the Forge by LevelUp

Refund & Cancellation Policy.

LevelUp Edu Pvt Ltd

One policy for every Forge program. Read this before you pay. It is short, it is direct, and it is exactly what our admissions team follows for every cohort, every time.

01Scope

This Cancellation and Refund Policy applies to every applicant and participant of the Forge Residency Programs, which include the Forge AI Residency, the Forge Creator Residency, the Forge Filmmaking Bootcamp, and the Forge Writing Retreat ("the programs"), operated by LevelUp Edu Pvt Ltd ("LevelUp", "we", "us", "our"). By submitting an application or making any payment towards a program, you accept this policy in full. This policy, together with our Terms and Conditions, forms the complete agreement on payments, cancellations, refunds, and deferrals for every program and every edition. No verbal assurance by any person, including members of our team, modifies this policy. Only a written exception issued by LevelUp does. This policy applies regardless of who makes a payment on a participant's behalf, including family members, employers, or companies.

02Application fee

The application fee for each program is stated at the point of application. It covers processing of your application and books your admissions interview slot. It is separate from the program fee and is non-refundable, with one exception: if LevelUp rejects your application, the application fee is refunded in full to your original payment method within 7 to 10 working days of the decision.

The application fee is not refunded if you withdraw your application, miss or cancel your interview, leave your application incomplete, stop responding to the admissions team, or choose not to proceed after being accepted. Applications that remain incomplete or unresponsive are treated as withdrawn.

03Seat confirmation payment

If you are accepted, you confirm your seat by paying the confirmation amount stated in your acceptance communication, typically 20% of the total program fee. Cohorts are capped and seats are limited. When you confirm, we hold a seat for you and turn other applicants away. For this reason the confirmation payment is strictly non-refundable under all circumstances, including but not limited to:

• Change of mind or change of plans
• Work, business, or schedule conflicts
• Travel, transport, or visa issues
• Medical situations or personal emergencies
• Not attending part or all of the program, or leaving mid-program
• Removal from the program for breach of our code of conduct

04Balance payment

The remaining program fee is due within 7 to 14 days of seat confirmation. The exact due date for your cohort is communicated to you in writing by the admissions team and may be earlier than 14 days where your edition begins sooner. In every case, the full program fee must be received before your program begins. If you are on an approved EMI or instalment plan, the schedule communicated at confirmation applies instead.

An extension of the payment deadline may be requested but is granted solely at the discretion of the admissions team, based on factors that include seat availability for that edition. An extension is a courtesy, not a right. If the balance is not received by the due date and no extension has been granted in writing, LevelUp may release your seat to another applicant and cancel your participation. Amounts already paid are not refunded.

05No refunds, in full and in part

Except for the single case described in Section 02, all payments made towards a program are final and non-refundable. This applies to the application fee, the seat confirmation payment, part payments, EMI instalments already paid, and the full program fee, including any taxes paid on these amounts. Non-attendance, late arrival, early departure, dissatisfaction with any aspect of a program, or removal for conduct does not create a right to a refund, credit, or set-off.

06EMI and financing

Where a fee is paid through an EMI or financing arrangement, your obligations to the financing provider are governed by their terms and continue independently of this policy. Cancellation of your participation for any reason does not cancel instalments due, and instalments already paid are not refunded. Missed instalments may result in cancellation of your seat without refund of amounts already paid.

07Deferrals and transfers

Seats in the programs are not deferable and not transferable to another person. As an exception, the admissions team may, at its sole discretion, permit a transfer of your enrollment to a later edition of the same program. Every transfer, if approved, requires payment of a transfer fee. The following slabs are the indicative minimum, calculated on the total program fee:

For this table, the program start date means the first scheduled session of your edition, whether online or in person. A transfer takes effect only once the transfer fee is paid. If the future edition has a higher fee, the difference is payable by you. The final transfer fee, the decision to approve a transfer at all, and the destination edition remain at the sole discretion of the admissions team and are subject to seat availability in the future edition. A maximum of one transfer is permitted per participant. Amounts already paid, less the transfer fee, are adjusted against the future edition's fee. A transfer never converts into a cash refund, including if you later withdraw from the edition you transferred into.

08Cancellation, postponement, and changes by LevelUp

LevelUp may postpone or reschedule the dates of an edition, or change its venue, at any time. In that case your enrollment and all payments automatically apply to the revised dates or venue. If you cannot attend the revised dates, you may request a transfer to another edition at no transfer fee, subject to seat availability. A postponement, reschedule, or venue change does not create a right to a refund.

If an edition is cancelled outright by LevelUp, or cannot run due to events beyond our reasonable control, including natural events, government action, or other force majeure, participants will be offered a transfer of their enrollment to a future edition at no transfer fee. LevelUp is not liable for travel, accommodation, or any other costs you incur in connection with a cancelled, postponed, or rescheduled edition.

09Chargebacks

Raising a chargeback or payment dispute on any amount covered by this policy, instead of writing to us first, is a breach of this agreement. We contest such disputes with the record of your acceptance of this policy at the time of payment.

10Exceptions

Any refund or waiver outside this policy may be made only at the sole discretion of LevelUp Edu Pvt Ltd, is documented in writing, and applies only to the specific case for which it is issued. No such exception creates a precedent.

11Questions and grievances

Write to forge@leveluplearning.in or reach the team on WhatsApp. We respond within 5 working days.

12Governing law

This policy is governed by the laws of India. Any dispute arising from it is subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Chennai, India. LevelUp reserves the right to update this policy at any time. Changes take effect when published on this page and apply prospectively.