Payment Information and Policies

When you sign up for your HIOBS course online or over the phone, you will pay a deposit of $500 as part of the enrollment process. This deposit includes a $150 non-refundable enrollment processing fee. Deposit fees vary for Intercept, Grieving Teens and some Family courses. There is no deposit required to enroll on courses for Veterans. Please see course details for more information. We accept all major credit cards.

Your credit card information is not saved on file after this initial deposit, and so we ask you to either pay your tuition balance using our online portal, or over the phone.. Full payment for a course is due 90 days before course start. You may PAY ONLINE HERE

If you have not paid your course tuition within 90 days of course start, you may lose your spot on the course. We are happy to arrange payment plans, we accept 529 plans through third parties, and have financial aid available so please let us know if you have specific financial constraints. 

For a full description of our Deposit, Tuition, Cancellation, Transfer, Early Departure/ No-Show, and Waitlist policies please see pages 3-5 of Attending Outward Bound.

Cancellation Policy

If you are the parent of a student, you are making an investment in the growth and development of your child as well as giving the gift of an amazing opportunity. If you are the student, you are investing in your continuing education. Please review the Cancellation Policy thoroughly. If you are the parent of a student, we recommend you review this policy with your child, as you will be relying on him or her to put considerable effort into the course and be an active, responsible and safe participant.

Our investment in planning, staffing and provisioning cannot be recovered in the event of short-notice cancellations, transfers or early departures. Please see Trip Insurance below for information on protecting yourself from these costs. We regret that we cannot issue refunds except as described below.

Cancellation Penalties

If you cancel for any reason (including, but not limited to cancelations due to schedule changes, lack of motivation, summer school, work conflicts, unreported pre-existing conditions) fewer than 90 days from the course start date (regardless of your enrollment date), the cancellation penalties listed below will apply to the full published tuition (or for scholarship recipients, the full amount due). The penalty is not based on the amount paid to date but the amount due on the day you cancel.

Time to course start      We retain

>89 days                         $150 enrollment fee

89-75 days                      $500 deposit 

74-60 days                      $500 deposit & 25% remaining tuition

59-45 days                      $500 deposit & 50% of remaining tuition

44-0 days                        100% of tuition

Outward Bound cannot refund tuition in the event that you are unable to attend or complete the course due to illness, injury or family emergency. We strongly recommend that you purchase trip insurance to cover such unexpected expenses (e.g., course tuition, airfare and/or emergency evacuation) through a third party such as Travelex: www.travelexinsurance.com. You can also speak with Ruby Frederick at Southlands Travel. Ruby is knowledgeable about our programs, has access to multiple trip insurance companies, and is dedicated to helping you find the coverage that’s best for you. Contact: ruby@southlandstravel.com or 303-680-5241.

DEPOSIT REFUNDS: Of your original deposit, the enrollment processing fee ($150) is non-refundable. There are a few situations where the enrollment processing fee will be refunded: 1. In the event that you are on the waitlist and a spot does not open up; 2. If the course is cancelled by Hurricane Island Outward Bound; or 3. If you apply for financial aid, and then must cancel because you are still unable to attend the course due to insufficient funds. If you are not cleared to participate, we will retain the $150 enrollment processing fee but refund the balance of tuition paid.

Early Departures and No-Shows

If a student does not intend to, or is not able to show up for course start on the day, it is vital that you let us know that immediately. If there is a delay in travel, we can often work around it, but if the student is not intending to be on course at all we will possibly need to make course and crew adjustments. There is no refund in this situation. 

We strive to support and encourage students to successfully complete their course. Our instructors are experienced in helping students push past doubt and actively try to solve any issues that seem to be preventing them from fully engaging. If a student is exhibiting these behaviors on course, instructors typically start by working with the student individually, then contacting the base camp for additional resources or calling a parent, then, if the problems persist, removing the students from the course.  If a student is determined to leave the course or is not willing to fully participate and follow instructions, then for their personal safety and the safety of the group, we simply cannot and will not make them stay. Parents will be contacted to arrange for their child’s travel home.  Expulsion will result if we determine that a student is: 

• Unwilling or unmotivated to participate in course activities;
• Unable or unwilling to adapt to the physical and interpersonal rigors of the expedition;
• Posing a danger to self or others through misconduct or unsafe practices;
• Defiant, harassing, or otherwise compromising the emotional or physical safety of others;
• Using alcohol, drugs (including misuse of prescription drugs) or tobacco; or
• Engaging in sexual activity

No matter the reason for no-shows at course start, or for early departures, there will be no refund or credit of tuition. 

Transfers

You may transfer from your initial course to another, but such transfers may incur an additional cost. You may transfer from one course to another one time for no penalty provided it is more than 60 days from the course start date. A $100 Transfer Fee will apply to subsequent transfers more than 60 days from the course start date. For transfers less than 60 days from the course start date, 50% of the payment is transferrable and you will forfeit 50% of your payment. Outward Bound will not issue a refund for any transfers less than 30 days from the course start date.

Waitlists

To be enrolled on the waitlist for a course, we require the $500 deposit, your completed paperwork and an individual student interview. If a spot opens up on course, we will offer it to the first applicant who completed the paperwork and interview, not to the applicant who enrolled first. You will have 24 hours to respond to the offer of a spot should it open up. If you elect not to take the open spot offered, or do not respond within 24 hours, the $150 enrollment processing fee will not be refunded. If a spot has not opened by 30 days before course start, we will refund the deposit if you wish to drop off the list at that time. If we are unable to offer you a spot, we will refund the entire $500 deposit. Waitlist spots sometimes become available as close as 5 days before course!

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