Introduction #

You are here because your school or university relies on the National Wine School (NWS) for accreditation and deployment of its wine credentials. Being an alumni or student within the NWS ecosystem brings many benefits.

Your school, along with many others, is consolidating your academic records within our secure systems and offering you more resources for wine education. As we welcome you into the fold, here is what you can expect, what will happen during the process, and what to do if you have questions.

Timeline for Students & Alumni #

1. Access to NWS System. If you don’t have an account at NWS, one will be created for you, and a password will be sent to you.
2. Certification Approvals. For many students, this will be the first evidence that your certifications are being digitalized. You will receive a personalized email with each certification that has been approved by NWS.
   • You can review these certifications in your NWS account.
   • Not all certifications may be viewable immediately. Don’t panic!
3. Grades Uploaded. For the first week, you will not have access to grades, or your grades will be listed as failing. Don’t Panic! Your grades will be uploaded in a second pass.
4. Credit Hours Awarded. You will be awarded credit hours for your completed school work, even if your current school is not a college or university.
5. Student Support Deployed. Automated systems will be integrated into your account to assist you in making progress.
6. Advanced Certifications Deployed. Student progress will be tracked and notified when they are eligible for a higher level of certification.
7. Access to Online Programming. Over time, you will be granted access to online programming you have attended in person. This will allow you to complete any outstanding exams or projects. The deployment schedule for Core programs will take several months, and for Advanced and Master programs, it will be longer.

Troubleshooting #

Here are the most common reasons something can go wrong, and how to fix it.

1. There are no certifications in my account.
   • Did you create your own account instead of using the one we provided? If so, log out of that account and use the one we provided you.
   • Did you apply to have your credentials digitized? If not, reach out to your university or wine school to apply.
2. Not all my certifications are in my account.
   • Is there a “Credit Towards Advanced (FULL)” in your account? If so, that is the stand-in for any non-regulation programs NWS has approved. You receive full credit hours and approval for this program.
   • Is there a “Credit Towards Advanced” in your account? If so, it represents any program you passed but did not earn an 85% or higher.
   • We cannot issue a professional certification if you earned a grade below 70%.
3. The certification in my account is slightly different than the one I earned.
   • Until 2021, our affiliated schools were free to name our programs as they felt appropriate. For instance, our Master of French Wine Program is also known as French Wine Specialist, Advanced French Wine, and French Wine 301. This is the case for almost all credentials.
4. I see my certificates, but I see failing grades, too.
   • Your school uploaded the programs you completed first. Within a week or two, they will also upload your grades.
5. When will I be eligible for my Advanced Sommelier Pin?
   • One of the last steps is for our certification auditing systems to go online.
   • Once this system is running, you will recieve a notification via email.

Next Steps for Troubleshooting #

• Before contacting us or your school, please allow a month for the process to be complete.
• Review the paperwork you supplied your school.
• Do not contact your school directly. Questions regarding your NWS account should be directed to us.
• If there are courses missing, reach out to us via our student support system. We will need your name, email address, the names of the courses you completed, and the school you attended.
• Questions about passing grades. If you earned your certification but want to contest your grade, you can do so. However, please note that your certification will be retracted during the review process.
• Questions about failing grades. If you did not pass a program at an affiliate school, it is impossible for us to review that grade. However, you can to re-take the program online. This will incur a nominal charge.