California Language Academy Policies

Grading, Attendance, and Satisfactory Academic Progress Policies

1. Qualitative Standard

Students enrolled in any English Language programs must maintain a cumulative grade of 80% and attendance of 80% by completion.

2.Attendance Percentage Calculation

Attendance percentages are calculated based on course minutes. A course that is 1.5 hours Monday through Thursday has a total class time of 6 hours per week. If a student is late 15 minutes to one class, the student is marked present for 1.25 hours on that day. At the end of the week, the student attended 5.75 hours. 5.75 hours divided by the possible 6 hours gives the student an attendance percentage of 96%.

3.Evaluation of Student Progress

Counselling sessions are held every 4 weeks. During the counselling sessions students are given a progress report that will state the student’s cumulative grade and attendance percentages. If the student is below the required minimum attendance and/or grade percentage, the student will be placed on probation until the student meets the minimum required standards. At the end of the term, if the student has not met the program requirements they will not receive a certificate of completion or advance to the next level and will need to repeat the course.

4.Attendance & Academic Probation

A student will be placed on Attendance probation if their cumulative attendance falls below 90% . The student will be placed on Academic probation if their cumulative grade falls below 80% for all Programs at the time they are given a progress report.
A written warning letter will be issued to the student stating that their attendance/grade has fallen below the required minimum standards and needs to show improvement.
The student is placed on a two-week probationary period and must show attendance improvement over the next two weeks.
If the student shows continued improvement during the two-week probationary period and has raised their cumulative attendance/grade percentage above the required minimum standards then the student will be removed from probation. This does not mean that the student’s attendance/grade can dip below the required minimum standards. If a student comes off of Probation and his/her attendance/grade drops below the minimum standards again they will be issued a final warning letter and will be at risk of being dropped from the program.
If the cumulative attendance/grade percentage is still below the required minimum at the end of the two-week probationary period, but the student has shown improvement and is moving toward raising their attendance/grade percentage, they will remain on probation until they have raised their cumulative attendance/grade percentage above the required minimum standards. This is monitored every 2 weeks.
If however the student’s cumulative attendance/grade is still below minimum required standards and has not shown continued improvement, then the student will be issued a final warning letter stating that the student must show improvement over the next 2 weeks.
If after the final 2 weeks the student’s attendance has not shown improvement, the student will be removed from the program and no refund will be issued.

5.Vacations Policy

Students accumulate vacation on a 12:4 ratio. This means for every 12 weeks of consecutive study, the student will accumulate 4 weeks of vacation. The maximum length of accumulated vacations is 1 month. Therefore a student that has studied for 4 months or more may take up to 1 month vacation. Students must be in good standing to be eligible to take vacations. Good standing is defined as having an attendance percentage of 80% or greater and an overall grade of 80% or greater. If either of these criteria is not met, the student will not be eligible to take a vacation until both criteria are met. In order to take a vacation, students must complete a vacation request form prior to taking the vacation. The vacation request form needs to state the vacation start and end dates, the reason for the vacation, and it must be approved by the Academic Studies Manager or the Center Director. Students must also notify to International Officer or DSO 2 weeks in advance to apply for vacation.

6.Leave of Absence Policy

A student needing a Leave of Absence for medical or personal emergency reasons may request a Leave of Absence of up to 8 weeks. The student must submit a written request with adequate evidence or supporting documentation for a leave of absence in advance of the beginning date of the leave of absence unless unforeseen circumstances prevent the student from doing so. If a student does not request a leave of absence within a timeframe consistent with the consecutive absences policy, s/he must be withdrawn from the program.

Upon returning, the student will be given a level assessment and will be placed into the appropriate level at that time; which may be a lower level depending on the length of the leave of absence and the point of the term in which the student resumes.

Cancellation & Refund Policy

1.Tuition Refund Policy

Cancellations prior to the first day of class or a no show: Student is eligible for a full tuition refund minus any non-refundable fees including application fees, shipping fees, materials, travel insurance fees and any other relevant fees.
If the student entered the US on a CLA I-20: Student is responsible for all the tuition charges for up to four weeks of the first term/session, and any non-refundable fees including application fees, shipping fees, materials, travel insurance fees and any other relevant fees.

For cancellations on or after the first day of class (enrollments of 1 – 4 weeks): Student is responsible for all the tuition charges for up to four weeks, and any non-refundable fees including application fees, shipping fees, materials, travel insurance fees and any other relevant fees.

For cancellations on or after the first day of class (enrollments of 5+ weeks): If the student completes 50% or more of the enrollment, no refund will be issued. Any cancellation before 50% completion of the course will be issued a refund at the appropriate tier rate for the new enrollment with a minimum of 4 weeks charged.

For extensions, any cancellation before 50% of the enrollment will be charged at the appropriate tier rate for the new enrollment. Any difference will be refunded. Any cancellation after 50% of the enrollment is completed will not be refunded.

All refunds are made to the original fee payer. When determining the number of weeks, CLA will consider a partial week the same as a full week.

All students are asked to complete a Course Cancellation Request, but it is not required in order to receive a refund.

All refunds are subject to bank fee charges. These fees may be deducted from your total refund due.

2.Accommodation Refund Policy

Accommodation cancellations must give 4 weeks notice. From the date of notification, fees of 4 weeks will be charged plus any other relevant fees.
All students must complete an Accommodation Cancellation Request in order to receive a refund.

3.Non-Refundable Services

Application, materials, activities and transportation services are non-refundable. Application fees are one-time fees charged at the time of enrollment. Materials fees are charged at each change in level.

Student’s Right to Cancel

Students who cancel prior to the start date or on the start date, will receive payment of the refund within 45 business days of start date. Students who withdraw after the start date will receive payment of the refund within 45 business days of the notification of withdrawal.

If a student withdraws or shortens their course after the first day of class, but before completing 50% of their contracted number of weeks, the student will be charged full price for the number of weeks completed with calculating a refund. All tuition discounts or special offers are dependent upon completion of the total contracted weeks of study. If the student has received federal student financial aid funds, the student is entitled to a refund of moneys not paid from federal student financial aid program funds.

If a student obtains a loan to pay for an educational program, the student will have the responsibility to repay the full amount of the loan plus interest, less the amount of any refund. If the student is eligible for a loan guaranteed by the federal or state government and the student defaults on the loan, both of the following may occur:

The federal or state government or a loan guarantee agency may take action against the student, including applying any income tax refund to which the person is entitled to reduce the balance owed on the loan.

The student may not be eligible for any other federal student financial aid at another institution or other government assistance until the loan is repaid.