Registration policy and withdrawal

Payment
Payment of all fees must be made in full at the time of registration. If you don't pay for your class before it starts, we cannot garantee your place. We cannot accept partial payments. Payments cannot be done first day of class. Don't ive any payment to your teacher, as it may be seen as a conflict of interest,
Acceptable forms of payment are checks or money orders (payable to French Academy DC, VA, MD LLC - 5749 Governors Pond Cir, Alexandria VA 22310), Zelle (no fee), online (with credit card processing fees of 3.5%), and cash (with appointment only at certain locations).
A fine of $30 will be charged for bounced checks. When a student's employer pays course fees, an authorization letter from the employer is required. If an employer fails to pay the cost of a student's fees, the French Academy will require the student to pay the tuition prior to the first class.

In the event of late registration, tuition cannot be prorated.

For companies and businesses, wire payments are possible and payments via corporate credit cards with applicable fees.

Withdrawals & Refunds Group Classes
Refunds for withdrawal from courses (adult group classes) must be requested 5 business days prior to the first day of class for regular adult group classes, 14 days for children group classes, and 8 weeks for Summer camps. Request must be submitted in writing via email at info (at) frenchacademy.us, or via mail to French Academy DC 5749 Governors Pond Circle Alexandria VA 22310. Letters sent by post need to arrive in our hands before the deadlines mentioned above. Requests cannot be made by phone, but you can send us a text or call to let us know you would like to request a refund. Absence from class does NOT constitute notice of withdrawal. An administrative fee of $30 will automatically be deducted from the refund amount. Please allow up to two weeks for refunds to be issued.
If you paid with card the processing fees of 3.5% will not be refunded.
If a class is cancelled on our end you will get a full refund (some third-party fees like credit card fees are not refundable).

Appropriate Level
Students are responsible for choosing and registering for a class that matches their proficiency level. All new students are required to complete a placement test, unless they register for a complete beginner class, in which case no placement test is required, as it is understood that they are complete beginners.
If you are unsure of your level, we strongly recommend contacting us at info@frenchacademy.us to request a short placement test before registering.
Once a class has started, students may not be able to change to another class, and started classes are non-refundable. If a student does not have the required level, they will not be able to continue with the group. We cannot guarantee availability in another class.

Please note that if a placement test is not completed on time, and after the welcome email has been sent it appears that the student does not meet the required level for the class, no refund will be issued, and a change to another class may not be possible. For this reason, completing the placement test in advance is essential to ensure proper placement.

Class Observation
In some cases, students may observe/attend one session before fully registering for a class. This is only possible for classes that have reached the minimum required number of participants and are not fully booked.
This single session must be paid. Please contact us for more information and to confirm availability.

COVID-19
Classes may have to be held online to guarantee the safety of students and teachers in regard to COVID-19.
If your class cannot be held online and is cancelled, you will get a credit for a future class or a refund.

Private Lessons
- Private lessons are not refundable and have an expiration date. Make sure you don't buy a big amount of hours if you are not sure you will be able to finish them (see below).
- Private Lessons once purchased, must be used within a three month period (5-hour package), four month period (10-hour package), six months (15 hour package), or nine month period (25-hour package), or 10 months (30-hour package).
If you do intensive classes, meaning 3 hours or more per week, your expiration date is the number of hours you bought divided by your weekly amount of hours + 5 weeks.
For example, you scheduled 4 hours per week, and you bought 40 hours, you will have 15 weeks to complete your package.
- For a cancellation or a change of appointment, a notice must be received 24 hours before your class, by Friday before 4pm for a Monday class. Tuition fees once paid are not refundable.
-Private lessons may be exchanged for an online group class under the condition that there are spots available in the class. The rates are as followed: 10 private hours for a 24 hour group class; 6 private hours for a 12 hour class; and 5 hours for a 7.5 or a 5 hour workshop.
- In the event that an assigned instructor is not available, a substitute teacher can be provided, or a make up date will be scheduled. The French Academy reserves the right to change instructors if necessary.
- If the student is not able to keep the schedule that was first decided at the time of registration, it may be necessary to change teacher in order to schedule lessons differently. To keep a certain schedule, it is best if the students don't cancel or postpone too many classes.

Course Cancellations & Changes
The French Academy reserves the right to cancel classes and workshops, adjust curriculum, and to change teachers during courses if necessary without advanced notice. It is also possible that we have to push back the start of a class or slightly modify the time. Courses are typically modified or cancelled due to insufficient enrollment, unavailability of an instructor, or inability to schedule appropriate instructional space. If your course is cancelled, you will be noticed by email and given the option to transfer, to receive a credit, or to be fully refunded.
If your class is slightly mofidied (for ex a change of 30 minutes in the start time of your class), or your teacher changes, you cannot get a refund, as it is generally due to unforeseen circumstances, and the class is still happening.

In the event of severe weather conditions or instructor's sickness, classes might be cancelled or held online. If cancelled, make-up classes (for the whole group) will be scheduled and announced by email. No alternative make-up dates or refund will be offered for students who are unable to attend scheduled make-ups. Cancellations and make up classes will be announced via email. In case of multiple cancellations because of severe weather conditions, it might be impossible to make up for all the classes. Online classes can be offered instead of a in person group class.
If classes are held online instead of in person, no refund, even partial, can be offered.

Students who are enrolled in a class, may change to an other class, only if there is a spot in an other class of their choice. Generally we know if this is possible the day this class starts (until registrations are closed). For specific circumstances, students who could not do their class, may be able to transfer into a future class, only if there is a spot available in that future class. We can confirm this possibility, only the very day the future class is starting. This service is valid only for a duration of 4 months following the start of the class for which they had registered.

Make-up classes for students who missed a group class session
Students cannot substitute missed classes (a missed session of a group class) with another session in other courses offered during the same course period or at a later time. Any student enrolled in a group class may book a make-up class in the form of a private lesson at our lowest hourly rate.
If students prefer to catch up on their own, they will be able to work with the materials, lesson plan, and homework sent by the teacher.
If students cannot attend the session in person, and if they are able to do so and the teacher has the technical capability in the classroom, they may also join the class online to follow the session. Please note that the sound and image quality may be poor.
If available, we may be able to provide the student with a video of a previously recorded online class. We will not send more than two videos of an entire class. If a student misses three sessions or more, it will be more efficient to retake the entire class.
Missed classes are not refundable.

Request to Repeat a Class
The French Academy reserves the right to request that a student repeat a course if it is deemed necessary before they are allowed to progress to a class at the next proficiency level.

Lost belongings
Students, families, and visitors should make sure to take their and their children’s belongings before leaving a French Academy's class. The French Academy is not responsible for any lost belongings.