Get Prepared
Congrats on taking the first steps towards your education goals. Have you received your approval email from Guild? If not, don’t worry, you should receive an email within 7 to 10 business days of submitting your Guild application.
If you have received your approval email, double congratulations! Here are your next steps to completing your eCornell program:
1 — Confirm your spot
Once your Guild application is approved, you'll need to confirm your spot in eCornell's program for the next start date.
As a reminder, the 'Course Start Date' on the Guild application page reflects the date you will gain access to register for your individual courses via the eCornell portal. eCornell has flexible course start dates each month, so you can choose dates that work best for you.
Log in to your Guild account and visit your Applications page to confirm your spot.
Be sure to confirm your spot by the 29th day of the month before your start date, or February 27, if the start date is in March, or you will have to start in a later term.
If you don't confirm your spot by the 29th day, your start date will automatically update to the next start date available (up to 90 days out). You should be able to view your new start date and confirm your spot for the new start date within your Guild portal. If you don't confirm your spot for the updated start date, you will need to re-apply.
If you have previous education outside of the U.S. (i.e., foreign credentials), there aren't extra requirements to complete at eCornell.
2 — Complete the eCornell registration process
If you’ve confirmed your enrollment and are eligible for your company’s education benefit, you will receive registration instructions via an email from Guild on the first business day of your registration month. If you don’t receive an email, check your Guild account homepage - the "Your classes" portal should be visible on your start date. If not, please reach out to Guild Support.
You will have the full month to complete the registration process, but we suggest you register right away as course sections can fill up quickly. During this registration process, you will be prompted to select your individual course start dates.
eCornell recommends that:
You take the courses in the order listed within the enrollment portal
You take 1 course at a time, since many courses build off the knowledge of the previous course
You participate in the New Student Orientation which will appear as an optional course on your eCornell dashboard shortly after you enroll. This orientation provides you with all the information you need to be successful in your eCornell program.
As you register for your courses and select your course start dates, you’ll be directed to your “Cart.” On this page, the cost of your program is visible. For more information, check out the Guild Enrollment Information page.
eCornell will notify you if you have any out-of-pocket costs that aren’t covered by your employer. If this is the case, you will be required to make any payments in full at checkout during the registration process.
As a reminder, as soon as you complete the course registration process, your tuition assistance dollars are applied for all courses in the certificate. Please note that refunds will not be possible after you complete the course registration process. Please reach out to Guild Support if you have questions about how this might affect your tuition benefit.
3 — Chat with your Guild Growth Coach
Once you start in your program, you’ll have a chance to talk with your assigned Guild Growth Coach. Guild Growth Coaches are here to support you throughout your academic journey acknowledging that you are more than just a student and have a life full of unique and diverse experiences that shape and enable your success as a student and overall. Your Guild Growth Coach is trained to help you fully understand and articulate your goals and what it will take for you to achieve them. They are also there every step of the way as you work towards your personal finish lines.
4 — Complete your courses
Once your first course begins, you will receive an announcement message from your eCornell instructional team when your course materials become available on your selected start date. This announcement will contain all the information you need to be successful in your course. Though eCornell courses allow you the flexibility to work at your own pace through the course material, you must complete all required assignments prior to the course end date.
Should you need to drop your eCornell course or delay your start date, eCornell at ec_helpdesk@cornell.edu. For more information, check out the eCornell Help Page.
Your Guild Growth Coach will be there to support you with any questions throughout your program and help you explore options for post-graduation. They’ll also work with you on your goals if you’re interested.