10 Must-Have Disclaimers for Any Online Course Terms and Conditions
Are you selling an online course? You MUST include these crucial disclaimers in your online course terms and conditions to protect yourself as a course creator.
Creating an online course is a lot of hard work, and you can now finally sell it, but if you’re anything like me, you want to ensure you don’t run the risk of having to discontinue your course (or get sued). As a lawyer myself who drafts terms and conditions for course creators like you, I am giving you all the crucial disclaimers you must include in your online course terms and conditions to safeguard yourself and your business.
You will learn about the crucial disclaimers you need in your online course terms and conditions, including niche-specific disclaimers for your online course terms and conditions template, so you’ll have all the protections you need in your training course terms and conditions template.
After learning about all these essential disclaimers, you will avoid major risks and simply enjoy the fruits of your hard labour.
This post is all about the key disclaimers for your online course terms and conditions to protect against major risks and lawsuits.
Crucial Online Course Terms and Conditions
The must-have disclaimers for your online course terms and conditions template
1. Errors Disclaimer
The first crucial disclaimer for your online course terms and conditions is a disclaimer for errors.
You’re human, and the world changes by the second, so you can’t guarantee that all the information in your course will be perfect and completely up-to-date.
That is why you need a disclaimer that protects you from being held responsible for any mistakes, inaccuracies or outdated information in your course content.
2. Access disclaimer
The next key disclaimer for your online terms and conditions is an access disclaimer.
Online courses are digital and, thus, by their very nature, not completely in your control. At any time, your students can have trouble accessing your course for various reasons:
Downtime in your servers
Problems with your hosting platform
Technical issues with any software used for your online course
Your student does not have the appropriate technology or an internet connection to access your course
That is why you need an access disclaimer that ensures that you are not responsible for access issues stemming from any of these issues.
It’s essential for managing the expectations of your students and to reduce your liability.
Without this disclaimer, a student might hold you responsible for technical difficulties (e.g., the course being unavailable due to server downtime) and even ask for (monetary) compensation for the time they were not able to access your course. You could lose money over this!
3. Description Disclaimer
Your course descriptions on your website or your social media are meant to give a general overview of your course, but they can’t give a complete view of your entire course. So, based on your descriptions, your students may not get exactly what they expect.
Also, you will likely update and revise your course over time to improve the course.
Without a proper disclaimer, students could claim that they feel misled and demand refunds or file complaints.
A comprehensive description disclaimer ensures your students understand that your course descriptions on your website or your social media do not guarantee the content or outcomes of your course and that, over time, your course will change and evolve (and they can’t make any claims against you).
4. Incompatibility Disclaimer
Not every student who buys your course will have the same skill level, capabilities, or commitment, and some are just not destined to finish your course.
However, you are not a university reviewing applications, and it should not be your responsibility to ensure everyone who buys your course meets the requirements for your course.
That is why your online course terms and conditions must include an incompatibility disclaimer stating that limits your liability by making it clear that students are responsible for ensuring they meet the course’s requirements and expectations.
5. Professional Relationship Disclaimer
Another risk you need to protect yourself from is that certain customers who buy your course may think that, by buying the course, they get you. They may mistake it for having a professional-client relationship with you as their professional advisor.
But you’re not becoming their personal financial advisor, business consultant, coach, therapist or anything else related to the subject of your course.
To protect yourself from such misunderstandings (and the legal complications and future liability that come with that), you must include a specific professional relationship disclaimer in your online course terms and conditions.
The disclaimer should state that purchasing or using the course does not establish any professional or legal relationship between you and the student.
That way, it’s clear that purchasing or using your course does not create a coach-client, lawyer-client, or therapist-client relationship, which is important for avoiding future liability.
6. Professional Advice Disclaimer
That brings me to the next closely related disclaimer for your online course terms and conditions disclaimer.
Not only are you not the student’s advisor, but you’re also not giving your students individual advice (although the course content may seem that intimate).
That is why you must include a professional advice disclaimer stating the following:
The course is for informational and educational purposes only.
It is not professional advice and should not be relied upon as a substitute for professional services.
7. Product Availability Disclaimer
The great thing about an online course is that you can sell it to anyone anywhere in the world from all kinds of backgrounds.
The downside of that is that certain students may not have access to those products in their specific location. Or, maybe a certain product gets discontinued.
That is why you need a specific disclaimer in your online course terms and conditions stating the following:
You do not guarantee the availability of specific products or services mentioned in your course
It is the student’s responsibility to source products and services as needed
With this disclaimer, you prevent any misunderstandings or complaints regarding product availability. Students won’t be entitled to ask for a refund because they don’t already have certain products and, thus, can’t use your course.
8. Third-Party Views & Opinions Disclaimer
Does your course include content from third-party contributors or guest speakers? Then, you must include a disclaimer for third-party views and opinions in your online course terms and conditions.
You don’t want your students to mistake any of the information, advice, opinions, or views of your contributors to be yours. That information might not be accurate or reliable, and that may have major consequences for you if you don’t have a proper disclaimer. You need to prevent being held liable for anything that your contributors or guest speakers say.
That is why you need a disclaimer stating the following:
The statements made by your contributors are not Your views, opinions, ideas, policy, or position.
You are not responsible for the accuracy, reliability, or content of third-party statements.
You disclaim any liability or responsibility for any opinions, recommendations, or statements made by third parties.
You do not represent, endorse, approve, recommend, or certify any views, opinions, ideas, information, products, services, or processes of any of your contributors.
9. Reliance Disclaimer
Another risk you’ll run with any online course is that certain students might rely too heavily on your course content or have certain expectations or objectives that your course does not meet in their minds.
That will likely be the case when certain students don’t achieve the results they expected.
That is why you need a disclaimer that makes your students understand the following:
The student uses the course at their own discretion and risk.
You do not guarantee that the course will meet the student’s expectations or objectives.
You are not responsible or liable for the student’s reliance on the course.
10. Results & Outcomes Disclaimer
That brings me to the last crucial disclaimer for your online course terms and conditions: the results and outcomes disclaimer.
Unfortunately, no matter how great your course may be, not all your students will achieve the results and outcomes they hope for.
That has to do with many factors, many of which are outside of your control. Results and outcomes will vary based on each student’s personal circumstances, skills, commitment, capabilities, etc.
That is why you need to ensure you can’t be held responsible or liable for your students failing to meet their goals with a disclaimer that states the following:
Individual outcomes and results will vary based on each student’s personal circumstances, skills, commitment, capabilities, effort, and application of the course.
You are not responsible for (i) the effectiveness of the course, (ii) any results in relation to or outcomes from the course, or (iii) any decisions made by the students or any other third party based on the course.
You explicitly do not represent, warrant, or guarantee the effectiveness, results or outcomes of the course.
Your comments about the effectiveness, results or outcomes of the course are expressions of opinion only.
Now, you are protected against the most major risks of liability with these iron-clad disclaimers in your online course terms and conditions for students.
Want to learn about all the protections you need in your online course terms and conditions? Read this blog post on the 10 Key Protections Course Creators Must Have in Terms and Conditions for Online Courses.
Niche-specific disclaimers for your training course terms and conditions template
Now, you know about all the necessary disclaimers that should be included in any training course terms and conditions template.
However, we have not discussed the specific disclaimers you need for courses in specific niches, like finance courses, self-development courses, DIY courses, health & fitness courses, business courses, cooking courses, etc.
Every niche comes with its own risks and requires niche-specific disclaimers, which you need for your specific online course terms and conditions.
I have created a whole list of examples, including disclaimers for courses covering the following topics:
Physical health, fitness, and nutrition (including supplements)
Personal development, self-improvement, and mindfulness
Finances and business
Recipes, cooking, baking, mixology, and culinary arts education
Physical activities, DIY projects, or anything that could pose a risk to the student
Controversial, sensitive or provocative topics, including religion, manifestation, politics, ideologies, etc.
Learn about these niche-specific disclaimers in my blog post on the 7 Must-Have Niche-Specific Disclaimers for Your Training Course Terms and Conditions.
The ultimate online course disclaimer template
Want an online course terms and conditions template that includes all the disclaimers for your specific course (in your specific niche)?
I have created an online course terms and conditions template that can be used for any course in any niche anywhere around the world!
Learn more about the ultimate template that has everything you need on this page of my contract shop!
This post was all about the key disclaimers every course creator must include in their online course terms and conditions to protect their businesses.
Learn about the other crucial protections you need in your online course terms and conditions for students in this blog post on the 10 Key Protections Course Creators Must Have in Terms and Conditions for Online Courses.
To learn all about the essentials for any training course terms and conditions template, read this blog post on the 11 Must-Haves for Your Course Terms and Conditions.
Looking for an online course terms and conditions template that includes all the disclaimers and other protections you need? Learn more about my template on this page of my contract shop!
