Language School & Cultural Event Policies

On this page:

Event Registration Policy
Group Classes & Intensive Registration Policy | Waitlist Policy | Withdrawal Policy
Closing Dates | Snow Days
Private Classes Registration Policy
TEF Registration Policy

 

Registration Policy

• All students are required to be members of the Alliance Française. If your membership is to expire during a session of class for which you register, we will ask you to renew your membership at the time of registration. Tuition costs do not include the membership fee or books.
• Please note that in the event that two courses are chosen by the same student and during the same session, a 25% discount will apply to the lesser priced course and the early registration discount of $25 will only apply to one course.
• No discounts of any type apply to the following classes: Intensive and all mini-sessions, even if our computer system gives it to you: the adjustment will be made manually.
• Classes will only be opened with a minimum of five students.
• All classes, except where otherwise indicated, are for adults only (age 18 and up).
• Classes are not pro-rated. In the case of late registration, the price for the entire session is due.
• Classes run the whole length of the session (8 weeks) unless otherwise indicated.
• Make-ups for missed classes are not permitted: students keep in touch with their teachers via email.
• Payment: Payment including membership and books (if any) must be made in full at time of registration, by credit card (VISA/MC), check, or cash. Please note that bounced checks result in an additional fee of $25.

Waitlist Policy

• If the class you wish to register for is full, you may opt to place yourself on the waitlist.  You will need to enter your credit card information to get on the waitlist, whether your register online or whether you register on the phone with a member of our staff.  We will only use the credit card information to charge the tuition fee if and only if you eventually acquire a spot in the requested class.
• While you are on the waitlist, you may not attend the class for which you are waitlisted, so please do not show up for class.  Only registered students are allowed to attend their class.
• If a spot opens for you in the class, we will contact you by email and/or phone, at which point you will have 24 hours maximum to confirm whether you are still interested in registering for the class.  If we do not have your confirmation after 24 hours, we will call the next person on the waitlist.
• If you are offered the spot in the class after the term has already started, the class price remains the same, i.e. it will not be discounted for missed classes, as per our policy of not pro-rating classes.
• The waitlist period ends after the first two weeks of the session are over.  Afterwards, we do not call the students on the waitlist anymore, even if spots open up in their requested classes.  (For beginning classes, i.e. levels 101 to 104, the waitlist period ends after the first week of class.)
• If you put yourself on the waitlist through our website and you are not a member of the Alliance française, our e-commerce system will require you to buy the membership to the Alliance française, as required of registered students.  Therefore, if you are still on the waitlist when the waitlist period ends and had bought a membership for that reason, you will have the option of canceling that membership and obtain a refund for it.

Withdrawal Policy

Group Classes

All cancellations must be received in writing in the form of an email or letter (postmark establishing the date of the request). Please state the course code, the number of classes attended and the reason for the cancellation. Refunds will be processed within 3 weeks by check according to the following policy:

• "Week 1 withdrawal": Cancellation notified in writing before the end of the first week of the session (before Sunday, 11:59pm): Students will be refunded the cost of the course minus $25 per class attended or not, the membership fee and a $30 administrative fee.
• "Week 2 withdrawal": Cancellation notified in writing during the second week of the session (before Sunday, 11:59pm): Students will be refunded half the cost of the course minus $25 per class attended or not, the membership fee and a $30 administrative fee.
• Cancellation notified in writing after the second week (after the second Sunday of the session, 11:59am): No refunds will be given.
• If a student registers during the second week of the session, he or she may withdraw upon written notification and receive a refund according to the "Week 1 withdrawal" rules, if and only if the notification is sent within a week of the enrollment date.

Intensive Classes

• Cancellation notified in writing before the first day of the course: Students will be refunded the cost of the course minus the membership fee and a $30 administrative fee.
• Cancellation notified in writing during the first week of classes: Students will be refunded half the cost of the course minus $25 per class attended, the membership fee and a $30 administrative fee.
• Cancellation notified in writing after the last day of the first week: No refunds will be given.

 

Closing Dates

The Alliance Française is closed for the following holidays:

• Martin Luther King Jr. Day
• Memorial Day
• Independence Day
• Labor Day
• Columbus Day
• Thanksgiving

The Alliance Française is also closed during 15 days for Winter Break (Christmas and New Year Holidays) and Summer Break (August - September). For these dates, please click on "Session Catalog" or "Cultural Events". Dates will be available 2 - 3 weeks before the break.

 

Inclement Weather

In the event of inclement weather, please call 202 234 7911 by 9 am for morning and early afternoon classes, and by 4 pm for evening classes. A special announcement will be recorded if the Alliance is closed and the classes postponed. The same announcement will be posted on our website.

Bethesda and Falls Church students should check with their teacher.

Private & corporate classes students should check with their teacher.

Private Classes Policy

Please see our Private classes page, under the rubric "Policies".

Event Registration Policy

Due to our non-profit status, we cannot confirm access to events without prior reservation, nor can we hold reservations without prepayment. No internet reservations will be accepted on the day of the event. No refunds will be given for cancellations made less than 48 hours before events. A fee of $2 will be added to the price of admission if paid at the door. For all seated events: if we are sold out for a seated event, all unoccupied seats will be available to interested persons at 6:30 PM.