUR (OR ANY THIRD PARTY'S) USE OF OR INABILITY TO USE THE SITE, OR YOUR PLACEMENT OF CONTENT ON THE SITE, OR YOUR RELIANCE UPON INFORMATION OBTAINED FROM OR THROUGH THE SITE, WHETHER YOUR CLAIM IS BASED IN CONTRACT, TORT, STATUTE OR OTHER LAW.

IN PARTICULAR, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, NEITHER MITX ONLINE NOR COLLABORATORS WILL HAVE ANY LIABILITY FOR ANY CONSEQUENTIAL, INDIRECT, PUNITIVE, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES, WHETHER FORESEEABLE OR UNFORESEEABLE, AND WHETHER OR NOT MITX ONLINE OR COLLABORATORS HAVE BEEN NEGLIGENT OR OTHERWISE AT FAULT (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, CLAIMS FOR DEFAMATION, ERRORS, LOSS OF PROFITS, LOSS OF DATA, OR INTERRUPTION IN AVAILABILITY OF DATA).

CERTAIN STATE LAWS DO NOT ALLOW LIMITATIONS ON IMPLIED WARRANTIES OR THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF CERTAIN DAMAGES. IF THESE LAWS APPLY TO YOU, SOME OR ALL OF THE ABOVE DISCLAIMERS, EXCLUSIONS, OR LIMITATIONS MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU, AND YOU MIGHT HAVE ADDITIONAL RIGHTS.

INDEMNIFICATION

You agree to defend, hold harmless, and indemnify MITx Online and Collaborators, and their respective subsidiaries, affiliates, officers, faculty, students, fellows, governing board members, agents, and employees from and against any third party claims, actions or demands arising out of, resulting from or in any way related to your use of the Site, including any liability or expense arising from any and all claims, losses, damages (actual and consequential), suits, judgments, litigation costs, and attorneys' fees, of every kind and nature. In such a case, MITx Online or a Participant will provide you with written notice of such claim, suit, or action.

MISCELLANEOUS

Termination Rights; Discontinuation of Courses and Content. You agree that we may, at our own discretion, terminate your use of the Site or your participation in it for any reason or no reason upon notice to you. You will not be entitled to a refund if we terminate your use of or participation in the Site or course for a material breach of any of these terms and you fail to cure such breach within 30 days of receiving written notice from us about the breach. We reserve the right at any time in our sole discretion to cancel, postpone, reschedule, or alter the format of any course offered through MITx Online Digital Programs, or to cease providing any part or all of the Site content or related services. If you no longer desire to participate in the Site, you may terminate your access at any time. The rights granted to you hereunder will terminate upon any termination of your access and right to use the Site, but the other provisions of these TOS will survive any such termination.

Entire Agreement. These TOS, the Honor Code, and the Privacy Policy together constitute the entire agreement between you and MITx Online with respect to your use of the Site, superseding any prior agreements between you and MITx Online regarding your use of the Site.

Waiver and Severability of TOS. Our failure to exercise or enforce any right or provision of these TOS shall not constitute a waiver of such right or provision. If any provision of these TOS is found by a court of competent jurisdiction to be invalid, the parties nevertheless agree that the court should endeavor to give effect to the parties' intentions as reflected in the provision, and the other provisions of these TOS shall remain in full force and effect.

Choice of Law/Forum Selection. You agree that these TOS and any claim or dispute arising out of or relating to these TOS or any content or service obtained from or through the Site will be governed by the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, excluding its conflicts of laws provisions. You agree that all such claims and disputes will be heard and resolved exclusively in the federal or state courts located in and serving Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S.A. You consent to the personal jurisdiction of those courts over you for this purpose, and you waive, and agree not to assert, any objection to such proceedings in those courts (including any defense or objection for lack of proper jurisdiction or venue or inconvenience of forum).

These terms of service were last updated in November 2023.

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