Refund Policy

Contents

1 Summary
2 Details

Summary

This policy is required to be acknowledged by the family account holder (the “customer”) prior to enrolling (as part of the enrollment agreement) and prior to each payment. TPS (the “merchant”) retains digital record of these acknowledgements.
Tuition fees are due in dated increments. All fees are non-refundable once they are due. An explanation of each fee and due date is in the Tuition, Fees, Payments, and Refunds information.
All payments are made online by the customer. TPS does not use automatic payments or accept payments by phone or mail.
Every payment made by the customer is applied first to any outstanding or past due amount (e.g., unpaid course fees) before being applied to new services (e.g., new enrollments, transcripts).
For any event that results in a financial credit — including course drops or class closures — the credit is applied first to any remaining or unpaid balance before the customer may request return of unused funds.
For any return of funds to the customer, there is a Refund Processing Fee of 5% + $10 of the returned amount. This is waived if the return is entirely due to TPS action (e.g., class closure after payment).
In any situation that leaves a family account in arrears — including unpaid non-refundable fees for dropped courses — the family will lose access to all academic records associated with the account and all other services until the balance is paid.

Details

Non-Refundable Fees

About Non-Refundable Fees

TPS begins investing financially in an enrollment immediately after it is enrolled, including individual and distributed costs of readiness evaluation, contracting, administration, technology, payment processing, resources and materials, and more. Our investment increases as we get closer to the start of classes. The non-refundable portions of fees are commensurate with the real cost of finances already paid or committed at that time.

Because of the real costs, we do not waive non-refundable fees, and enrollments dropped with insufficient payment or unsubmitted readiness assessment materials will still be charged for non-refundable fees, including placing the account in arrears with a lien against further service until the debt is resolved.

Non-refundable fees are generally not able to be used for other courses. The exception is a switch from one course to another that is approved in writing by TPS. In the case where the same course is re-enrolled for the same student in the same academic year, any non-refundable fees associated with the drop may be credited entirely to the re-enrollment after initial payment is completed for the reenrollment.

The following fees are generally not refundable once they are due.

Family Registration Fee

$75 charged once for each family each academic year enrolled.
Paid with first enrollment for the year.
Not refundable (may be partially refundable for new families).

Tuition

Varies per course. Tuition for each course is listed in the course catalog.
Assessed in standard dated increments (three increments for Full year courses; two increments for Fall, Spring, Summer courses).
First increment is due upon enrollment after readiness approval.
Each increment is non-refundable once it is due.

Wait Lists (No Fee)

There is no fee for a Wait List.
A Wait List is your standing request for immediate enrollment if a seat opens. It authorizes TPS to enroll and invoice you without further confirmation.
Wait List seats may be dropped by the family at anytime without notifying or involving TPS.
TPS enrolls the Wait List request immediately when a seat becomes available. (Therefore, you should drop a Wait List seat immediately when you are not certain you want it.)
Once the Wait List request is converted to a Held Seat, the enrollment is invoiced and non-refundable fees apply immediately.

Books and Materials (Resource Fee)

Some courses provide the digital textbook and associated resources to all students in the course. This fee applies only to some courses and varies per course.
Resource Fees for each course (if applicable) are listed in the course catalog.
Resource Fees are assessed (due) May 15 for Summer courses, July 15 for Full Year and Fall courses, and Nov 15 for Spring courses.
Resource Fees, if applicable for a course, are required for the course and non-refundable as of the due date.

Courses Dropped After Enrollment

Each enrollment is a commitment to pay the fees associated with the enrollment. There is no period for holding a seat without payment, and there is no return period for credit or refund of fees which are due. Details regarding each fee are found in our Tuition, Fees, Payments, and Refunds information.

Accessibility of Courses

“Accessibility” refers to the individual customer’s ability (logistical, technical, legal, temporal, etc.) to access TPS live classes, class pages and assignments, or third-party resources required for a TPS course. “Accessibility” also includes any physical, mental, or other conditions affecting ability to see, hear, or process information online or offline during or outside of class. Establishing and maintaining accessibility is entirely the responsibility of the customer, including factors of or changes in accessibility due to natural events, regional laws, regional or local technology infrastructure, individual changes or choices, or any other causes, including situations which were unforeseeable or unavoidable. For unforeseeable changes outside the customer’s control, TPS will make reasonable effort to accommodate the changes but may be unable to provide accommodations to suit the customer’s preferences. Regardless of viability of or preference for accommodation options, there is no refund for lack or loss of accessibility.

Medical, Mental Health, and Learning Challenges

For sudden unforeseeable changes in medical status (e.g., sudden injury or illness with prolonged recovery), TPS will provide reasonable accommodations for completing enrolled courses. If it is not possible to complete the courses, TPS will consider financial credits or refunds for unused portions of a course. Financial credits or refunds for sudden unforeseeable medical or mental health changes are solely at the discretion of TPS.

Confirmed or indicated medical, mental health, or learning challenges must be disclosed to TPS prior to enrollment or they cannot be considered in financial matters relating to enrolled courses. Documentation from certified medical, mental health, and learning challenge professionals should be included in any request for consideration and accommodation of medical, mental health, or learning challenges. Non-sudden or reasonably foreseeable medical, mental health, or learning challenges that are disclosed after enrollment may be reasonably accommodated by TPS based on review of the certifying documentation, but will not be basis for a financial credit or refund.

Class Closure by TPS

If an enrolled class closes solely due to TPS action (including emergent unforeseeable actions by TPS teachers), TPS will offer accommodations and options, one of which will be a prorated refund of the course tuition after the date of closure (full tuition refund if the course has not yet started).

Donations

Donations are receipted for tax purposes immediately as they are entered, and are not refundable for any reason.

Return of Funds

Upon customer request, TPS will provide return of funds for amounts paid in excess of the Total Balance due for the academic year. (Any payments made that are not in excess of total balance will be credited to the family account but not be returned as payment, including payments made in excess of the Due Now amount by customer intent, oversight, error, or computer/network error.)
Return of funds must be requested in writing by the customer. Since most customers choose a credit not a return, credit is the default option. A financial credit never expires, and as long as a credit remains unused there is no time limit for requesting a return of funds.
Except where TPS agrees in writing that an overpayment was directly generated by TPS cancellation of a course or failure to meet a posted commitment, every return of funds is subject to a Refund Processing Fee.
Returns for credit card payments will be made directly to the credit card if possible. If the payments are too old to return (generally three months) and the payment was from a U.S. bank credit card, the return of funds will be provided by a check in U.S. funds mailed via postal mail to a U.S. address. PayPal will be used to return stale (too old to refund) credit card payments from banks outside the U.S.
eCheck payments are always from U.S. banks, and returns for eCheck payments are always by a check in U.S. funds mailed via postal mail to a U.S. address.

Refund Processing Fee

Except where TPS agrees in writing that an overpayment was directly generated by TPS cancellation of a course, every return of funds to the customer is subject to a Refund Processing Fee. This amount, calculated as 5% of the return amount plus $10, is based on the transaction and processing costs paid by TPS.

Appeals

Each enrollment is a contractual relationship where a customer family enrolls in classes subject to the posted prerequisites and readiness requirements and TPS delivers what we commit in writing in our course catalog and on our web site.

If the customer presents a case of unforeseeable (i.e., could not reasonably have been anticipated or foreseen any sooner than the time of notification) hardship rendering the customer unable (i.e., lacks reasonably viable means or options) to continue the agreement, TPS will consider waiver of some non-refundable fees. TPS reserves sole authority to make this assessment and determine waiver of pre-agreed fees.
If a customer considers that TPS has failed to deliver any aspect of the service and terms written on our web sites or in our course catalog, the customer may appeal the fees directly related to the course or matter in question.
- Appeals must be in writing by email to [email protected]. Attached documents may be included.
- Each claim in the appeal must specifically cite the written commitment or term of agreement that was not met, and must provide documented examples to objectively support each claim.
- TPS will investigate and provide a written determination to resolve each claim.
- If the customer does not accept a resolution, TPS will negotiate a closing settlement with the customer and terminate the contract relationship.
All discussions, appeals and negotiations must be in writing (not phone or chat) directly by the adult customer that owns the account (no third parties).

Unpaid Accounts

In any situation that leaves a family account in arrears — including unpaid non-refundable fees for dropped courses — the family will lose access to all academic records associated with the account and all other services until the balance is paid.