Policies & Procedures

1. Ordering and enrollment

You can order securely online 24 hours a day. After you click Complete Order and your payment goes through, you are automatically enrolled in your course. Your username and password arrive by email within about 5 minutes. If you don't see it, check your spam, junk and promotions folders.

When you order, please enter the student's own name, mailing address and contact information. Fraudulent use of a credit card will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

2. 3-day money-back guarantee

We want you to feel confident in your purchase. If you are not satisfied, you can cancel your order for a full refund within 3 business days of purchase.

How to request a refund

1. Contact us within 3 business days through our contact page or at 1-877-348-6692.
2. We confirm that you have not accessed the course materials or taken an exam.
3. We issue a full refund, which usually arrives within 3–10 business days.

3. Payment options

• Credit cards: Visa, Mastercard, Discover and American Express.
• Debit cards: most major debit cards.
• Affirm: pay over time with Affirm financing, subject to Affirm's approval.
• Company checks: required for purchase orders over $1,000. Contact us for instructions. Program access begins once the check clears.

We do not accept personal checks, wire transfers or money orders. All programs must be paid in full before your certificate is released.

Billing name: payments are processed by our parent company, the National Exercise & Sports Trainers Association, and appear as NESTA on your statement.

4. Payment plans

Many programs offer a 6-month payment plan with no credit check. If a plan is available, you will see it on the program page and at checkout.

• Automatic billing: your card is charged every 30 days until the program is paid in full. We email you a reminder before each charge.
• Plan details: each program page lists the monthly amount, the number of payments and the total. Plans include a one-time $30 processing fee.
• Exam access: you can study right away, but the exam unlocks only after all payments are received. Your certificate is released once the program is paid in full.
• Discounts: coupon codes and special offers cannot be applied to payment plans.
• Missed payments: if a payment fails, your program access will be suspended. Payments already made are not refunded.

Payment plan payments are non-refundable and non-transferable. To avoid interruptions, keep a valid card on file with enough funds for each billing date.

5. Discounts and pricing

Prices are as listed at the time of purchase. We cannot apply a sale, coupon or special offer to a program you have already bought, and we cannot issue credits or price adjustments after purchase. Bundles and special offers marked as excluded cannot be combined with other discounts.

6. Exams and retest fees

Each certification requires passing an online exam with a score of 70% or higher. Your enrollment includes three exam attempts. If you do not pass by your third attempt, you can purchase three more attempts for $95. Retest fees are non-refundable.

7. Certificates

• Digital certificate: free for every graduate, ready to download and print after you pass your exam.
• Printed certificate: free within North America, mailed with an official seal in about 2–4 weeks.
• International shipping: available for an additional fee. Contact us for a quote.

We are not responsible for postal delays or lost mail once a certificate leaves the U.S. Postal Service.

8. Certification renewal

Most Spencer Institute certifications are lifetime credentials and never need renewal.

These six certifications must be renewed every two years:

• Sleep Science Coach
• Wellness Coach
• Master Wellness Coach
• Corporate Wellness Coach
• Holistic Life Coach
• Longevity Coach

To renew, complete 2.0 CEUs (20 hours) of approved continuing education and pay a $75 renewal fee for each certificate. If you hold more than one of these certifications, one set of 2.0 CEUs counts toward all of them. You can renew during the 90 days before your expiration date. If you renew after your expiration date, a late fee applies per application ($25 for 1–30 days, $50 for 31–60 days, $95 for 61–90 days late). See the full certification renewal process and the list of approved CEU courses.

9. Administrative fees

Extra documentation outside normal customer support, such as a certification copy, verification letter or transcript, costs $25. Graduates with lifetime certifications can request an updated certificate showing lifetime status from Student Support. The digital certificate is free; a printed certificate is $25.

10. Transfers, exchanges and discontinued programs

• No transfers or exchanges: programs cannot be transferred to another person or exchanged for a different program.
• Discontinued programs: we cannot replace course materials for programs that are no longer offered. Your certification is still honored, but a lost or stolen certificate for a discontinued program cannot be replaced.
• Digital files: we are not required to replace lost or stolen downloaded files.

11. Gift certificates

• Redemption: gift certificates can be used toward eligible programs on spencerinstitute.com. Any unused balance is saved to the recipient's account as store credit. If an order costs more than the gift certificate, the balance must be paid by card.
• Expiration: recipients have up to five years from the issue date to redeem a gift certificate.
• Limits: gift certificates cannot be used to buy other gift certificates, and cannot be resold, transferred for value, redeemed for cash or applied to another account, except where required by law.
• Risk of loss: the risk of loss passes to the purchaser once we send the gift certificate electronically or hand it to the carrier. We are not responsible for gift certificates that are lost, stolen, destroyed or used without your permission.
• Fraud: if a fraudulently obtained gift certificate is used, we may close the related accounts and bill other forms of payment.

12. Student records and privacy

We will not discuss your account with anyone but you unless you give us written permission. To help graduates with employment, we may confirm to an employer that you are a member or graduate, unless you ask us to seal your records.

We will never release the following to anyone other than you:

• Your contact information, such as email, address or phone number
• Your exam scores
• Your payment information
• Your student history

You can opt out of verification and seal your records at any time by contacting customer service. From time to time, we send emails about new programs, workshops and special announcements. You can unsubscribe at any time.

For how we collect and use information on our websites, see the NESTA Privacy Policy, which also covers the Spencer Institute.

13. Graduate testimonial drawing rules

Each month, we draw one graduate who shared their story to win $75 USD. NESTA and Spencer Institute graduates are both eligible.

• How to enter: submit a short testimonial and a photo of yourself with your new certificate on our testimonial page. Entries must include both.
• Entries per month: you can submit one entry for each unique certificate per month. Each certification you earn and submit is another chance to win.
• Deadline: entries close at 12:00 PM Pacific Time on the last day of each month.
• Winner: one winner is chosen at random each month.
• Prize delivery: U.S. winners receive the prize by Zelle. International winners receive a Tango Card Reward Link, which can be redeemed for a variety of global e-gift cards and rewards.
• Featuring your story: by entering, you agree that we may share your testimonial, name and photo on our website and social media.
• Changes: NESTA may modify, suspend or end the drawing at any time without notice.

14. Online learning terms

By logging in to our online learning system, you confirm that you have read and agree to these policies.

15. Code of ethics and limitation of liability

When you order any Spencer Institute or NESTA educational or business program, you agree to follow the NESTA and Spencer Institute Code of Ethics. You certify that the information you give us is true, complete and correct. If any of it is later found to be false, the Spencer Institute may revoke any certification or certificate granted on that basis.

Spencer Institute certification does not certify or guarantee the quality of your work as a certified professional. You agree to indemnify and hold harmless the Spencer Institute, its officers, directors and staff from any claims arising from negligence, omission or faulty advice you give to clients as a Spencer Institute-certified professional. The Spencer Institute is not responsible for any actions or damages arising from your work as a certified professional.

Under no circumstances shall the Spencer Institute be liable for any losses or damages whatsoever, whether in contract, tort or otherwise, from the use of the information provided in our business development programs, educational products or consulting services. For purposes of this section, the Spencer Institute includes the National Exercise & Sports Trainers Association (NESTA), of which the Spencer Institute is a division, and its divisions, subsidiaries, successors, parent companies, employees, contractors, partners, principals, agents and representatives, and any third-party providers or sources of information or data.