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Student Capstone Project Completion & Contingency Policy

Updated this week

🎓 Completion Requirement

To earn the Digital Marketing Certificate from WGU, students must:

  • Complete four foundational digital marketing courses

  • Complete a 4–8 week real-world employer project on Riipen

  • Complete the post-project reflection performance assessment administered by WGU

The Riipen project is the capstone experience and reflection are required for certificate completion.

⏱️ Program Timeline

The capstone experience with Riipen, should be completed within no more than 8 weeks.

✅ Student Commitments

Once a student completes their courses and receives access to Riipen, students must:

  • Select a project within 3 days of receiving Riipen access

  • Complete the project within 4–8 weeks of start date

  • Complete 40–80 hours of project work during that period

  • Follow all deliverable expectations and maintain timely communication with the employer

Students should only select a project they can confidently complete within the timeline they set.

🛟 Contingency & Support Pathways

⏳ Extension Requests

  • Students may request a one-time extension of up to 2 weeks

  • Must be approved by program administrators and acknowledged by the employer

  • Requests must be submitted before the project end date

🔁 Project Withdrawal & Rematch

In the case of emergency or documented hardship, students may:

  • Withdraw from the project

  • Request to be rematched in a future cohort (based on availability)

  • A formal request form is required for review

If you need to drop out of your project:

  • You must notify your employer through the Riipen platform to maintain professional communication

  • You must email wgu@riipen.com to inform the Riipen team

  • The Riipen team will cancel your project to prevent further progress or tracking

  • To request a rematch, you must contact WGU directly, who will assess next steps for your program pathway

Follow these instructions to pause your account with WGU:

  • Log in to your student portal at goacademy.wgu.edu

  • Click the Settings menu at the top right (in the circle with your initial/profile)

  • Click “Manage Enrollment”

  • Click “Pause Access” and follow the instructions.

Please note that your account will pause for 14 days. You can choose to restart at any point during those 14 days, but at the conclusion of the 14 days, your account will automatically reactivate.

🧩 Alternative Capstone (Non-Riipen Option)

  • If a Riipen project cannot be completed, a WGU-designed capstone project may be provided

  • This allows for certificate completion but does not include the Riipen credential or employer experience

  • Offered only after all other options are explored

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