Alliance Française Class Enrollment Policies

1. Registrations are accepted in the order received until the class is full (average class size is 5-8; maximum class size is 10-12).
2. Membership: Alliance Française membership is required for all students. The membership fee is valid for 12 full months and carries these benefits: eligibility to register for classes, discounts at retailers and restaurants, access to the School’s lending library of books and audio/video materials, and invitations and discounts to social and cultural events. Membership fees are not refundable.
3. Special Discounts:
   • Receive a 10% Earlybird discount when paying in full for full-term classes (10 weeks), by the designated ‘earlybird’ deadline, for group classes,
   • 15% discount for Seniors (65 and older) who register and pay in full, for group classes (the discount is not valid for private lessons). Note: only one special discount at a time, please. The discounts apply to the course fee; discounts do not apply to books or membership fees.
4. FlexPay Plan: Pay $125 to register (plus applicable books and membership) and then pay the balance at mid-term. Note: Earlybird or Senior discounts don’t apply to FlexPay plans; applicable only to 10-week classes.
5. Enrollment Quotas and Staffing: A minimum of four enrollments is required to open a class. If this quota is not met, the Alliance Française will use its discretion to open the class anyway, cancel the class or offer alternatives.
6. Trial Class: Students may attend one class on a try-out basis, at no charge, for evaluation purposes, as long as the class is not at maximum enrollment.

Alliance Française Refund Policy

The Alliance is a nonprofit organization that hires top-caliber teachers and which establishes class schedules based on enrollments at the start of a session. Therefore our refund policy is restricted as described below.

1. Notification: Class withdrawals must be made in writing, submitted to the Alliance office, and should specify the submitter’s request for
• a refund (terms below),
• a course credit, or
• agreement to offer up potential refunds as a donation to the 501c3 organization (i.e., tax deductible).
2. Refunds: For 10-week classes, any cancellations prior to the first class being held are refunded in full, minus a 3% credit card fee (if the student paid by credit card). Optionally, the student can opt to apply a credit of 100% of the payment toward a future class (the credit must be used within six months.) If a student cancels in the first or second week of classes and before the second class is actually held, their options are to choose a 90% credit toward a future class or a 70% cash refund. If a student cancels after the second class but before the third is held, their options are to choose and 80% credit toward a future class or a 50% cash refund. Cash refunds are not made for cancellations after the first three class sessions, regardless of how many classes were attended by the student. Optionally, for withdrawals prior to mid-term, class credits can be issued for use at a future session (classes held before withdrawal notice will be deducted from the class credit).
3. Changes in Format: For students electing to change from Group Classes to Private Tutoring, hours taken in the group format will be charged at $20 per hour and the balance remaining from the group class will apply to Private Tutoring at $45/hour. For students wishing to switch from Private Tutoring to a Group class, the hours completed in the Private Tutoring class will be charged at $45/hour and the balance of what was pre-paid for the tutoring class can be applied to the group class at $13/hour.
4. Staffing Adjustments: Very rarely, we may find it necessary to substitute an equally-qualified teacher for one that was scheduled to teach a class. Refunds are not allowed due to such adjustments. If however a suitable substitute cannot be put in place, students will be refunded the value of any remaining classes or an option for credit toward a future class.

Miscellaneous

1. Missed Classes: Missed classes are not refunded. However, students who miss a class are welcome to audit another class at a similar level, which can be very beneficial.
2. Private Lessons or Custom Small-Group Instruction: Students in private lessons must notify their teacher at least 24 hours in advance, by phone, of any change in scheduled sessions.

The Alliance Française de Portland reserves the right to modify policies at any time and will make every effort to determine suitable solutions for situations not covered here. In all cases, the decision of the Alliance Française is final and binding.