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 guarantee your place. We cannot accept partial payments. Acceptable forms of payment are check or money order (payable to French Academy DC, VA, MD LLC - 5749 Governors Pond Cir, Alexandria VA 22310), or online payments (+ 3.4% credit card processing fees). 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, wire transfer or direct credit card (fees applicable) are accepted.

Withdrawals & Refunds for Group Classes
Refunds for withdrawal from group courses must be requested 4 business days prior to the first day of class. Request must be submitted in writing at French Academy 5749 Governors Pond Circle Alexandria VA 22310. Requests cannot be made by phone. 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 a class is cancelled you will get a complete refund.

Students have the responsibility to choose and register for a class at their proficiency level. In case you don't know your level of proficiency, to make sure you choose the right one, you can contact us (info at frenchacademy.us) for a short placement test. Once you started a class you may not be able to change for another one, and a started class can not be refunded.

In some cases you can observe one session before paying for a class. This is only possible for classes that have the required minimum of participants and that are not fully booked. Please contact us for confirmation.

COVID-19
In case a Stay Home Order is issued, we may have to teach ONLINE a class that was planned to be in person, to garantee the safety of the participants.
If a class cannot be taught online, it will be cancelled and the participants will be refunded.
If a class-term started in person (for example a group clas for children), and the pandemic worsens, the classes will be taught online during the weeks of the Stay Home Order.
If a session has not started yet and you want to cancel participation due to COVID 19, you can cancel up to 4 days before the start of your class.
Private lessons will be taught online in case of a stay-home-order. Once the tuition paid, private lessons are not refundable.

Private Lessons
Private Lessons or one-on-one lessons, once purchased, are not refundable and must be used within a four month period (5 and 10-hour package) or seven month period (20-hour 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 a group class under the condition that there are spots available in the class. The rates are as followed: 10 private hours for a 20 hour group class; 6 private hours for a 12 hour class; and 5 hours for a 7.5 or a 5 hour workshop.

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. Courses are typically 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.
In the event of severe weather conditions or instructor's sickness, classes might be 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. Skype classes can be offered for small adult group classes, instead of a in person group class.

The French Academy can also slightly change the schedule of your class (start 30 minutes later for example) in urgent situations.

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.

Make-up classes for students who missed a group class session
Students cannot substitute missed classes (a missed session of a group class) with an other session in other courses offered during the same course period or later. Any student enrolled in a group class can get a make-up class "private lesson" at our lowest hourly rate.
If the students prefer to catch up on their own, they will be able to work on the material, lesson plan and homework sent by the teacher.
In case students cannot come physically to the session, if they are able to do so, they can also Skype in to the class, to follow the session.

Missed classes can not be partially nor fully refunded.


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.