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Terms + Conditions

Below you will find information about CIEE general policies, academic policies, program fees, and payment policies. The Terms and Conditions as outlined pertain to the Spring 2013, Summer 2013, Fall 2013, Calendar Year 2013 and Academic Year 2012-2013 programs and supersede any other published policies pertaining to these terms.

It is the responsibility of you and your son/daughter to become familiar with these policies and with any more demanding policies that may be imposed by his/her home institution.

GENERAL POLICIES

Program participants are governed by three sets of policies set by:

• CIEE Portland-based staff and/or the CIEE Academic Consortium Board for all CIEE Study Center programs,
• the host institution, and
• your son/daughter’s home institution.

In the case of conflict among these three sets of policies, the most stringent policy shall apply.

Admission

CIEE works with home institutions regarding the processing of applications for CIEE Study Centers. In nominating students, home institutions have the responsibility to evaluate applicants' credentials carefully and to determine their suitability for the selected programs. Endorsement of an individual applicant constitutes an assurance that the student meets the minimum admission standards for the program; that the student is prepared linguistically, academically, and socially to succeed and derive benefits from the program; and that it is appropriate for the student's academic program and goals.

Acceptance to the majority of CIEE programs is done on a rolling basis by CIEE staff. Currently the only program that is reviewed competitively is Dakar, Senegal: Language and Culture.

CIEE encourages students to apply as early as possible to ensure a spot on their desired program. Additionally, it is advisable for the student to indicate another CIEE program as a second choice. CIEE reserves the right to reject an applicant for any reason and incomplete applications will not be considered. In cases where CIEE receives applications in excess of capacity, CIEE will create a waitlist of applicants based on the date the complete application was received in Portland, Maine. In waitlist situations, CIEE favors applicants from CIEE Academic Consortium member institutions who have an outstanding personal essay, cumulative grade point average, and supportive evaluations. CIEE does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, sexual orientation, religion, age, marital status, national and ethnic origin, or disability.

Students may defer acceptance to a CIEE Study Center for up to one year from the term of acceptance. The deferral request must be received in writing by the CIEE U.S. office prior to confirmed participation, and no less than 15 days before the advertised arrival date for the program to which the student has been accepted in order to avoid financial liability. In cases where the participant has confirmed participation in the program prior to requesting deferred status, the confirmation fee is non-refundable but may be applied toward the approved deferral term. In order to reactivate the application, students must submit an updated transcript and Home School Nomination form by the application deadline for the program they wish to attend. Students may also be required to submit additional information.

Late Arrival

Students are required to be present from the first day of the program orientation. In extremely rare cases, there may be valid academic reasons for a student to arrive late. Permission for such arrangements can only be granted by the appropriate CIEE program director in Portland and only upon receipt of a written request from the appropriate officer at the student's home institution. In no case are such arrangements authorized by resident directors.

Program Orientation

The home institution will provide informational material covering relevant academic matters prior to the student’s departure. It is the sole responsibility of the student to be familiar with this information and the policies of the home institution.

Prior to the program start date, students are required to participate in a two-hour, on-line pre-departure orientation. A more extensive CIEE academic orientation takes place at the program site, which students are also required to attend.

Drug and Alcohol Policy

Students are subject to the laws of the host country and any policies and regulations of the host university. Penalties for drug violations in many host countries are often harsher than in the U.S. Remember that students traveling abroad are subject to the laws of the country they are visiting – their own country’s laws do not protect them. The U.S. and other governments can only seek to ensure that their citizens are not discriminated against, that is, that they receive the same treatment as citizens of the country in which they are arrested who are charged with the same offense.

Use of drugs, other than prescribed drugs for legal medicinal purposes, or alcohol abuse by students is viewed by CIEE as a serious violation of the terms of participation and will be treated accordingly.

Consumption of drugs or alcohol that cause a student to miss class or be unable to participate fully in a classroom activity is considered abuse. At first instance, a warning letter will be issued. If there is a second instance, the student’s home institution and parents will be notified, and counseling may be required. Repeated instances may result in suspension or expulsion from the program, or a recommendation of reduced or no credit.

Consumption of drugs or alcoholic beverages that results in loud, disruptive, or offensive behavior, according to U.S. or local norms, is more serious. Any infraction will result in a warning letter and notification of home school and parents. A second instance may, at the discretion of the resident director, result in immediate expulsion from the program.

Consumption of drugs or alcoholic beverages which results in any of the following is the most serious degree of alcohol abuse and any instance of these circumstances or other circumstances of equivalent severity may, at the discretion of the resident director, result in immediate expulsion from the program.

• Loss of consciousness or vomiting
• Destruction of property or abusive behavior
• Endangerment of self or of others
• Admission to a hospital or emergency room
• Incarceration

ACADEMIC POLICIES

It is the sole responsibility of the student to obtain complete information concerning how academic work completed overseas is assessed by the home institution, and how credit is counted towards the student's degree program.

In most cases, the home institution nominates students to CIEE for admission and grants them credit following their successful completion of coursework abroad. In some cases; however, the home institution nominates students but requires that the coursework completed abroad transfer through an official U.S. School of Record. Spelman College serves as CIEE’s official School of Record.

Students’ home school study abroad advisors must indicate the need for the student to use Spelman College as a School of Record on the initial program application by completing the appropriate section of the CIEE Home School Nomination form. Students cannot be retroactively processed as a School of Record participant. Participating on a CIEE Study Abroad Program through a School of Record requires a supplemental administrative fee of $340, which will be included on the student’s program fee bill from CIEE unless the student’s home school asks to be billed for this fee on the form when submitted. Please note that the School of Record fee is non-refundable once the student has confirmed participation in the program, and the student will be held responsible for payment of this fee even if she/he withdraws or cancels after confirming participation.

Course Loads, Credits, Equivalencies, and Grades

Students on CIEE programs are required to take a full course load as offered by each program, usually the equivalent of 15 or 16 U.S. semester-hour credits for one full semester—summer and winter short term programs vary from three to 10 credits, depending on location. Unless the advertised program course load requirements indicate otherwise, no students are allowed to be enrolled in more than 18 U.S. semester credits without prior approval.

On a case-by-case basis, CIEE evaluates course offerings at host institutions that report the workload of courses on a basis other than the U.S. semester-hour system. Final authority for the published credit equivalency rests with the CIEE chief academic officer (CAO). Final authority for awarding of credit to an individual student rests with the appropriate authority at the student's home institution.

In general, a block of 15 50-minute sessions is equivalent to one semester hour of credit. Some courses may include activities such as conversation hours, applied arts sessions, or visits to museums which, although academic in nature, do not entail additional outside work. In these cases, no more than one half of the contact time is counted.

Grades are awarded for student performance using a U.S. system of letter grades, a host-country system of letters, numbers, and/or descriptors, or a combination of these methods. CIEE provides a suggested U.S. letter grade. Determination of the final grade based on the documentation provided by CIEE is at the discretion of the student's home institution or School of Record. The student's home institution may or may not post grades earned overseas to the student's transcript, and may or may not include overseas grades in the grade point average.

Academic Records

Upon completion of the program, resident staff sends final grade reports, along with other supporting documentation from the host institution (when available), to the CIEE U.S. office. A CIEE Academic Record is then produced and sent by CIEE to the student’s sending institution. The CIEE Academic Record, approved by the CIEE Academic Consortium, is the official report provided for each participant on a CIEE Study Center program. The CIEE Academic Record includes the student's name, date of birth, term of attendance, and lists each course studied, the language of instruction, hours of instruction, suggested U.S. grade equivalency, and recommended semester hours of credit. The CIEE Academic Record includes any supporting documentation provided by the host institution. In addition, each CIEE Academic Record is attached to a guide that includes detailed information on the host institution, admissions requirements, nature of the courses, the academic calendar, and a grade conversion chart.

Home institutions typically receive final grades from CIEE approximately 10 to 12 weeks after the program ending date; however, there are some locations that take longer to report grades to the CIEE Portland office. This is primarily the case for programs with direct enrollment courses (e.g., but not limited to: Amsterdam, Barcelona, Buenos Aires, Madrid, and Seville), due to the fact that collection of final grades in these locations depends on the grade reporting procedures of the local institutions. U.S. institutions that require their students’ grades to be processed through Spelman College, CIEE’s School of Record, should expect an additional two to three weeks for processing. Inquiries about grades status should be directed to the CIEE Portland office, not to the overseas program staff.

Information from the CIEE Academic Record or Spelman College transcript is entered onto the transcript at the home institution, and this becomes the official record of participation in a CIEE program. CIEE Academic Record copies are not released to credit-seeking students—students should be requesting this information from their sending institutions, which officially grant credit for the program. School of Record students will receive one official copy of their Spelman College transcript of credits and grades earned on the program, mailed to the student’s permanent address, and a second official transcript is sent to the student’s home institution for transfer credit evaluation and processing.

“Non-credit” participants are students who request to study independently of a sending institution and have agreed that their earned credits and grades will not be sent at the end of the program to any sending institution for transfer of credits to a transcript. These students are still required to fulfill all CIEE academic requirements while abroad. Non-credit participants will receive notification that their grades have been received by the CIEE U.S. office and receive an unofficial copy of their records. They will have up to five years to request that CIEE forward the original copies to an institution that has agreed to grant them credit. After five years, only copies of the original documents for non-credit participants will be available upon request. Participants who elect to study with CIEE as “non-credit” also agree that they will not be eligible for any federal, state, or institutional grants, scholarships, or loans, nor will they be eligible to request deferred payment status on any student loans they borrowed prior to participation on the CIEE program, since their earned credits with CIEE will not count toward a degree program at an eligible U.S. institution.

CIEE will not release Academic Records for participants who have outstanding financial obligations to the CIEE U.S. office or to the program site. Participants who have earned failing grades for more than half of the total course work attempted will have their grades released to their home schools, regardless of any outstanding debt, and risk having their accounts sent to Collections for non-payment.

Students interested in learning what grades they earned, after the end of their programs abroad, must request this information from their home institutions. CIEE will not release grades to participants over the phone or via email at any time. Occasionally, participants require copies of the CIEE Academic Record. Under no circumstances is anyone other than the participant or the participant’s sending institution allowed to request copies of a CIEE Academic Record. Requests from participants must be made in writing to the CIEE U.S. office using the CIEE Transcript Request Form.

The CIEE registrar and registration staff are the only people who are authorized to release students’ final grades.

Course Work

All course work MUST be turned in directly to the professor unless the student has received other explicit, documented instructions to the contrary. Students are required to keep hard copies of all of their assignments (every major paper or take home examination) for one year after the official program end date—electronic copies can only be used to supplement the hard copy versions of the work. Individual professors do not have the final authority to extend deadlines, make special arrangements for students, or otherwise modify the CIEE academic policies. Any special arrangements tentatively proposed by professors must be submitted to the resident director on site for review and final approval. It is each student’s responsibility to understand all local regulations governing completion of work and departure from the program site.

Class Attendance

Class attendance is required throughout the program. Students may be excused from class only with the permission of the residential director. Students who miss class for medical reasons must inform the RD. Continued absence may lead to a written warning from the RD or dismissal from the program. Students are not permitted to travel away from the program site while classes are in session. Weekend travel is permitted.

Pass/Fail and Audit

Pass/fail registrations are not permitted in CIEE Study Center courses nor in direct enrollment courses that are offered for graded credit. With the approval of the RD, a student who carries a full course of study for credit may audit additional courses. A student is not allowed to change from Audit to Credit status, or vice-versa, after the end of the Drop/Add period.

Drop/Add Period

At most Study Centers, students are permitted to make changes in their course selection during a brief period at the beginning of a term. However, CIEE Drop/Add periods may vary from program to program, and may be earlier than the advertised Drop/Add period of the host institution. In these instances, the CIEE Drop/Add deadline is the official deadline for all CIEE program participants, not the host institution deadline. In semester programs, the CIEE Drop/Add period will end no later than the second full week of regular classes. In summer programs, the CIEE Drop/Add deadline will end no later than the fifth day of classes. No changes are permitted in registration, other than those to correct clerical errors, after the end of the CIEE Drop/Add period, at which time students are required to submit finalized Course Registration documents to CIEE resident staff. After the end of the CIEE Drop/Add period, no course may be deleted from a student's CIEE academic record.

Withdrawal from a Course

Under no circumstances is a student allowed to drop below a total of 12 U.S. semester credits for any one semester of study. Summer term students are not allowed to drop below the minimum total number of advertised credits for the program. If a student is granted permission by the RD, after also receiving approval from the student’s home school study abroad office and the CIEE Portland Registrar, to withdraw from a course after the end of the Drop/Add period, but before the Academic Withdrawal deadline, a grade of “W” (Withdrawal) is entered on the CIEE Academic Record. If after the Academic Withdrawal deadline, a student stops attending a course, fails to take the final examination, or fails to turn in required work, a failing grade of “F” is reported. The Academic Withdrawal deadline may vary from program to program but will not be later than the mid-point of the term, as determined by the RD. The student will receive a failing grade (F) for the course, if proper approval for withdrawal from the course is not secured.

Withdrawal from a Program

All students are required to remain at the program location until the final program date, and to complete and turn in all academic work, including examinations and papers, prior to departing the site. If a student must depart prior to the Academic Withdrawal deadline, he/she will receive a grade of “W” for any uncompleted courses. Any student who leaves after the Academic Withdrawal deadline and prior to the end of the program, or who fails to complete and turn in all required academic work, will receive a failing grade in his or her courses.

There are few circumstances that may warrant exceptional approval of a withdrawal after the Academic Withdrawal deadline—a serious accident or illness, a severe psychological problem, or a severe family problem. If, in an emergency, a student needs to depart early or is unable to complete a requirement of one or more courses after the Academic Withdrawal deadline, the student must ask permission from the RD who will consult with the program director and CAO. In the rare instance that the CAO grants an exception to the Academic Withdrawal policy, CIEE will assign one of two grades for courses left uncompleted:

• a grade of “W” if the student leaves the program after the Academic Withdrawal deadline and receives approval from the CIEE CAO;
• a grade of “INC” (Incomplete) if the student leaves the program after the Academic Withdrawal Deadline and less than two weeks prior to the end of the program, and where academic circumstances allow a student to complete exams or submit final assignments that occur after his/her departure. Under these circumstances, students must receive written approval to be issued an “INC” for these courses, accompanied by a clear outline of completion requirements and due dates for all missed work, as noted below.

Incompletes

A CIEE academic record that reports one or more Incompletes will be accompanied by an outline that provides complete information about what the student is required to do in order to complete the course(s), and the date by which the RD at the program location needs to receive the missing work. CIEE will assign a deadline date for work to be submitted that is no more than one semester (or six months, whichever is earlier) after the on-site exam date of the course(s) in question.

If the student does not make appropriate arrangements with the RD prior to departure, a grade of “F” will be assigned. Individual professors do not have the final authority to extend deadlines, make special arrangements for students, or otherwise modify the CIEE academic policies. Any special arrangements tentatively proposed by professors must be submitted to the RD on site for review and final approval.

If the student misses the deadline for completing work for Incomplete courses, all Incomplete grades will automatically be converted to failing grades (F). If the student meets the deadline, the appropriate professor(s) on site will grade the assignment and report the new course grade(s) to the RD. CIEE will send a new CIEE academic record to the student’s home institution, reporting the updated grade(s).

Dismissal from the Program

Participants are expected to comply with regulations established by their home universities and the host institution. Resident staff may establish additional requirements that are essential to the students' achievement of their educational goals or to continuing good relations with the host university or community. CIEE may dismiss from the program any student who does not comply with the relevant regulations and requirements as outlined in the CIEE Participant Contract. In most cases, the RD issues a warning letter to participants if they are not acting in compliance with program regulations. Participants are expected to take responsibility for changing their behavior or risk early dismissal and consequent loss of time, money, and academic credit. CIEE does not grant program fee refunds to students who are dismissed from their programs. A student dismissed from a CIEE program, following the Drop/Add period, will fail all academic classes not yet completed, and a grade of “WF” will be reported for all classes.

Program Cancellation

CIEE reserves the right to cancel a CIEE Study Center program due to insufficient enrollment or other factors beyond its control. All CIEE programs are based on group arrangements involving a minimum number of participants. In the unlikely event that a program is cancelled prior to the start of the program, due to low enrollment or any other reason, CIEE will refund all payments received but will have no further liability to participant.

If an emergency requires that a program be canceled following the program start date and prior to the end of an academic term, CIEE will make reasonable efforts to make alternative arrangements in order to allow students to complete their academic work, but cannot guarantee that full or partial credit will be obtained. If alternative arrangements cannot be made, CIEE will make reasonable efforts to collect documentation of student work completed to date. CIEE will share this information with the home institutions of students enrolled in the program so they will be able to evaluate, per home institution policies, whether to grant their students full or partial credit for work completed.

Academic Honesty

CIEE subscribes to standard U.S. norms requiring that students exhibit the highest standards regarding academic honesty. Cheating and plagiarism in any course assignment or exam will not be tolerated and may result in a student failing the course or being expelled from the program. Standards of honesty and norms governing originality of work differ significantly from country to country. We expect students to adhere to both the American norms and the local norms. Three important principles are considered when defining and demanding academic honesty. These are related to the fundamental tenet that one should not present the work of another person as one’s own.

The first principle is that final examinations, quizzes and other tests must be done without assistance from another person, without looking at or otherwise consulting the work of another person, and without access to notes, books, or other pertinent information, unless the professor has explicitly announced that a particular test is to be taken on an "open book" basis.

The second principle is that any use of the work of another person must be documented in any written papers, oral presentations, or other assignments carried out in connection with a course. This usually takes one of the following forms:

If quoting directly from another’s work, the usual form might be:

As noted by Kaplan (1996: p. 49): “In 1807 the British outlawed the slave trade, and in 1808 Sierra Leone became a full-fledged British colony.”

Or alternatively, if not including a direct quote, in the following way:

Elimination of the slave trade and entering into colonial status were closely related in Sierra Leone (Kaplan 1996, p. 49).

If including information told to student by another person, a common form of documentation would be:

Although students who study abroad are frequently more fluent than those who stay at home, their grammatical accuracy may not be better—it may even be worse. (Barbara Freed, personal conversation)

Of course, facts that can be considered general knowledge do not need to be documented. For example:

Barack Obama was elected President of the United States on November 4, 2008.

The general rule is that if something has to be looked up, or if was learned either by reading or hearing something, it has to be documented.

The third principle applies specifically to course work: the same written paper may not be submitted in two classes. Nor may a paper for which a student has already received credit in the United States be submitted to satisfy a term paper requirement while studying overseas.

Exceptions

During the semester, any student who feels there is a justification to request an exception to any CIEE policy should address the request in writing to the RD. Individual instructors are not authorized to grant exceptions to academic policies. An RD may recommend that an exception be granted, in which case the CAO, in consultation with the student’s home institution, will make the decision. The CIEE CAO is the only person authorized to approve exceptions to these policies.

Academic Appeals

During the semester, any student appeal related to CIEE academic policies should be addressed to the RD. Any appeal of a policy or decision taken by the student's home institution must be addressed directly to authorities at the home institution.

Any request to appeal, arising after the conclusion of the program—and after the student has availed him/herself of any appeal process at the host institution—should be addressed to the CIEE registration coordinator in Portland. The appropriate program director in Portland, after consulting with the RD and course instructor, will recommend to CIEE’s CAO that the appeal be approved or denied. The CAO may, at his sole discretion, convene an appeal board to consider a particular case. The CAO will make the final decision about whether or not the grade will be changed.

Following policies that are universally in effect in U.S. colleges and universities, CIEE believes that, except in rare cases of egregious discrimination or blatant unfairness, each professor has the final say as to the grades assigned to his or her students. If a student believes the grade reported for a specific course is either in error or unfair, the student must initiate an inquiry or appeal using the appropriate CIEE form, which can be obtained from the CIEE registration coordinator. Participants have three months from when grades are forwarded to their home institution to file an appeal. Please note that appeals may take at least two to three months to be fully adjudicated, though CIEE makes every attempt to process any appeals received in as short a time period as possible.

PROGRAM FEES AND PAYMENT POLICIES

Program Fees

• Winter 2013, Spring 2013, Calendar Year 2013, Fall 2013, and Academic Year 2013-14
• Summer 2013

CIEE does not give full or partial refunds for unused services that are included as part of the advertised program fee. Fees are set by the CIEE Portland office. All questions regarding CIEE program fees must be directed to the CIEE billing team.

Transfer Student Discounts

CIEE includes a substantial fee discount for a number of academic and calendar year program combinations, at the same study center and same host institution, as outlined above in our published fees. Therefore, there are no further discounts beyond our published fees for students attending advertised academic year or calendar year combination term programs.

Since fees are not set for all possible two-term combinations of programs, students who would like to transfer from one semester-long program to another, in consecutive terms—either where there is no advertised combination term fee, or from a program at one Study Center location or host institution to a different Study Center location or host institution—are offered a discount of $1,000 off the total program fee for the second term of participation. For transfer between a semester-long and a consecutive summer/winter short-term program, $500 will be discounted from the total fee of the second program. There are no additional discounts for transfers between summer program sessions beyond the advertised fees. Note that participants are only eligible for the Transfer Student Discount for transfers between Service-Learning programs and Study programs in the same location, even when there is an advertised academic or calendar year program fee for the Study Program.

Confirmation of Participation

CIEE requires a confirmation payment, as part of the program fee, from each student intending to participate on a CIEE Study Center program. This confirmation payment is not an additional fee but is part of the published program fee and is paid at the time the “Participant Contract and Confirmation Payment” form is returned to CIEE in order to confirm a place in the program. In lieu of paying the confirmation fee at the time the Participant Contract is submitted, a student may elect to be billed for the confirmation fee with the rest of his/ her program fees, or may have a home school study abroad advisor indicate on the form that the school will pay the confirmation fee for the student at a later date; however, this option is only available if the school already has a billing agreement in place with CIEE. In some cases, institutions have made arrangements to confirm participation for the student. Forms and detailed information are included in the acceptance materials. Once the signed Participant Contract is submitted, the student is considered confirmed, regardless of whether the Confirmation Payment page of the form is received, and the student is held responsible for the confirmation fee and any other relevant program fees as outlined in the Terms and Conditions.

Payment of CIEE Program Fees

Participants are billed after acceptance to a CIEE program, typically within one to two months before the start of the program. Participants are confirmed once CIEE receives the Participant Contract as part of the enrollment process. Once CIEE has received the Participant Contract, the CIEE Withdrawal or Deferral Refund Policy (outlined below) applies. CIEE has agreements with many institutions regarding billing procedures for their students. In some cases, institutions ask CIEE to bill students directly and, in others, CIEE bills the institution or sends a statement of relevant student(s) fees to the institution to be billed to the student(s) via the home school’s billing system. In either case, the student is ultimately responsible for ensuring that the full program fee is paid. In the absence of an existing arrangement with a school or where the participant does not have a home institution, CIEE bills the participant directly.

Participants Billed Directly by CIEE

Billing statements are made available to the participant via their MY CIEE site. CIEE billing staff will notify participants via email when their initial billing statement is available. Participants billed directly by CIEE are responsible for maintaining their own accounts. If a parent or other designee will be managing payment of fees on behalf of the participant, it is the participant’s responsibility to ensure that all statements and other billing information are forwarded appropriately. Program fee payments are due in full 30 days from the production/mailing date of the bill, unless the student secures an approved payment plan. Individual student payments are accepted via personal check, money order, or cashier’s check made payable to CIEE, and sent with a copy of the billing statement to CIEE, DEPT CH 16646, PALATINE, IL 60055-6646. Payments may also be made via Visa/MasterCard credit or debit card using the credit card payment information form located on the back of the billing statement and faxing to 207-221-1456 (secure, dedicated fax line). Credit/debit card payments are only accepted via the required payment information form, complete with the card holder’s signature. No processing fees will be assessed by CIEE for payments made via credit/debit card. No payments will be accepted electronically or via phone.

Due Dates, Late Fees, and Interest

Program fees are billed by term (summer, fall, winter short term, and spring). Students participating in an academic or calendar year program, or in programs for two or more consecutive terms, receive a bill for each term. Program fee payments for each term must be paid by the due date listed on the statement for each term. Students participating in an academic year program will be billed for the full advertised fall term fee prior to departure in the fall, and for the difference between the full fall fee and the published academic year program fee prior to the advertised start of the spring term. Students participating in a calendar year program will be billed for the full spring term fee prior to departure in the spring, and for the difference between the full spring fee and the published calendar year program fee prior to the advertised start of the fall term.

For fall, academic year, calendar year, or spring terms, qualified participants may request a deferred payment due date using the following forms. Please note that except for financial aid deferral, deferred payment due dates are not allowed for summer programs or winter short term programs.

A. Financial Aid Deferral Form: If a portion of the participant’s program fee will be paid by financial aid (scholarships, grants, loans, etc.), that amount may be given a deferred payment date, without cost to the participant, per the following schedules: March 15 for spring program fees, July 1 for summer program fees, and October 15 for fall program fees, in order to allow the posting of the financial aid to the participant’s account at the home school and forwarding of funds to CIEE. In order to secure this deferral, the participant must provide a completed Financial Aid Deferral Form and any required payments above the amount of anticipated financial aid by the due date on the statement. There is no administrative fee for financial aid deferral requests. It is the participant's responsibility to make arrangements for financial aid to be sent to CIEE by the approved deferred payment, either directly from the school or from the student’s own bank account (please see Note 6 below). Students studying on CIEE programs for more than one term will need to submit a Financial Aid Deferral Form for each term in order to have their payments deferred for each billing period. Students may also track the progress of these requests on their My CIEE account checklists.

B. Standard Payment Plan Form: For non-financial aid deferred payment due dates, participants may request a split payment plan by submitting a completed CIEE Standard Payment Plan Form by the due date on the statement. (Note that this option is not available to participants on summer programs or winter short term programs.) There is an administrative fee for the Standard Payment Plan option of $100, due with the initial installment payment that accompanies the form. Program fee payment terms are as follows:

• 50% of the total balance due plus the $100 payment plan fee to be paid by the due date on the billing statement
• 75% to be paid by March 15 for spring and November 1 for fall programs
• 100% to be paid by May 1 for spring and December 15 for fall programs

Students studying on CIEE programs for more than one term will need to submit a Standard Payment Plan Form for each term if they wish to have their payments deferred for each billing period. The Standard Payment Plan may be requested in conjunction with a Financial Aid Deferral request.

Please note that approvals of deferrals and payment plans are not automatically granted. Students requesting payment deferrals/payment plans will typically receive an updated billing statement via their MY CIEE account outlining the terms of their deferral request within seven to 10 business days of receipt of the forms at CIEE. Students may also track the progress of these requests on their MY CIEE account checklists. Ultimately, it is the participant’s responsibility to ensure that all program fees are paid and that any aid being forwarded from the home institution, or any other organization, is sent to CIEE by the scheduled due date as noted on the billing statement or in the Financial Aid Deferral schedule outlined on the billing statement.

Exclusion from Participation

Any participant who fails either to pay in full by the stated due date on the statement, or by the payment dates as indicated in the payment deferral/payment plan schedule, may be subject to exclusion from participation at the discretion of CIEE. Notification of exclusion for non-payment may be delivered at any time prior to and/or during the program, but students will receive at least one late payment notification via email before any action to exclude is taken.

Late Fees and Interest

Any participant who fails to pay in full or to submit an appropriate payment deferral/payment plan request 30 days prior to the advertised program start date, or by the due date on the statement, whichever is later, will be charged a $200 late fee and is required to immediately submit payment for all remaining fees in full.

Any student approved to participate on a Standard Payment Plan who misses the 75% or the 100% deadline, will be charged a $100 late fee for each missed deadline.

Any student on a Financial Aid Deferral plan whose payment is not received at CIEE by the approved deferral deadline, as outlined in the deferral schedule on the revised statement after the proposed Financial Aid Deferral form has been submitted to CIEE, will be charged a $200 late fee.

Site Debts

Any unpaid debts at the end of a semester that were incurred by, or on behalf of, a program participant will be billed to that student in U.S. dollars by the CIEE Portland office, and the student’s grades will be held until the site debt is paid in full.

Grades will not be transmitted for any student for whom an unpaid balance or site debt remains. Participants who have earned failing grades for more than half of the total course work attempted will have their grades released to their home schools, regardless of any outstanding debt, and risk having their accounts sent to collections for non-payment. Returned checks and declined credit card payments are considered as failure to make the payment.

Fees Billed by CIEE to Institutions

In the case of fees billed by CIEE to institutions, the institution should provide the name, full address, and other contact information of the person responsible for settling the account. The policies below will be followed unless an alternative agreement has been signed by CIEE and by the institutional representative.

All program fees, as outlined on the CIEE billing statement sent to the institution, must be paid in full 30 days from the date of statement, unless alternate payment due dates are outlined in the organizational billing agreement between CIEE and the billed institution.

CIEE program fees that are billed to universities are done so by term/billing cycle per the following schedule:

Institutional payments are accepted via check made payable to CIEE, and sent with a copy of the billing statement to CIEE, DEPT CH 16646, PALATINE, IL 60055-6646 or via ACH or bank wire transfer. ACH and wire transfer payment information is included on the statement information page that accompanies the institutional bill. No institutional payments via credit card will be accepted.

Institutions that send participants on CIEE academic year or calendar year programs or in programs for two or more consecutive terms, will receive a bill for each term. The program fee for each term must be paid in full 30 days from the date of statement for each term, unless alternate payment due dates are outlined in the organizational billing agreement between CIEE and the billed institution. Statements for participants in an academic year program include the full advertised fall term fee on the fall term institutional bill, and the difference between the full fall fee and the published academic year program fee on the spring term institutional bill. Statements for participants in a calendar year program include the full advertised spring term fee on the spring term institutional bill, and the difference between the full spring fee and the published calendar year fee on the fall term institutional bill. Students continuing on two programs in consecutive terms will receive the CIEE Transfer Student credit on the statement for the second term of attendance.

The billed institution, as opposed to the individual program participant, is held responsible for payment of program fees for confirmed participants, as indicated on the bill from CIEE. It is the institution’s responsibility to pay CIEE in full for the balance due as noted on the statement each semester, regardless of whether the student has paid the institution in full or has any outstanding balance with the institution. Institutions who agree to accept bills from CIEE on behalf of their students, also agree to be responsible for cancellation fees for their confirmed students, as outlined in the institutional billing agreement and per the Withdrawal or Deferral Refund Policies below.

An institution will be considered in good standing if either (a) a minimum of 80% of the overall total due and payable for each billed term has been paid by the due date on the bill and any remaining balance is paid in full by the end of the billed term (i.e. December 15 for fall billing cycles, May 1 for spring billing cycles, and July 31 for summer billing cycles), or (b) the institutional representative has made specific arrangements with CIEE for payment in full by a specified date and meets the terms of those arrangements.

An institution not in good standing will be notified of the deficiency by CIEE. If deficiencies persist, CIEE reserves the right to terminate the billing agreement with the institution.

If the institution carries any balance more than one calendar year beyond the original statement payment due date, the institution will be informed that they have no more than 90 days to pay the balance in full or make acceptable payment arrangements with CIEE. Failure to do so will result in the termination of the institutional billing agreement.

Grades will not be transmitted for any student for whom an unpaid balance remains. Returned checks will be considered as failure to make the payment.

Withdrawal or Deferral Refund Policy

Please note that the $30 application fee and the Participation Confirmation payment are non-refundable. If a student applied to study through a School of Record, the School of Record fee is also non-refundable once the student has confirmed his/her place in the program.

Fall and Spring Semester Programs

Withdrawal before the advertised program arrival date: If written notification of withdrawal or deferral of confirmed participant is received by CIEE on or more than 15 days prior to the advertised program arrival date for the program (please see Note 4 below), all fees minus the $30 application fee and the non-refundable Participation Confirmation payment will be refunded. If a student applied to study through a School of Record, and withdraws/defers after confirming his/her place in the program, the $340 School of Record fee is also non-refundable.

Single Semester Participants: If written notification of withdrawal or deferral of a confirmed participant is received by CIEE less than 15 days prior to the advertised program arrival date for the program, 75% of the program fees, less the non-refundable School of Record fee, will be refunded. In cases where payment has not yet been received by CIEE, 25% of the program fee, in addition to the School of Record fee, is due. Requests for program deferral to a different semester are accepted only up to 15 days prior to the advertised program arrival date for each semester.

Academic and Calendar Year Participants: If written notification of withdrawal for the first term of study, or the full year, is received by CIEE prior to the advertised arrival date for the first term of study, please see the policy as outlined for “Single Semester Participants” above (withdrawal fee calculations are based on first semester fees only). If written notification of withdrawal for only the second semester of participation is received by CIEE prior to December 1 for academic year program participants, or June 1 for calendar year program participants, no financial penalties will be incurred for the second semester of study. Full year students who withdraw from the second term of study after these dates, but before the advertised arrival date for new students, will be responsible for 25% of the program fees for the second term. Full year participants are responsible for withdrawal fees as outlined below for withdrawal after the new student arrival date for the second term.

In the case of program participation deferral for a confirmed participant, if request is received on or more than 15 days from the advertised arrival date of the program the non-refundable Participation Confirmation payment, and any applicable School of Record fees must be paid for that term, but may be applied towards future participation on this or another CIEE Study Center program within the next 12 months. Students applying for a CIEE program within one year of deferring will be receive a confirmation fee credit (and/or School of Record credit, if applicable) on the billing statement of their term of reactivation. Students may not receive payment credits for deferrals less than 15 days prior to the scheduled arrival date, nor defer the second semester of a full year program.

Withdrawal on or after the advertised program arrival date for EACH semester: If written notification of withdrawal for a confirmed participant is received by CIEE on or after the advertised program arrival date for any given semester, or if a confirmed participant does not notify CIEE in writing of plans to withdraw and does not show up on-site on the advertised arrival date, the following refund policy for partial attendance applies.

The $30 application fee, Participation Confirmation payment, and applicable School of Record fee are non-refundable. Program fee refunds are calculated per the following:

• Withdrawal on or up to 21 days after the advertised program arrival date: 50% refund
• Withdrawal at any time after and including day 22, calculated from the advertised program arrival date: no refund

Winter Short Term and Summer Programs

Withdrawal before the advertised program session arrival date: If written notification of withdrawal or deferral of a confirmed participant is received by CIEE on or more than 15 days prior to the advertised arrival date for the first program session of confirmed participation (please see Note 4 below), all fees minus the $30 application fee and the non-refundable Participation Confirmation payment will be refunded. If a student applied to study through a School of Record, and withdraws/defers after confirming his/her place in the program, the $340 School of Record fee is also non-refundable. In cases where payment has not yet been received by CIEE, the Participation Confirmation fee, in addition to any applicable School of Record fees, is due.

If written notification of withdrawal of a confirmed participant is received by CIEE less than 15 days prior to the advertised arrival date for the first program session of participation, 75% of the program fees less the non-refundable School of Record fee will be refunded. In cases where payment has not yet been received by CIEE, 25% of the program fee, in addition to the School of Record fee, is due. Requests for program deferral to a different semester are accepted only up to 15 days prior to the advertised program arrival date. In cases where a participant wishes to cancel any session of a confirmed multi-session summer program, and written notification of this request is received by CIEE less than 15 days prior to the start of the session being cancelled, 25% of the session program fee, plus the full fees for the session(s) in which the student still plans to participate, will be due.

Participants withdrawing from Session 2 of a CIEE Summer Combination Program prior to the start of the second session will be re-billed in accordance with the program fees of the session attended. Participant flight fees between the two locations are non-refundable and this fee will be added to the program fees of the session attended.

In the case of program participation deferral for a confirmed participant, if request is received on or more than 15 days from the advertised program arrival date the non-refundable Participation Confirmation payment, and any applicable School of Record fees must be paid for that term, but may be applied towards future participation on this or another CIEE Study Center program within the next 12 months. Students applying for a program within one year of deferring will be receive a confirmation fee refund (and/or School of Record fee refund, if applicable) on the billing statement of their term of reactivation. Students may not defer less than 15 days prior to the first scheduled arrival date for the session(s) of participation, nor may they defer a second or third session of the program if participating on any one session in that same summer.

Withdrawal on or after the advertised program arrival date: If written notification of withdrawal for a confirmed participant is received by CIEE on or after the advertised program arrival date for any given term, or if a confirmed participant does not notify CIEE in writing of plans to withdraw and does not show up on-site on the advertised arrival date for the first session of the student’s confirmed participation record, the following refund policy for partial attendance applies.

The $30 application fee, Participation Confirmation payment, and applicable School of Record fees are non-refundable. Program fee refunds are calculated per the following:

• Withdrawal on or up to day four of the advertised program session arrival date: 50% refund
• Withdrawal from day five through day 10 of the advertised program session: no refund
• Withdrawal after day 10 until the end of the session: no refund of the single session fees will be granted, and an additional 25% withdrawal fee for any subsequent sessions confirmed for participation will also be due.

In cases where payment has not yet been received by CIEE, payment of the Participation Confirmation fee, applicable School of Record fees, and any unpaid balance after the withdrawal policy is enforced will be due.

Program Cancellation

Please refer to the General Policies section for Program Cancellation Terms and Conditions.

Notes:

1. In the case of a refund, the refund is typically sent to the billed party except in some circumstances involving financial aid—if CIEE bills the institution, the refund is sent to the institution; if CIEE bills the participant, the refund is sent to the participant at the permanent address listed on the initial application, unless the participant notifies CIEE otherwise. A refund of payment made by credit card will be processed as a credit back to that card account, when possible, rather than sent via refund check. Please note that refunds of less than $1 will not be processed. Similarly, CIEE will not bill participants with account balances less than $1. Refunds are processed within two months after the end of the term of study. Participants requiring refunds more quickly may contact CIEE to request expedited processing.

2. Cancellations and deferrals are effective only upon the date written notification from the participant is received by CIEE. Students must also notify their home institution or School of Record directly if they plan to cancel, withdraw, or defer. Questions regarding home institution policies should be directed to the home institution, not to CIEE. Home institutions’ payment policies are separate from CIEE’s payment policies, and students will be held to both sets of policies.

3. The $30 application fee, Participation Confirmation payment, applicable School of Record fees, and Participant Flight Fee (Summer Combination Programs) are non–refundable.

4. The program arrival date is the advertised arrival date, which typically coincides with the first day of orientation for each term. Withdrawal fee policies outlined for participants studying for an academic year, calendar year, or on two consecutive terms of any sort are held to the advertised arrival date for each term or session, as listed on the CIEE website, in accordance with the Terms and Conditions listed above rather than the host university class start dates.

5. Participants who receive scholarship aid from CIEE and subsequently withdraw must repay CIEE the scholarship aid received. If the amount of the scholarship aid is less than the amount of any refund due, the scholarship aid is deducted from the refund. If the amount of the scholarship aid is greater than any refund due, the participant must repay CIEE the difference.

6. payment deferral, based on financial aid disbursements after the program starting date, cannot be granted past the following dates: November 15 for the fall semester, April 15 for the spring semester, and July 15 for summer programs.

7. In the case where a student confirms participation 30 days or less before the program arrival date, full payment must accompany the Participant Contract and Confirmation form.

8. CIEE withholds final grades when participants have outstanding financial obligations to CIEE or the program site.

Contact CIEE

All questions regarding student accounts should be directed to the CIEE billing coordinator, Student and Parent Services, at 1-800-40-STUDY.

CIEE reserves the right to modify or cancel any statement in the program descriptions and information as listed at www.ciee.org, or in the hard copy program catalogs, without prior notice and accepts no responsibility for the consequences of such changes.

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