Payment Deadline & Late Fee
My Payment: What is Covered
Payment Methods
Tax Refunds & Use of 529 Funds
Bank Loans

PAYMENT DEADLINE & LATE FEE

Each field school has a payment deadline noted under ‘Course Details’ on the top right corner of the program page. Students must to complete tuition payment by that deadline to avoid a late fee. If payments are incomplete by the designated deadline, students will incur a $100 Late Fee.

If you pay by check, the postage date is the date by which we determine compliance with the payment deadline. Checks may arrive to IFR offices after the payment deadline; no Late Fee will be assessed on such payments as long as they are postmarked prior to, or on the date of the payment deadline.

Students may avoid the Late Fee if they sign the Financial Aid agreement and send to the IFR before the program payment deadline. Note that the Financial Aid agreement is a legal document committing the student to full payment for the program regardless of student attendance.  If you are not certain you will attend the program, signing the Financial Aid agreement may not be a good idea.

WHAT YOUR TUITION COVERS

YOUR TUITION COVERS:

• Costs of instruction
• Costs of your room & board. In most field schools, your meals during the weekend are not covered but the cost of accommodations are. Look at the field school syllabus for details.
• Costs of your credit units and two transcripts
• Local Transportation. Some field schools will not cover travel expense from the airport to the site. Please refer to program syllabus for further details.
• For all international programs, the full costs of your Health, Political & Natural Disaster Evacuation and Accident Insurance

YOUR TUITION DOES NOT COVER:

• Costs of travel to- and from field school meeting point as described in the program syllabus
• Travel insurance for airline tickets or program cost *
• Costs of entry visa (if any) to the country in which the field school will take place
• Costs of immunizations or prescribed medication
• Personal expenses for items such as gifts to family & friends, phone calls, etc.
• For all programs in the US, the IFR cannot purchase short term health insurance on your behalf. Proof of health insurance is required.

PAYMENT METHODS

Payments may be made by check, cashier check or through our online payment system. All payments must be made in US Dollars. Pay stubs for check payments are required.

• Check Payment: If you choose to pay by check or cashier check, please make it payable to the “Institute for Field Research”. Write your program name and program on the memo line. Please print and fill out the Payment Stub, which students may download from the Payment & Finances page.
• Credit/Debit Card Payment: The IFR accepts all major credit cards. A 3.5% Processing fee is automatically charged to all online transactions.
• Cash Payment: Student may pay by cash by personally coming to the IFR offices. Mailing of cash, even via secure couriers is strongly discourage. The IFR will not be responsible for any cash lost when sent to our offices.
• Bank Transfers: At this time, the IFR is unable to accept bank transfers.
• Returned checks incur an automatic $29.00 Returned Check Fee

TAX REFUNDS

For US Citizens: At this time, the Internal Revenue Services (IRS) does not allow non-university academic institutions to issue a 1098-T tax forms. Although students receive academic credit units through our partner universities, IFR students do not matriculate there and therefore, cannot receive 1098-T forms from Connecticut College or UCLA.  The IFR, however, will be happy to issue a letter stating students participated in our field school(s) and an updated financial statement showing payment history.  Contact info@ifrglobal.org to request such documents.

529 Funds: All IFR field schools are accredited through our academic partner – Connecticut College. Therefore, all expenses associated with the field school –including tuition, air travel and miscellaneous expenses – are legitimate educational expenses and covered by 529 IRS rules. Students will get a letter grade on official transcripts at the end of the field school. A copy of the transcripts may be provided to the IRS as proof that the student attended a credit-bearing academic program.

For Canadian Citizens: The IFR will be delighted to complete Form TL11A for Tuition, Education, and Textbook Amounts Certificate – University Outside Canada. Please send the IFR your TF11A E form in a PDF format (email to admissions@ifrglobal.org).  We will send the completed form back, usually within 48 hours.

All other Nationalities: Please contact the IFR with questions about tax deduction possibilities in your home country.

BANK LOANS

Student Loans: One way to help fund the field school cost is through student loans.  The best way to use this financial tool is to ask your home school to accept the loan on your behalf and forward funds to the IFR through a Consortium Agreement.  Such loans can go towards your Financial Aid package and disperse to the IFR by the school in which you matriculate.  Go to the IFR Financial Aid page to read more.

Direct Payment of Federal/State Loans: The IFR itself cannot accept direct payment of federal/state student loans as we are not a university.  Connecticut College cannot accept federal/state student loans on our behalf as students do not matriculate there.

Personal Loans: Your field school is an academic class that awards you with credit units from our partner university. Many banks will allow personal loans to finance such academic activities. The IFR can accept direct payment from banks, as long as they do not require the IFR to be the accredited institution. Make sure any funds transferred from your bank includes your name and the field school you plan to attend.  This will help ensure funds will be credited correctly in our system.

* Travel and Trip Cancelation Insurance

Please consider purchasing a travel interruption insurance policy that will cover your travel cost and the cost of the IFR program once you make a commitment to attend a field school.