Scholars Online Membership, Registration, and Tuition

The costs of participating in the Scholars Online community are covered by three kinds of fees, depending on the community resources a member actually uses. Membership and registration fees are determined annually by the Directors and set at amounts that cover the actual costs for server, website and chat hosting, and billing expenses incurred by Scholars Online, as well as some remuneration for the labor involved in maintaining the site and databases. Tuition for each course is always set by the teacher.

Membership Dues: $25 each year per individual

All members, including students, parents, and teachers, pay annual membership dues.

Alumni in particular are encouraged to continue to participate in the community and share their educational experiences and life events with their fellow students and teachers, so membership fees are waived for alumni for the first four years after graduation.

Every minor member must have at least one member parent or guardian member who will take responsibility for legal and financial arrangements, as minors cannot enter into legal contracts. Students over the age of eighteen may be members in their own right without parental involvement.

Due date: Upon enrolling for classes for the current year.

Membership fees due at enrollment. Membership extends from the date paid through the academic year, ending May 31. Only current members may be enrolled in courses, so membership must be paid before or at registration. Membership fees are not refundable; whether students or parents enroll in classes, membership is valid for the academic year and provides access to the Scholars Online community open courses and forums.

Registration Fees: $30 each year per student

Active students pay a single registration fee each year, which covers costs associated with course delivery.

Registration fees for new students attending summer courses will secure registration status for the following academic year.

Due date: Registration fees are due at enrollment.

Student enrollment will be considered pending until membership and registration fees are paid, regardless of student acceptance by the teacher. Students with unpaid membership and registration may be bumped by paying students.

Tuition for all courses: amount varies

The cost for actual course instruction is set by each independent teacher contractor, and may vary from course to course or from year to year, at the teacher's discretion. Please check tuition for each course on the course description (listed just below chat session times), on the full class list, and on the individual student enrollment pages available from your Account Management Center.

A Late Enrollment Fee fees may be applied to enrollments made after June 1 for the summer session or after August 25 for the fall session. This recognizes the addition work required to process accounts during orientation week.

All membership, registration, and full tuition fees must be paid before students will be admitted to chat sessions.

Typical Fee and Tuition Costs

The following invoice is typical for a new student enrolling in two courses under the current fee structure.

Item	Due	Cost
Annual Parent Membership	At enrollment of first student	$25.00
Annual Student Membership	At enrollment, each student	$25.00
Current Year Student Registration	At enrollment, each student	$30.00
New Member Orientation	Included in registration fee	$0.00
Natural Science I	August 25	$500.00*
World History I	August 25	$600.00*
Total	Paid August 8 (no late fee)	$1180.00

^*Tuition costs listed here are representative; since actual course fees are set by individual teachers, costs will vary.

Payment, Tutorials, Refunds, Scholarships

Scholars Online recognizes that individual circumstances sometimes require flexibility from both its families and the administration. The information below applies to most circumstances, but please send questions to the Accounting Office if you have questions about installment possibilities.

Payment Methods

Scholars Online accepts checks drawn on U.S. banks and online payments made through PayPal, which allows you to charge to your PayPal account, your own bank credit card, or initiate an electronic fund transfer from your bank. Several options for paying in installments between the opening of registration in March and the start of courses in June (summer session) or August/September (fall courses may have different start dates) are offered on your the Account Management Center Invoice page; however, payments must be completed for the full tuition before your student will be admitted to class sessions. This allows us to guarantee payment to our contract teachers.

Tutorials

Some teachers are available for tutorials or exclusive one-on-one instruction to meet special circumstances or scheduling. Scholars Online will provide the platform for instruction, as with other courses. The teacher sets a per-hour fee for tutorials. If a tutorial section is listed, you may sign up for it with the teacher's permission and we will set the assign an individual section to you. Scholars Online will provide invoices based on hours tutored. Please contact the administration if you require tutoring but no tutorial is listed, and we will try to match you with a teacher.

Refund Policy

Membership and registration fees are non-refundable. Tuition for a student who withdraws from a regularly-scheduled course is refundable according to the following schedule:

Refund request received	Tuition Refund
Prior to Late Enrollment for Session	60% of tuition paid
During Late Enrollment until second week of class	30% of tuition paid
After second week of class	NO REFUND

Students who register for a course that is rescheduled will be notified as soon as we are aware of the schedule change. There will be a three-week grace period following student notification during which the student may obtain a full refund or payment credit against a future course if he or she is unable to attend the course at its new time. Otherwise, refunds will follow the above schedule for withdrawal from a course.

No refunds will be granted if a student is suspended or expelled for cause. Scholars Online is not responsible for refunds for tutorials arranged privately with teachers, even when the tutorials take place within the Scholars Online Moodle.

Scholarships, Waivers, and Extraordinary Circumstances

We've tried to make our fees as low as possible and still meet our costs. However, we realize that life doesn't always fit into neat categories. If you have a special situation, please let us know, and we will try to make arrangements to accommodate your need. We have a limited scholarship fund that can be used to help defray tuition in cases of demonstrated financial need. Please see the Scholarship page for further information on applying for scholarships or making donations to the scholarship fund.

---

Scholars Online is fully accredited through the Middle States Accreditation Commissions on Elementary and Secondary Schools.