cancelation & Withdrawal policy

Guide to Application Status/Terms

There are five steps of student admission to CFS program:

Applicant: A student who began an application to a CFS field school.

Submitted: A student who submitted a complete application to CFS and waits for field school director(s) review. Once an application is submitted, an email is sent to the student.

Admitted: A student whose application was approved by program director(s).  This does not guarantee a space in the program – only a deposit payment does (see below). Once an application is approved, an email is sent to the student.

Accepted: A student who was admitted to a program and paid the $300 nonrefundable deposit fee. An Accepted student has a guaranteed space in the program. Once the deposit is processed, an email with next steps is sent to the student (sign legal document, add emergency contacts, etc).

Enrolled: A student who paid the full tuition for a program. Once final tuition payment is processed, an email is sent to the student.

Deposit Payment Policy

All deposit payments, set at $300 per program, are nonrefundable. The only exception is when the CFS cancels a program. In such a case, a full refund of the deposit will be made to the student. See below for more information if CFS is canceling a program.

Tuition Payment Policy

Tuition payments are refundable up to the Payment Deadline Date, as posted on the program web page. Tuition payments are nonrefundable after the payment deadline has passed

Withdrawal Policy

Accepted or Enrolled students who wish to withdraw from a program must notify the CFS of this decision in writing. Email your withdrawal notice to info@fieldsciences.org. A confirmation email will be issued. If no confirmation email is received within 48 hours, contact CFS again to make sure the withdrawal notice was filed within our system. 

Deposit is nonrefundable. Tuition payments are refundable if withdrawal notice is received prior to payment deadline, as posted on the program web page. Students withdrawing past the payment deadline are responsible for the payment of the full tuition, regardless of attendance.     

Late Fee Policy

Students are responsible to complete all payments by the Tuition Payment Deadline, listed on the program web page. If any balance is kept after that date, a $100 Late Fee will be assessed for the account.

Program Cancelation by CFS

The CFS is monitoring conditions at field school destinations constantly – including pandemic and epidemic outbreaks. A program may be cancelled if the CFS deems a field school location to be insufficiently safe for students. If the CFS cancels a program, a full refund – deposit and tuition – will be issued to all program students.

If CFS cancels a program, students get priority enrolling in any other available CFS program. If the cost of the new program is less than the cancelled field school, students will get a refund for the differences. If the cost is higher, students will be asked to pay the differences.

Trip & Travel Cancellation Insurance

The CFS is NOT providing trip cancellation insurance. Such policies have changed due to Covid 19. If you wish to purchase an insurance policy that covers pandemic contingencies – including the cost of airfare and cost of tuition – explore Cancel for Any Reason (CFAR) plans. Insuremytrip, Travel Guard or SquareMouth are websites where you may search for different insurance policies.

Resolution of Disputes

Any disputes regarding this cancelation policy, or any disagreement between CFS and students, should first be discussed to reach an amicable resolution. If that process failed, all legal disputes are governed by the State of California law and heard exclusively in a court of competent jurisdiction within Los Angeles County, California.