Terms & Conditions

1.Acceptance of these terms

These Terms & Conditions ("Terms") are a binding agreement between you and Capstelo, a brand of The Nelson M Group LLC ("Capstelo," "we," "us"). They govern your use of capstelo.com and related services, such as email and text-message programs (the "Services"). By using the Services or submitting a form, you agree to these Terms, our Privacy Policy, and, if you opt in to texts, our SMS Terms. Disagree with any part of them? Then please do not use the Services.

2.What Capstelo is, and is not

Capstelo is an information service. We publish general, plain-language information about how education grants and student financial aid generally work, how the main forms and deadlines fit together, and which inquiries to ask a financial aid office, and let visitors opt in to related updates. We do not award, administer, or decide grants, take applications, offer or arrange loans, or match or refer people to schools or programs, and we do not share your details with schools, lenders, scholarship or matching services, recruiters, lead-generation companies, or any any other business partners.

• Decisions about your education and how to pay for it are yours. Reading our content does not obligate you to do anything.
• Your school, the program, or the official agency, not Capstelo, decides eligibility, amounts, deadlines, and conditions of any aid.
• Aid rules and amounts vary by program, school, and year. We never guarantee that you will qualify for, receive, or retain any grant or amount.

3.Eligibility

You must be at least 18 years old, based in the United States, and able to form a binding contract to use the Services. You may only submit information about yourself, or about another person who has authorized you to do so.

4.Your information and accuracy

You promise that what you submit is accurate and up to date, and you will update it if anything changes. The mobile number you enter must be one you own or have authority to use. If your number changes or is reassigned, please reply STOP from the old number or contact us so that we do not message someone else.

5.Communications and text-message consent

Opting in means you agree to hear from us by email and, for the boxes you check, by automated texts as explained in the SMS Terms. Consent to texts is optional, is not a condition of purchase or of using the Services, and may be withdrawn at any time by replying STOP. Message frequency varies. Message and data rates may apply. Reply HELP for help.

6.Text messaging: rates, frequency, STOP and HELP

Message and data rates may apply. Message frequency may vary (up to about 8 messages a month, depending on the topics you choose). Text START to join at 877-550-1444, or opt in with the form on our Get Started or text updates page. Consent is not a condition of purchase or of using the Services.

• STOP: Reply STOP to any message to opt out (STOPALL, UNSUBSCRIBE, CANCEL, END and QUIT also work). You will get one confirmation text and then no more messages.
• HELP: Reply HELP to any message for help, or contact us by email at [email protected] or by phone at 877-550-1444.

Mobile information and opt-in data are not sold or shared with third parties or affiliates for marketing or promotional purposes. See the Privacy Policy and SMS Terms.

Our text-message number is 877-550-1444.

7.Acceptable use

You agree not to: (a) submit false, misleading, or someone else's information; (b) use the Services for unlawful, fraudulent, or abusive uses; (c) interfere with or disrupt the Services or attempt unauthorized access; (d) use bots or automated means to submit forms; (e) copy, scrape, or resell our content without permission; or (f) impersonate any person or entity. We may suspend or end your access if you do.

8.Third-party organizations and links

Organizations, programs, and products mentioned on or linked from the Services (for example government agencies, schools, or nonprofit organizations) belong to third parties. We endorse no product, plan, or provider, and we take no responsibility for the conduct, content, or outcomes of any third party. Your relationship with a school or program is between you and them.

9.Intellectual property

The Services, such as the Capstelo name, logo, text, graphics, and design, are our property or that of our licensors, and intellectual property laws protect them. The license we grant you to view and use the Services is limited, revocable, non-exclusive, non-transferable, and for personal, non-commercial use. The Site's photographs are used under free-use licenses.

10.Disclaimers

Services and content are delivered "as is" and "as available," and we disclaim every express or implied warranty, among them merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, accuracy, and non-infringement. Uninterrupted, error-free, or secure service is not warranted, and neither is the delivery or timeliness of any message.

Capstelo does not provide financial, legal, or tax advice, and makes no representation about any grant, award amount, eligibility, or deadline outcome.

11.Limitation of liability

As far as the law allows, Capstelo and The Nelson M Group LLC, and their members, managers, officers, employees, and agents, will not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, exemplary, or punitive damages, or for any loss of profits, data, or goodwill, arising from or related to your use of (or inability to use) the services, or from any education or financial aid decision you make or do not make. Our total liability for any claim relating to the services will not exceed one hundred U.S. dollars ($100).

Not every jurisdiction allows these limitations, and some of them may therefore not apply to you. No provision of these Terms limits liability where the law forbids limiting it.

12.Indemnification

You agree to defend and hold harmless The Nelson M Group LLC, its affiliates, and its personnel against claims, damages, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) that arise from your breach of these Terms, your misuse of the Services, or your supplying a phone number or other information you had no authority to supply.

13.Disputes, governing law, and arbitration

Informal resolution first. Before taking a dispute further, email us at [email protected] giving us 30 days to try to work it out.

Binding arbitration. Apart from small-claims matters and injunctive-relief claims over intellectual-property misuse, every dispute between you and Capstelo or The Nelson M Group LLC arising from or relating to these Terms or the Services shall be resolved through final and binding individual arbitration administered by the American Arbitration Association under its Consumer Arbitration Rules. At your choice, the arbitration is held in your county of residence or by video or phone. An arbitrator may award the same individual relief as a court, and judgment on the award may be entered in any court with jurisdiction.

Class-action waiver. Subject to relevant law, you and Capstelo agree to proceed only on individual claims and give up the ability to participate as a plaintiff or class member in any class, collective, or representative action.

Opt-out. You have 30 days after first accepting these Terms to opt out of arbitration, which you do by emailing [email protected] with "Arbitration Opt-Out" as the subject, and tell us your name and mobile number.

Governing law. These Terms are governed by the Federal Arbitration Act and to the law of the state of The Nelson M Group LLC's principal place of business, disregarding conflict-of-law rules. Other than as the arbitration clause offers, courts of that state, state and federal, have exclusive jurisdiction.

14.Termination

You may stop using the Services at any time, and may opt out of messages by replying STOP. At our discretion we can suspend or terminate access, including for violations of these Terms. Provisions that are meant to outlast termination (disclaimers, limitation of liability, indemnification, and disputes among them) will do so.

15.Changes

Updates to these Terms will be posted with a new "Last updated" date. Using the Services after the effective date means accepting the updated Terms. If a change is material, we will notify you as mandated by law.

16.General

Together with the Privacy Policy and SMS Terms, these Terms are our entire agreement with you on this subject. If a part is held unenforceable, the remainder stays in effect. Not enforcing a provision does not waive it. You cannot assign these Terms without our consent, but we may assign them as part of a merger or sale of the business.

17.Contact us

Questions about these Terms? You can reach us by mail, email, phone, our online contact form, or by replying HELP to any text: