Avalon's tuition is set by the Board of Governors at a level considered affordable to our students and fair compensation of our instructors. Our standard courses consist of two five-unit modules, equivalent to ten weeks of college instruction in a traditional academic setting.
The current Tuition Rate is $80 per module. Visitors may be admitted to courses for a $40 Visitor fee. Their work will not be grades or receive comments from the instructor, nor will any record be kept of their enrollment besides a notation of V on their record (See Instructional Policies). To enroll as a Visitor, contact the Bursar and the Instructor directly.
Regular studentsl pay tuition for their coures through PayPal when they enroll for the course on Moodle. Go to our AvalOnline Cyber Classrooms and click on the courses for which you wish to enroll in the upcoming quarter. Remember to send in an Admission Form so that we can create a file for you (See Admission).
What Exactly Am I Paying For?
Students and prospective students sometimes ask why they should pay $160 or more for one course. In some druid orders, a whole year's worth of study can be had for that amount. Many spiritual teachers traditionally charge nothing for their instruction, but only ask for donatons, so it is a good question. Let's look at the breakdown.
Our set tuition rate corresponds to each student paying $16 per unit, or about $5 per hour of contact time with the instructor, of which the instructor receives 60-80% depending on academic rank. This, we hope you agree, is an extremely modest wage, less than one would normally pay for lessons in Tai chi, pilates, or a musical instrument. Much less than one would pay per hour for a massage or shiatsu treatment.
In an asynchronous learning environment, obviously, it is not as easy to measure "contact time" as it is when you attend classes in a physical classroom or can visit your professor during office hours. Also, it is the quality of your interaction with the instructor that matters more than "seat time" in a classroom (real or virtual). You can expect that each unit will involve approximately three hours of time reading or listening to the instructor's lecture, classroom discussion, and feedback on your assignments.
In addition, each unit includes your own work outside of "classroom time." In a physical campus this means reading books and articles, research, and writing. It may seem a bit odd to be paying for your own work, but that is the nature of education because in reality it is your work and what you put into the course of study that matters most. You are paying for the instructor's work setting up the course of study, guiding you through it, and evaluating your performance.
Finally, students must understand that 20-40% of their tuition goes to support the operation, development, and administration of the Avalon Center as a whole. This includes costs of advertising and marketing the Center's programs, building infrastructure online and for our physical campus, building and maintaining the John Dee Library, and compensating administrative staff. So, remember that part of your tuition payment is going to preserve this institution, your permanent academic record, and to pass on the legacy of learning to future generations. It is always our intention to continuously improve the programs of Avalon Center and the services provided to our students and faculty.
Financial Scholarships
For information on scholarships, please click HERE or on the "Scholarships" link in the left-hand navigation menu.
Withdrawing from Classes and Refunds
In the event that you need to withdraw from your courses for any reason, you are requested to notify the Registrar and your Instructor(s) as soon as possible, submitting a Withdrawal Form.
You have up to 4 weeks after you enroll for any course to change your mind and receive a partial tuition refund based upon the following table. No refunds will be given after the 4th week.
Change of Status, Change of Grading Option, and Petition forms will be found as PDF files on the Forms page of this site.
