Refund and Cancellation Policy

It applies to paid purchases made on GradsHQ:

• Premium (billed per period, currently $10 per month)
• Premium Application Review ($50, one-time, per application)
• PhD Intelligence Package ($250, one-time)

The Free plan costs nothing, so there is nothing to refund. Premium time granted through a promo code, a referral reward or by our team was not paid for and is not refundable.

Payments are processed by Paystack. Prices are shown in US dollars; at checkout the amount may be converted to your local payment currency at the rate shown by the processor.

Each Premium payment buys one period of access. It is a one-time charge for that period and does not renew automatically. We do not charge you again unless you choose to pay again.

Premium: because it does not renew automatically, you cancel simply by not paying for another period. Your Premium access continues until the end of the period you paid for, then your account returns to the Free plan. You keep your profile and saved data, subject to the Free plan's limits.

Premium Application Review and PhD Intelligence Package: these are one-time purchases, so there is no subscription to cancel. You can ask us to cancel one before work on it has started (see “What is not refundable”).

Closing your account: you can request account deletion from your account settings at any time. Deleting an account does not by itself trigger a refund.

Refund requests are considered only once 48 hours have passed since your payment was confirmed. This gives the payment time to settle, gives you time to use what you bought, and gives us time to check what happened if something went wrong.

If you write to us before the 48 hours are over, we keep your message on file and reply after they have passed. You do not need to send it again.

Considering a request does not mean it will be approved. Each request is judged against the eligibility rules below.

We may refund all or part of a payment when:

• you were charged twice for the same purchase, or charged in error;
• your payment was taken but the plan or add-on was not activated because of a fault on our side that we could not fix;
• a Premium Application Review was paid for but the human quality review was not delivered;
• a PhD Intelligence Package was paid for but its content stayed unavailable to you because of a fault on our side;
• the law where you live gives you a right to a refund.

We decide each case individually and will tell you the reason if we decline.

• A change of mind after you have used the paid feature in a meaningful way, for example generated matches, coaching feedback or interview practice.
• A Premium Application Review once the review has been started or delivered, because human work cannot be returned.
• Admission, scholarship or funding outcomes. GradsHQ never guarantees them, so a rejection is not a reason for a refund.
• Disagreement with an AI assessment, score or suggestion, when the service worked as described. Scores are guidance, not predictions.
• Programme or scholarship details that changed on an official page after we showed them. Every record carries a source and a verification status so you can check.
• Premium time that has already been used, except where the rules above apply.
• Accounts suspended or closed for breaking our Terms of Service.

After the 48 hours have passed, email hello@gradshq.com from the address on your account. Please include:

• the payment reference or the receipt from Paystack;
• the date and the product (Premium, Premium Application Review or PhD Intelligence Package);
• what went wrong and what outcome you are asking for.

You can also message us on WhatsApp at +39 338 334 2303 to follow up, but please send the request by email so we have a written record. We aim to reply within 5 business days.

Approved refunds go back to the payment method you used, through Paystack. The time it takes to appear depends on your bank or card issuer and can take several business days.

We refund the amount you paid. Fees charged by your bank or card issuer, and any difference caused by exchange rates between the charge and the refund, are outside our control.

When a refund is paid, the related Premium access or add-on is removed from your account.

Please contact us before opening a dispute with your bank. Most problems can be sorted out faster directly. If a chargeback is opened for a payment we are already reviewing, we may pause the account until it is settled.

We may update this policy. The date at the top shows the latest version. A change applies to payments made after it is published; payments made earlier stay under the version that applied when you paid.

Nothing in this policy limits any right you have under the law where you live, including mandatory consumer protection rights.

Questions about this policy or a payment: hello@gradshq.com. WhatsApp: +39 338 334 2303.