Apply and enrol

Each academy on Alethris has its own website, and that is where you find its programmes. A programme is what you might call a course. Many programmes run in cohorts, which are groups of learners who start on the same day and move through the programme together, much like a class. Others are self-paced, and you start whenever you join.

You can read every page described here without an account. You need one only when you apply or enrol.

The Programmes page

The Programmes page lists every programme the academy publishes: "Every programme academy offers. Open one to see what it teaches, what it costs and how to join." Open a programme to see its page. When the academy publishes many, More programmes shows the next set.

Read a programme page

A programme page sets out what you need to decide, in this order. Each academy chooses its own design, so the layout varies, but the facts are the same.

• The fee and the way in. The top of the page states the fee and when the next cohort starts, with the button that starts your application or enrolment. The fee is one payment in full, with no instalments, and a free programme shows its fee as Free.
• What it asks of you. Its length, the number of lessons, the hours of taught material and the pieces of work you hand in.
• Is this for you. The level, such as "Written for beginners.", and how it is taught: online, in person or both, with a cohort or at your own pace.
• What you will be able to do. The programme's outcomes, each assessed through the work you hand in.
• Modules and lessons, in order. The syllabus. Where the academy summarised its lessons, Show what each lesson covers opens the summaries; when only some lessons have one, the control says how many, such as "Show what 4 of these 12 lessons cover".
• What counts as complete. The share of required lessons and assignments to finish, and of sessions to attend, and the credential (certificate) the programme awards, if any.
• When it runs. Every cohort, with its dates and whether it is open.
• How you get in. The steps from this page to your first lesson, with the next cohort, the closing date, the fee, the refund terms and, where the programme has one, how long your access lasts.

What the dates mean

Every date on a programme or cohort page is in the academy's own timezone, and each cohort says which one. A cohort has four dates that matter:

• Enrolment opens. The first day you can apply or enrol.
• Apply by or Enrol by. The last day and time to send an application or take a place. The label follows the cohort's own way in.
• Teaching starts. The cohort's first day. Depending on the academy, its lessons open on that day or as soon as your place is ready.
• Teaching runs. The cohort's first and last days.

Each cohort under When it runs carries one of five marks. Open means you can apply or enrol now. Waiting list means every place is taken but the cohort still takes applications: Join waiting list sends one, and the academy may offer a place that comes free. Full means every place is taken on a cohort you enrol on directly. Opens soon means enrolment has not opened yet, and its line gives the date it opens. Closed means the closing date passed before teaching started. A cohort already being taught is not listed.

A cohort's own page

Each cohort has a page of its own: choose its title under When it runs, or See dates on the card of a cohort you cannot join now. It shows:

• the fee for this cohort, which can differ from the programme's
• where the cohort stands, in a sentence such as how many days are left to join and when teaching starts, and on a wide screen a line from the day enrolment opens to the last day of teaching
• every meeting, week by week. Where you meet is sent to you once you have a place.
• the instructors and mentors who teach it, under "The person teaching it" or "The people teaching it"
• every other cohort of the programme that has not started yet, under Other dates

The syllabus is fixed for each cohort: "what you are taught does not change once you join."

When the page knows you

If you are signed in, the page offers your next step instead of a second application. You may see Continue your application for a draft you started, See your application for one you sent, See your offer when the academy has offered you a place, Complete payment when your place is held for payment, or Continue learning once you have a place, and no longer a date to apply by. If you have taken the programme before, the button reads Apply again or Enrol again: "A new place starts a fresh record."

When nothing is open

A programme with no open cohort says "No dates open right now" and "New dates appear on this page as soon as the academy opens them." A cohort that is full or closed says so on its page and points you to the other dates. Check back later, or choose another programme from the Programmes page.

Every programme has one way in, and the academy decides which. Some programmes take applications: you answer the academy's questions and the academy decides who joins. Others take direct enrolments, sometimes called registration: you take a place yourself, with no application to wait on. The button on the programme page tells you which it is.

Tell which way in a programme uses

A programme page states its way in beside the fee, or in the section on how you get in:

• By application. "You apply, and the academy decides who joins each cohort." The buttons read Apply for this programme, Apply for this cohort or Apply now.
• Direct enrolment. "You enrol yourself. There is no application to wait on." The buttons read Enrol on this programme, Enrol on this cohort or Enrol now.

A cohort's own page states its way in too, and the steps differ with it. By application, you answer the academy's questions, the academy reviews every application and decides who joins, and if you are offered a place you accept it and pay any fee. By direct enrolment, you choose a cohort if the programme has them, pay any fee, and your place is set up straight away.

Either way, your workspace opens once your place is ready. On a cohort, the academy decides whether lessons open as soon as you join or on the day the cohort starts; until then you can see the outline and the schedule.

Choose a cohort

When more than one cohort of a programme is open, the apply page begins with the choice: "Choose the one you want to join." Each cohort shows its dates, its closing date and, where it differs from the programme's, its fee. Choose a cohort to open its form. If you change your mind on the form, Choose another cohort returns you to the list.

When a single cohort is open, the button takes you straight to that cohort's form. A self-paced programme has no cohorts, so its form opens directly.

Enrol directly

To take a place on a programme that uses direct enrolment:

1. On the programme or cohort page, choose Enrol on this programme or Enrol on this cohort.
2. If you are not signed in, choose Create an account or Sign in. "Your place belongs to your Alethris account, where you pay for it and study." You come straight back to the form afterwards.
3. Read Your place and its fee, which states the fee and that it is paid in full on the next page, on your Alethris account. A free place shows Your place instead.
4. If the academy gave you a discount code, choose Have a discount code?, enter it and choose Apply.
5. Choose Enrol and pay followed by the fee, or Enrol when there is nothing to pay.

What happens next

A place with a fee is held for you while you pay, and you go to the payment page on your Alethris account. The payment page shows the date your place is held until. Nothing is charged when you enrol. A free place is set up at once, and Enrol takes you straight to the programme's workspace. While your place is set up, which usually takes a few seconds, the workspace reads "Setting up your place" with a moving bar, and the programme opens there on its own when it is ready; you do not need to reload. If it takes more than a minute or so, the workspace says "Your place is taking longer than usual": keep the page open, or choose Try again, and contact the academy if it has still not opened after a few minutes. The programme also appears under In progress on My learning in the Alethris Hub, and opens from there.

You hold one place on a programme at a time. While you have one, whether it is offered, waiting for payment or under way, the programme's buttons take you to it rather than offering a second place.

When it does not work

• "This one is no longer open for enrolment. Nothing was charged." The cohort filled up or closed while you were on the page, or the academy is not taking new learners at the moment. Return to the programme page to see the dates that are still open.
• "Your session has expired. Sign in again to continue." Sign in again and return to the form.
• "Enrolment could not be started. Nothing was charged — try again in a moment." Something went wrong on the way. Try again shortly.
• The cohort is full. A full cohort cannot be joined by direct enrolment, and its page says "This cohort is full". Choose another date. A full cohort that takes applications still accepts them: the academy decides who joins as places come free.

When a programme takes applications, you answer the academy's questions on its website and send your answers for the academy to decide on. Your answers save themselves to your Alethris account as you type, so you can stop and finish later. Once you send an application, it cannot be changed.

Before you start

Signed in to your Alethris account, the form keeps your answers on the account, takes your name and email from it, and the academy's decision reaches you there. If you are signed out, most academies let you apply with only your name and email address instead: see Apply without an Alethris account. To apply with your account from that page, choose I have an account.

An academy that takes applications only from account holders says "Create an account or sign in to apply" and offers Create an account and Sign in. You come straight back to the form afterwards. Below those buttons, the page lists every question the form asks, with the kind of answer each expects and which are optional, so you can prepare your answers before you begin.

Fill in the form

1. On the programme page, choose Apply for this programme, or Apply beside the cohort you want under When it runs. If more than one cohort is open, choose one. Where a cohort is full, its date reads Waiting list and its button Join waiting list, and its own page offers Apply for the waiting list. The form then says "This cohort is full. Your application joins the waiting list, and the academy may offer you a place if one comes free."
2. Read the academy's instructions at the top of the form, where it wrote any.
3. Answer each question. A required question is marked with an asterisk. The form does not ask for your name or email.
4. If the academy gave you a discount code, choose Have a discount code?, enter it and choose Apply.
5. Read The fee if you are accepted. It states the fee and that you pay it in full only if you are offered a place.
6. Choose Send application.

Answers that save themselves

As soon as you type an answer, the form starts a draft on your Alethris account and keeps it up to date. The line under the button shows how far you have got and whether your latest answers are saved: "Saving shortly", "Saving…" and then "Saved", beside a count such as "1 of 3 required answers". The form also says "Your answers are kept on your Alethris account until you send them."

You can close the page and come back. The programme page then offers Continue your application, with the note "You started an application on date. Your answers are saved."

If the line reads "Not saved yet — your answers are still on this page", your latest change has not reached your account. Keep the page open. After a dropped connection, the next change you make is saved, and Send application saves every answer before it sends. If an answer is not in the form its question expects, such as a web address that does not begin with http:// or https://, nothing more is saved until you correct it.

After you send

The page changes to "Your application has been sent", and the academy is told. The page shows your answers exactly as the academy received them, and "An application cannot be changed once it is sent." The academy tells you its decision either way.

One application for each cohort

You hold one open application, a draft or one waiting for a decision, for each cohort, or for a self-paced programme. Returning to the apply page resumes your draft, or takes you to the application you sent. You can apply for different cohorts of the same programme, one application each. Once an application is decided or withdrawn, you can apply again while a cohort is open.

When it does not work

• Answers are still needed. A required question is unanswered. The form lists each one under a line such as "2 answers are still needed", and marks the question "This answer is needed." Answer them and send again.
• "Your session has expired. Sign in again and your answers will still be here." Sign in again. Your saved answers are waiting.
• "You already have an application open for this. Open it from your Alethris account to see where it stands." You sent one already: open it from My learning, under Applications.
• An answer the academy did not accept. The form says which answer and why, such as a web address that does not begin with http:// or https://. Correct it and send again.
• "The programme has changed since you started this application, so it can no longer be sent as it is." The academy published a new edition while your draft waited. Contact the academy about applying again.
• "That was tried a few times in a row. Wait a moment and send again." Wait, then choose Send application once.
• "The application could not be sent. Nothing you typed is lost — try again in a moment." Try again shortly.
• The cohort has closed. The apply page says "Applications have closed" and lists the other cohorts still open. A draft for a cohort that has closed can no longer be sent.

For a discount code that is refused, see the Fees and paying guide.

An application form can ask you to upload a file, such as your CV, a portfolio or a certificate, and a choice question can let you answer in your own words with Other. Both work the same way whether you apply signed in or without an account.

Answer in your own words

Some choice questions end with Other. Choose it, and type your answer, up to 200 characters, in the box it opens. Left empty, Other does not count as an answer.

Send a file

A question may ask for a file, such as your CV. The line under it says what it takes, such as "One PDF or Word document, up to 10 MB."

1. Choose Choose a file and pick the file.
2. Wait while it uploads, "Uploading" with how far it has got, and then while it is checked, "Checking the file before it can be sent…". The line under Send application reads "A file is still uploading" until it is done.
3. The file is then listed by name and size. Choose Add another file if the question takes more, or the cross beside a file to remove it.

Send application waits for every file to finish. A file is refused with its reason beside it: "This question takes kind files. Choose a file of that kind.", "This file is larger than 10 MB. Choose a smaller one." or "This file did not pass the safety check. Choose another." Choose the cross to clear the message.

When a file goes missing

• "One of your files is no longer available, or has not finished its check. Remove it, upload it again, then send." The file was removed or is still being checked. Choose the cross beside it, upload it again, and send.
• "Confirm your email address again to upload files." Applying without an account, your confirmed address has run out. Confirm it again with a new code; your answers stay.

A file uploaded without an account waits for you for a day, and one on a half-finished application on your account stays with it until you send or remove it.

Most academies let you apply with only your name and email address. You confirm the address with a six-digit code the academy emails you, answer the academy's questions, and send them. You need an Alethris account only if the academy offers you a place, and the email about the offer explains how to get one.

Start an application without an account

An application without an account starts on the academy's apply page, under Your name and email.

1. On the programme page, choose Apply for this programme, or Apply beside the cohort you want.
2. Enter your Full name and Email address. The academy reads this name, and every email about your application goes to this address.
3. Choose Send me a code.

If you already have an Alethris account, choose I have an account and sign in instead. Your answers are then kept on your account as you type, so you can finish later on any device.

Confirm your email address with the code

The academy sends a six-digit code to the address you entered, in an email with the subject "Your code to apply to" followed by the academy's name. The page, now headed Enter the code, says the code works for 15 minutes.

1. Type the six digits into Code. A space between them does not matter.
2. Choose Confirm.

If no email arrives, look in your spam folder, then choose Send a new code. Only the newest code works. To apply with another address, choose Use a different email.

Answer the questions and send

Once the code is confirmed, the page reads "Applying as" with your name and address above the academy's questions.

1. Answer each question. A required question is marked with an asterisk.
2. If the academy gave you a discount code, choose Have a discount code?, type it into Discount code and choose Apply. The option appears only when the place has a fee.
3. Choose Send application.

The page then reads Application sent, and an email confirms that the academy has your application. The academy emails you at the same address when it decides, whatever it decides.

A question may ask for a file, or let you answer in your own words with Other: both work as in Send a file with an application. An uploaded file waits for you for a day; send the application before then.

Your answers are kept in the browser tab until you send them. Reloading the page keeps them, but closing the tab loses them. To change your name or address before sending, choose Change name or email: the new address needs a new code, and your answers stay.

A discount code without an account

A discount code works the same whether or not you have an account. The form checks it for the email address you confirmed, shows what it takes off the fee, and sends it with your application. A code kept for learners new to the academy is refused if that address already holds a place there. Once your address is confirmed, the form also shows your own fee beside a discount the academy is running.

If you are offered a place

An offer comes by email, because a place is taken up, paid for and studied on an Alethris account. Depending on the academy, the email either links to an account already made for you, where you choose a password, or asks you to create an account with the address you applied with. If you already have an account with that address, the offer is waiting in it.

When it does not work

• "That code is not right, or it has run out. Check the latest email, or send a new code." The code was mistyped, is older than 15 minutes, or a newer code has replaced it. Choose Send a new code and use the newest email.
• "Several codes have been sent to this address in the last hour. Use the latest one, or try again later." An address can be sent five codes an hour at one academy. Use the newest code you have, or wait.
• "Confirm your email address again to send the application. Your answers are kept." Too long has passed since you confirmed your address. Choose Send me a code again and confirm the new code; your answers are still there.
• "Confirm your email address again to use a code. Your answers are kept." Too long has passed since you confirmed your address to check a discount code. Choose Send me a code again and confirm the new code.
• "That code cannot be used with this email address. It is for learners new to this academy, or it has already been used." The address you confirmed already holds a place at the academy, or has used the code as often as it allows. Remove the code to send the application without it.
• "An application from this email address is already open for this. The academy will email you about it." You have already applied for this cohort with that address. Wait for the academy's email.
• The page asks you to create an account or sign in. This academy takes applications only from people with an Alethris account. Create one, or sign in, and you come back to the form.

Once you send an application, it has a page of its own on the academy's website. Its heading says where it stands, a timeline shows each step from sending it to taking your place, and a button offers whatever is yours to do next. You are also told in your Alethris inbox and by email when the academy starts reviewing it, puts it on the waiting list, offers you a place, turns it down, moves it to another cohort or closes it.

Find your application

You can reach your application's page in three ways:

• In the Alethris Hub, open My learning and choose Applications, then View application on its row. The row says "The academy has not decided yet." or that it is on the waiting list.
• On the programme's page, choose See your application.
• Open the notification you received about it.

What each status means

The page's heading names the status:

The timeline under Where it stands marks each step as done, current or still to come. After an offer, its last step follows your place: Accept your offer, with the time to accept it by; Pay to take your place; Your place is being set up; and finally Your place is ready, or Setting up your place did not finish if setting it up failed. If the place goes, because the offer was declined, withdrawn or not taken up in time, the step reads The place was released.

What to do next

The button on the page changes with the status. See your offer opens the offer on your Alethris account. Complete payment opens the payment page for a place you accepted. Continue learning appears once you have paid, or accepted a place with nothing to pay, and opens your workspace, unless setting up the place failed; while the place is still being set up, the workspace says "Setting up your place" and opens the programme on its own when it is ready. Apply again appears after an application was not successful, withdrawn or closed, while the programme is taking applications.

Beside the timeline, Your application shows the cohort and its dates, the day you sent it and Fee if accepted: the fee you would pay, with any discount your application holds. Once you are offered a place, it shows the offer's Fee. Under What you sent are your answers "Exactly as the academy received it. An application cannot be changed once it is sent."

The waiting list

An application on the waiting list has not been offered a place, but it has not been turned down either. The academy can still offer you a place later, or decide not to, and you are told either way. Nothing is asked of you while you wait, and you can withdraw at any time.

Moved to another cohort

The academy can move your application to another cohort of the same programme. You are told with "Application moved to another date": your answers are unchanged, and the academy still has the application to decide on. Its page then shows the new cohort.

Withdraw an application

You can withdraw an application while the academy has not decided it: when it has been sent, is being reviewed, or is on the waiting list.

1. On the application's page, choose Withdraw application.
2. Read the dialog: "Academy is told, and this application cannot be sent again. You can start a new one while a cohort is open."
3. Choose Withdraw application to confirm, or Keep it.

Once you have been offered a place, the application can no longer be withdrawn. Decline the offer instead; see Your admission offer.

When it does not work

• "This application has changed since the page opened. Reload the page to see where it stands." The academy made a decision while the page was open. Reload it to see the decision.
• "The application could not be withdrawn just now. Try again in a moment." Try again shortly.
• No row under Applications. My learning lists only the applications the academy has not decided yet. An offer appears under Offers instead, and the notification about any decision links to the application's page.

When an academy decides to accept your application, it makes you an offer of a place. The offer waits for you on your Alethris account, in the Hub, with the date it expires. Accepting it reserves the place and charges you nothing. If the place has a fee, you then pay it to take the place up.

Find your offer

You are told by email and in your Alethris inbox, with Review your offer. In the Hub, the offer also appears:

• on Overview, under Needs you, as "Reply to your offer for programme" with Open offer
• on My learning, under Offers, with View offer and the line "Expires date. Accepting does not charge you."
• beside My learning, under Deadlines, as "Offer expires date"

The programme's page on the academy's website also offers See your offer.

Read the offer

The offer page is headed with the programme's title and the status Awaiting your reply, and says "Academy has offered you a place. The offer expires on date, time and zone." The card names the academy and the cohort, the day the offer was made and the price. If a discount applies, the card shows the fee, the discount by name with the amount it takes off, and To pay. When a sponsor pays for the place, Price reads "Paid by sponsor".

Accept the offer

1. Open the offer.
2. Read the note under the card: "Accepting reserves your place. Nothing is charged until you complete payment." When there is nothing to pay, it reads "Accepting reserves your place. This programme is free.", or for a sponsored place, that the sponsor pays for it, "so there is nothing for you to pay."
3. Choose Accept offer.

If the place has a fee, you go straight to the payment page. The place is held until the date the offer would have expired, and the offer then reads "You accepted this offer. Your place is held until you complete payment." with Complete payment. If you do not pay by that date, the place is released and the offer's status becomes Expired.

If there is nothing to pay, the page shows "Setting up your place" and opens your learning as soon as it is ready, usually within a few seconds. A place that a sponsor pays for names the sponsor on the offer, and is set up the same way.

Decline the offer

1. Choose Decline.
2. Read the dialog: "The academy is told, and this offer cannot be reopened. Applying again later is always possible."
3. Choose Decline offer, or Keep it to go back.

Declining releases the place for someone else, and you return to My learning. You are also sent "Your place on programme has ended", which says the academy cancelled your enrolment: it is about the place you declined.

When an offer expires

An offer lasts for seven days from the minute the academy makes it, or until the cohort stops taking applications if that comes first. The page shows the exact time and its zone, such as "3:00 pm WAT". The email that brings the offer says so plainly: after that date "the offer lapses and the place goes to someone else." An expired offer reads "This offer expired before it was accepted." To try again, apply for an open cohort, or contact the academy.

Each status

When an academy withdraws an offer, you are told by email and in your inbox: "Contact the academy if you were expecting to take it up." You are also sent "Your place on programme has ended".

When it does not work

• "The admission offer has expired". The expiry date passed while the page was open. Apply again for an open cohort, or contact the academy.
• "The offer changed; reload and retry". The offer changed since you opened it, for example the academy withdrew it. Reload the page to see where it stands.
• "This offer does not exist, or it is not yours." You are signed in with a different account from the one you applied with. Sign out, and sign in with the account that sent the application.
• "Your place is taking longer than usual". Setting up the place has not finished. It appears on My learning on its own; if it has not after a few minutes, tell the academy.

There is no button to give up a place you have accepted but not paid for. If you do not pay by the date shown, the place is released.

When an academy accepts an application you sent without an Alethris account, it may have an account made for you with the email address you applied with. The account has no password yet. The email about your offer links to a page where you choose one, and then you are signed in and taken to your offer.

The email about your offer

The email comes from the academy, with a subject such as "Set up your account to take your place on" followed by the programme's name. It names the programme and the cohort, and under Accept by the date the offer lapses. It carries a Set up your account button, and the same link as text in case the button does not work.

Some academies ask you to create an account yourself instead. Their email has the subject "Create your account to take your place on" and the programme's name, with a Create your account button. Create the account with the address you applied with, confirm it from the email that follows, and your offer is waiting when you sign in.

Set up the account

1. In the email, choose Set up your account. The page Set up your account opens, with "Choose a password for" your address.
2. Check Full name. It holds the name you applied with; change it if you want academies to see another.
3. Choose a password of at least 12 characters, and type it again in Confirm password.
4. Tick the box to agree to the Alethris Terms of Service.
5. Choose Set up my account.

You are then signed in and taken to your offer, where you can accept the place. Opening the link from the academy's email proves the address is yours, so no further email confirmation is needed. From now on you sign in with that address and your new password, at this academy and any other.

How long the link works

A set-up link works once, for seven days. If the academy sends the email again, only the newest link works. The offer itself has its own deadline, shown under Accept by; an account that is never set up is removed once its offer has lapsed.

When it does not work

• "This link is no longer valid". The link has been used, has expired, or a newer email has replaced it. Choose Request a new link and enter the address you applied with: because the account has no password yet, you are sent a new set-up link rather than a password reset. You can also ask the academy to send the email again.
• You chose "Forgot password" instead. That works too. For an account that has never been set up, the email you receive has the subject "Set up your Alethris account" and a Set up your account button.
• "Passwords do not match." Type the same password in both boxes.
• "Agree to the terms of service to set up your account." Tick the box before choosing Set up my account.
• You arrive at the sign-in page instead of your offer. Your account is set up. Sign in with your address and the password you just chose, and you are taken on to your offer.

An academy can reserve a place for you directly, without an application. You receive an email headed "A place on programme is waiting for you", saying the academy "has reserved a place for you", with the button Take your place. The invitation is for the email address it was sent to, and only that address can take the place up.

The invitation says how the place is paid for: by a sponsor, such as an employer; by an arrangement you made with the academy directly; or by you, on Alethris.

Take up the place

1. In the email, choose Take your place.
2. If you are not signed in, the page reads "Academy has a place for you" and lists the programme, the cohort, the address it was Offered to and when it Expires. Choose Sign in to continue, or Create an account if this is your first programme. You return to the invitation afterwards.
3. Check the account you are signed in with, shown on the card, and the programme, cohort and expiry date.
4. Read the note about paying under the details.
5. Choose Take my place.

"Accepting enrols you and adds this academy to your Hub." An invitation can be used once. Beside the card, or above it on a phone, the page shows the academy's name and logo, so you can see who the place is with.

Whether you pay

The note under the details says whether there is anything to pay:

• Sponsored. "Sponsor is funding this place, so there is nothing to pay." When the sponsor is not named, it reads "This place is funded by a sponsor, so there is nothing to pay."
• Arranged with the academy. "The academy arranged this place with you directly, so there is nothing to pay on Alethris."
• Paid by you. "If the programme has a fee, you pay it on Alethris after taking the place. It is held for you for up to 7 days." Any discount the academy is running applies to the fee.

What happens next

When there is nothing to pay, the page shows "Setting up your place on programme" and "This takes a few seconds. We will open it as soon as it is ready." Your learning then opens.

When there is a fee, the page shows "Taking you to payment" and "The place is yours, and it is held for up to 7 days while you pay." The payment page that follows shows the exact date the place is held until; it can be sooner than seven days when the cohort stops taking enrolments first. If the fee is not paid by then, the place is released.

An invitation that is not taken up

There is nothing to decline. An invitation you do not use expires on its Expires date, and the academy can withdraw it before then. Either way its link stops working.

When it does not work

• "You are signed in as someone else". "The place on programme was offered to address and can only be taken up by that address." Choose Sign in as followed by the invited address, which signs you out of Alethris so you can sign in with it. To use a different address, ask the academy to invite that address instead.
• "This invitation is no longer valid". "It may have expired, been withdrawn, or already been used. Ask the academy to send a new one."
• "The cohort is full". Every place on the cohort is taken. Contact the academy.
• "This place is no longer available; ask the academy to invite you again". The programme or cohort no longer takes learners, or the sponsor is no longer available. Ask the academy for a new invitation.
• "You are already enrolled". You already hold a place on this programme. Find it on My learning in the Alethris Hub.
• "This academy is not taking new learners at the moment". The academy cannot add learners just now. Contact the academy.
• "The place could not be taken up. Nothing was lost — try again." Try again shortly.
• "Your place is taking longer than usual". The place is yours but setting it up has not finished. "It will appear in your Hub on its own; if it has not in a few minutes, tell" the academy.

A place on a programme goes through a few steps before you can study. An offered place must be accepted, a place with a fee must be paid for, and then Alethris sets the place up, which usually takes a few seconds. Until all of that has happened, the programme does not open. Its workspace says what it is waiting for instead, and My learning in the Alethris Hub shows your next step.

What the workspace says

If you open a programme whose place is not ready, the page names the reason and offers Back to My learning:

The payment notice states the amount: "amount is outstanding. The programme opens here as soon as your place is paid for." The cancelled notice adds "there is nothing to open and nothing to pay."

Your next step in the Hub

My learning groups every place by where it stands, and each group has its own filter:

• Offers lists offers waiting for your reply, with View offer and the date each expires.
• Awaiting payment lists places held for payment: "amount · your place is held until date. Nothing has been charged yet." Choose Pay to open the payment page.
• In progress lists places that are ready, with Open or Continue.

Beside the list, Deadlines shows what runs out first: "Offer expires date" or "Pay by date". The Hub's Overview repeats the same deadlines under Needs you.

While your place is set up

After you pay, or accept a place with nothing to pay, Alethris sets the place up and adds the academy to your Hub. The page you are on says so:

• an offer or an invitation shows "Setting up your place" and opens your learning when it is ready
• the payment page shows Paid: "Your payment has been received, and your place is being set up."
• your application's page shows the step Your place is being set up
• the programme's workspace, opened while the place is being set up (including straight after you enrol on a free programme), shows "Setting up your place" with a moving bar, and opens the programme on its own when it is ready; you do not need to reload

Once the place is ready, it moves to In progress on My learning, and you are told by email and in your inbox: "Your enrolment is active and your learning workspace is ready."

When setting up does not finish

If setting up takes much longer than usual, the offer or invitation page, or the programme's workspace, says "Your place is taking longer than usual". The place is yours, and it appears on My learning on its own; the workspace also offers Try again. If it has not opened after a few minutes, tell the academy.

If setting up fails, the payment page shows "Setting up did not finish": "Nothing is owed here. The academy can retry setting up your place, so contact them if your learning does not open." The programme's workspace says "Setting up your place did not finish" with the same words until the academy has done so, and your application's page shows the step Setting up your place did not finish in place of Continue learning.

A place that is ready but not started

A cohort's workspace can open before the cohort starts. Depending on the academy's choice for the cohort, its lessons open as soon as you join or on the start date. Until they open, the workspace's Home says "Lessons open on date." and you can still see the outline and the schedule.

The Learn page

The academy's installed app, and the address ending in /learn, opens your programme at that academy directly. If you study more than one programme there, it asks which: "Carry on with". If none of your places is ready, it says "No programme to open yet" and "A programme opens here once your place is active."

A self-paced programme has no cohort and no dates. You start as soon as your place is ready, nobody moves through it with you, and you set your own rhythm. Some programmes also have an access period: a number of days, counted from the day your place becomes active, after which the programme no longer opens. Both are stated on the programme's page before you join.

Recognise a self-paced programme

A self-paced programme's page describes how it is taught with the words "at your own pace: you start when you enrol and set your own rhythm." Where a cohort-paced programme gives the next start date, a self-paced one says you start when you enrol, and where the page describes its fee, it says "One payment, in full, when you enrol." There is no When it runs list of dates to choose from.

Join a self-paced programme

Joining works as it does for any programme, without the choice of a date. Apply for this programme or Enrol on this programme opens the form directly, and the summary beside it reads "Self-paced · you start when your place is ready".

• By direct enrolment, your workspace opens straight away, once any fee is paid and the place is set up.
• By application, it opens as soon as the academy accepts you and you take up the place, paying any fee.

Studying at your own pace

A self-paced workspace has no Schedule & sessions or My attendance page, because there are no live sessions to attend, and no cohort group. Lessons open in order: a lesson opens once every required lesson before it is complete. Optional lessons never hold you back. Nothing else waits for a date, so you can work as quickly or as slowly as suits you, within any access period.

The access period

A programme with an access period says how long it lasts before you join:

• on the programme page, among the facts in the section on how you get in: Access, "n days from joining"
• on a self-paced programme's apply or enrol form, beside the fee: Access, "n days from joining"

The period is counted from the day your place becomes active, which is when your learning opens, not the day you applied. A programme that shows no access period has none.

Before the period ends, Alethris reminds you by email and in your inbox: "Your access to programme ends on date. Finish any remaining lessons and assignments before then." The message offers Continue learning.

Once the period has ended, the programme leaves My learning, and its workspace says Your access period has ended: "This programme's access period has ended, so it no longer opens here. Your record of completed work remains on your account." Lessons you kept for offline are removed from the device.

Finishing before the period ends

The access period applies only while your place is still in progress. Once you have completed the programme, it is no longer affected: your finished programme stays on My learning, under Completed, where Revisit opens it again, or View credential opens the credential once the academy has issued it.

Studying the programme again

If your access has ended, or you finished and want to take the programme again, return to its page. Instead of the usual button it offers Enrol again or Apply again, with the note "You have taken this programme before. A new place starts a fresh record." A new place is joined in the usual way, including any fee, and its progress starts from the beginning.