Institute for Field Research

Finances

1. Payment

In order to secure your place in a field school, a $500 non-refundable deposit payment is required once your application has been approved by the program director. A final tuition fee will cover your credit units through Connecticut College and all expenses in the field. Travel to- and from field school meeting point band other minor expanses are not covered by your tuition payment. Payments differ by program.

Payments may be made using paystubs sent to you during registration process. The IFR accepts major credit cards and check payments. There is a 2% service fees charged for all credit card transactions. If you choose to pay by check, please make your chacke payable to the “Institute for Field Research” and write your program name on the memo line.

Final payment for your Tuition is due by April 19, 2013

Financial aid recipients who have submitted all financial aid documents by the appropriate deadlines are exempt from the final payment deadline.

Financial aid recipients must pay their program balance in full at least ten (10) days prior to the program start date.

2. Financial Aid

Many schools allow students to take institutional financial aid off campus. Check with the Financial Aid office at your school to see what aid you can apply to your IFR field school. Explore your eligibility for additional funds – including loans – through your home school before applying to an IFR field school. The Study Abroad office at your home institution may be of help and can be a good source of information. Because the credit units you earn for your IFR field school will likely be accepted at your home institution and applied towards your degree, your school should be able to process a Stafford Loan or other federal/state sources of support to assist your IFR participation.

Most IFR field schools run during the summer. Your annual award may be augmented (through additional allocation of funds) to cover the costs of tuition, estimated airfare and spending money. The summer is usually considered the first term of the academic year but policies may be different at your home institution. If you plan to participate in an IFR field school that run during the academic year, please consult with your home institution about availability, eligibility and home campus deadlines for Financial Aid requests.

If you do plan to use Financial Aid to pay any portion of your field school costs, please follow these four steps:

1. Consult with the Financial Aid officer at your home institution regarding eligibility, availability and type of financial package you may be eligible for. Complete all relevant paperwork.

2. Apply to an IFR field school. Once accepted, you will be sent an enrollment packet. Complete and send with your nonrefundable $500 Deposit fee to secure a spot in the program;

3. Download the IFR Financial Aid Agreement. Carefully read and make sure you understand the legal obligations you are taking upon yourself. Sign, date, scan and send as an email attachment to info@ifrglobal.org. Once received, the form will be reviewed and IFR representative will sign on our behalf. A copy will be sent to you, usually within 36 hours.

4. Once Financial Aid funds are dispersed to you, forward balance of payment to the IFR. You will not be allowed to attend the field school if we do not receive your full field school payment five days prior to the beginning of your program.

3. Cancelation Policy

Please enroll in a field school only when you are certain you plan to participate.

If you need to cancel your participation in any of our field schools, the following policy applies.

If you did not pay deposit and tuition, you were allocated no spot at the field school. You need to do nothing.
If you paid the $500 deposit, it is nonrefundable.
Tuition is refundable until April 19, 2013; it is nonrefundable thereafter.
If you paid the $500 deposit but decided not to attend the field school, you must notify the IFR of your intention by sending a Letter of Cancelation to the Institute for Field Research.
Failure to inform the IFR of program cancelation by the April 19, 2013 deadline (see above) will result in a bill for the full cost of tuition. You will be held liable for the full tuition costs and your bill will be sent to a collection agency.

In the event that a field school is cancelled by the Institute for Field Research, all enrolled students will be notified immediately and given a full refund of Tuition costs, including the $500 deposit.