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. Membership includes
- an orientation course on the general use of the Moodle (calendaring, messaging, forums access)
- orientation on the use of the Scholars Online chat
- access to the Moodle and all public bulletin boards, participation in non-tuition courses and public chats, and messaging between Moodle members
- personal profile page on which the member can control contact information and email address changes
- transcript retrieval
- technical support for issues involving Scholars Online Moodle access
- (Adult primary accounts only) Account Management Center from which members can monitor enrollment status of their own and their student accounts and track charges and payments
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: None.
Membership fees are payable at any time. 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 for the academic year (summer of 2008 plus fall 2008/spring 2009)
Active students pay a single registration fee each year, which covers costs associated with course delivery, including
- an orientation course on the use of the Moodle course modules (course layout, quizzes, grading, etc.)
- an orientation course on Scholars Online academic policies (for student and one parent)
- access to course modules supporting the courses to which they are enrolled
- retention of teacher evaluations and grades and access to these records
- transcript preparation for all courses taken in a given year
Registration fees for new students attending summer courses will secure registration status for the following academic year.
Due date: For students attending summer term: June 15. For students attending academic year courses only: September 1 [Same as tuition]
Registration fees should be paid as soon as possible in order to hold a student's place in a course, but must be paid by the time tuition is due.
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.
Due date: June 15 for Summer Sessions. September 1 for Academic Year sessions.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.
| Item | Due | Cost |
| Annual Parent Membership | On or before registration | $25.00 |
| Annual Student Membership | On or before registration | $25.00 |
| Current Year Student Registration | On or before enrollment | $30.00 |
| New Member Orientation | Included in registration fee | $0.00 |
| Natural Science I | September 1 | $425.00*
|
| World History I | September 1 | $450.00* |
| Total | Paid August 12 | $955.00 |
*Tuition costs listed here are representative; since actual course fees are set by individual teachers, costs will vary.
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 and electronic fund transfer from your bank. Several options for paying in installments between the opening of registration in April and the start of courses in June (summer session) or September (fall courses) 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.
Late Fees
Scholars Online does not assess late fees for membership, registration, or tuition, but all fees must be paid in full prior to admission to course material sites and chat sessions. Late payments will result in students missing chat sessions. Late registration requests will be processed on a time-available basis and may result in students missing chat sessions or being denied entry to a course. We encourage you to request enrollment and pay membership and registration fees as early as possible to secure your students' place in class, and to complete tuition payments by August 20 so that we have adequate time to set up and verify student access to the Moodle prior to the start of chat sessions.
Individual teachers may require late fees if course materials must be shipped at express rates to reach students by the start of classes.
Tutorials
Teachers are welcome to offer tutorials to Scholars Online members who register for the current academic year, and to use Scholars Online resources, including course sites and chat sessions, according to the terms of their membership contract. Teachers are responsible for setting the rates and terms of payment for tutorials, and for billing and collecting tutorial fees directly from the student. If you are interested in taking a tutorial, you must contact the teacher directly.
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, which recognizes the work the teacher must do in administration and course-planning:
| Refund request received | Amount of Refund |
| Prior to 1 September | 100% |
| After 1 September, but prior to first day of class | 90% |
| During the first week of classes | 80% |
| During the second week of classes | 60% |
| During the third week of classes | 40%
|
| During the fourth week of classes | 20% |
| After the fourth 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
Scholars Online, is a nonprofit corporation according to the laws of the state of Washington, and is recognized by the Internal Revenue Service as a 501(c)3 tax-exempt corporation. We've tried to make our fees as low as possible and still meet our costs; waivers are not generally possible for services that incur direct costs to the organization, such as user account setup. However, we realize that life doesn't always fit into neat categories. If you have any questions about our fee policies, or wish to make us aware of special circumstances, please contact the Scholars Online Administration Office.
Scholars Online is a nonprofit corporation in the State of Washington, and is tax-exempt according to IRS Code 501(c)(3).
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