Tuition for the Writing the Light Certificate Program

There are two parts to the program tuition:

1. ONLINE TUITION

Each year, there are two semesters of online learning – Fall and Spring, with either a 3-Year path (Foundation Year + Core Program to make six online semesters) or the 2-Year path (Core 2-yr. Program of four semesters or Church Wall-Painting Program) needed to complete the program.

 

2. RESIDENCY TUITION

With five residencies* required for the 3-year program in order to graduate (four for the 2-year program), students have the flexibility to choose which residencies to attend.  Students who have attended previous workshops with George Kordis will be able to have one residency requirement waived.

The LODGING, FOOD, and TRAVEL COST of each residency is independently covered by each student, and will vary from student to student and the location of each residency.  It is not included in the residency tuition cost.  Students must be able to cover these additional costs along with the overall residency tuition and regular online tuition. It will be necessary to budget accordingly, with estimates shared on the individual residencies descriptions or available upon request.

 

* For 3-Year Students: Beginning in January 2025, students may opt for one residency to be attended virtually at a 60% discounted tuition rate — only available for either the Crete Summer School, with work feedback and basic oversight provided, beginning Summer School 2025.

 

Once a student has been admitted into the Certificate Program:

1. A non-refundable deposit of $400 will need to be paid, serving also as the Annual Administrative fee within the first two weeks of being accepted into the program in order to secure their spot.
2. Students will receive their tuition billing approximately one month before the semester begins.
3. The Administrative fee ($400 annually per student) will be maintained throughout a student’s learning in the program.  This fee will be satisfied with the deposit in year one and payable in July of the following year to confirm attendance in the upcoming Fall semester. It is not required upon entering into the Thesis portion of the program.
4. New incoming students should try to make a deposit on their first residency of choice as soon as they have determined their individual preference as there are limited seats.

Note that the below cost is listed in US Dollars as most of our students are American.

#1 SAMPLE — COST OVERVIEW — Foundation Year (3-Year Program)
SEMESTER 1
Drawing Foundations I – LIVE class 2x per month, supervision with Maria Panou	220
Painting Foundation II – LIVE class 2x per month with supervision with Maria Panou	220
History of Byzantine Art I (Survey) – LIVE class 2x per month	260
Seminar 1 – LIVE 1x per month with Kordis (technical focus)	150
TUITION	850
SEMESTER 2
Drawing Foundations II – LIVE class 2x per month, supervision with Maria Panou	220
Painting Foundation II – LIVE class 2x per month, supervision with Maria Panou	220
Theology of Icons – with readings and LIVE session 1x per month with Kordis	260
Seminar 2 — LIVE 1x per month with Kordis (technical focus)	150
TUITION	850
TOTAL FOUNDATION YEAR ONLINE COST	1,700
PLUS 2-YEAR PROGRAM ONLINE COST (Detailed breakdown further below)	3,400
TOTAL COMBINED COST FOR 3-YEAR ONLINE PROGRAM	$ 5,100
5 Residencies (with an average of three 7-day, and two 10-day residencies*)	$ 5,500
TOTAL AVERAGE COMBINED ONLINE + RESIDENCIES 2-YEAR TUITION COST	$10,600
Expected Annual Cost (average including 2 residencies tuition cost per year)	$ 3,500

* not including travel, food or lodging at the in-person residencies.

 

#2 SAMPLE — ONLINE TUITION OVERVIEW (2-year Program)
SEMESTER 1
Essential Drawing I – LIVE class 2x per month with supervision by Dr. George Kordis	220
Painting I – Series of on-demand recorded sessions with supervision by Kordis	220
History of Byzantine Art I – LIVE class 2x per month	260
Seminar 1 – LIVE CLASS 1x per month with Kordis, all levels	150
TUITION	850
SEMESTER 2
Essential Drawing I – LIVE class 2x per month with supervision by Kordis	220
Painting II – Series of  on-demand recorded sessions with Kordis supervision	220
Theology of Icons  – 1x per month Live with Kordis	260
Seminar 3 — LIVE CLASS 1x per month with Dr. Kordis, all levels	150
TUITION	850
SEMESTER 3
Advanced Drawing – 2x per month LIVE class with supervision by Dr. Kordis	220
Advanced Painting – Series of on-demand recorded sessions with supervision by Kordis	220
Aesthetics of Byzantine Painting – 1x per month LIVE with Kordis	150
History of Byzantine Art II – LIVE class 2x per month	260
TUITION	850
SEMESTER 4
Advanced Drawing II  (Creative Composition)- 2x per month LIVE class with supervision by Dr. Kordis	220
History of Byzantine Art III – 2x per month	260
Advanced Painting II + On-demand Materials – 2x per month LIVE class with supervision by Maria Panou along with additional resource lessons and material	370
TUITION	850
2 -YEAR TOTAL ONLINE PROGRAM COST	$3,400
($1,700 Annual Online Cost)
AVERAGE TUITION COST FOR FOUR RESIDENCIES* (based on two 7-day, and two 10-day residencies)	$4,900
TOTAL AVERAGE COMBINED ONLINE + RESIDENCIES 2-YEAR TUITION COST	$8,300
($4,150 Estimated Annual Total Student Tuition Cost)

* not including travel, food or lodging at the residencies.

After fulfillment of the online portion of the Certificate Program, students will need to complete their studies with their final creative focus:

Thesis Add-on Semester — for either the 2 or 3-Year Certificate Program
THESIS PROJECT. Students must pursue a specific icon project based on traditional icons using their own style. Thesis supervised by Georgios Kordis individually, with final work submission within two months of semester completion, or student can continue another semester if they choose.	500

 

For the NEW Church Wall-Painting Program:

#3 SAMPLE — 2-Year Church Wall-Painting Program Tuition Overview
SEMESTER 1
The Art of Drawing for a Church – 2x per month LIVE class with Dr. George Kordis	480
Byzantine Sacred Space I (10th to 16th Centuries) — 2x per month with Olga Yunak	290
Church Painting Decoration — 1x per month with Maria Panou	240
Professional Practice — 1x per month on-demand curated materials	140
TUITION	1150
SEMESTER 2
The Art of Drawing for a Church II – 2x per month LIVE class with Dr. George Kordis	480
Byzantine Sacred Space II (10th to 16th Centuries) — 2x per month with Olga Yunak	290
Church Painting Decoration II — 1x per month with Maria Panou	240
Professional Practice — 1x per month curated on-demand	140
TUITION	1150
SEMESTER 3
Church Maquette Design – 2x per month LIVE class with Dr. George Kordis	480
Contemporary Church Iconography — 2x per month with Olga Yunak	290
Church Painting Decoration III — 1x per month with Maria Panou	240
Professional Practice — 1x per month curated on-demand	140
TUITION	1150
SEMESTER 4
CAPSTONE PROJECT: Proposal for Beautifying a Church with George Kordis	480
Church Architecture (9th to 16th Centuries)— 2x per month with Olga Yunak	290
Church Painting Decoration IV — 1x per month with Maria Panou*	240
Professional Practice — 1x per month curated on-demand	140
TUITION	1150
2 -YEAR TOTAL ONLINE PROGRAM COST	$4,600
($2,300 Annual Online Cost)
4 Residencies (average tuition cost for two 10-day, two 7-day residency)	(@4,700)
TOTAL AVERAGE COMBINED ONLINE + RESIDENCIES* 2-YEAR TUITION COST	$9,300
($4,600 Estimated Annual Student Tuition Cost)

* not including travel, food or lodging at the residencies.

 

International payment details for accepted students will be shared in the student’s acceptance letter.

 

Discounts and Scholarships

• Current St. Vladimir’s Seminary Students, faculty and staff are allowed a special 20% discount* to attend the Writing the Light Certificate Program – extended also to their immediate family members.
• Applicants are encouraged to seek private scholarships, grants and sponsorships from their parishes and also from the State Arts Council from the student’s respective state (for students within the United States). Currently additional funding assistance is not available directly through Writing the Light, although it is in process.

 

Materials

• A suggested list of materials will be given to students after depositing.
• Students will need to be equipped with basic materials of paper, pigments, icon boards and brushes to use at home.  Students can expect to incur an average of $150 to $300 of additional personal expense on materials per year.
• All materials (outside of brushes) are included for Residencies.

 

SEMESTER PAYMENTS

Please see CERTIFICATE PAYMENT of the shop section of the website.

 

WITHDRAW/DROP POLICY for the Online Semesters:

Online Tuition is paid from semester to semester.  Should a student decide to drop or pause the program during a given semester, there will be no monetary refund given for the month in which the request is made (or previous months), but a refund can be made for the remaining month(s) of the semester which have already been paid — minus the equivalent of the total amount minus the PayPal fee at the original country fee rate (i.e. 4,5% EU, 5.5~6% USA, CANADA, AUSTRALIA + 3% administrative fee).

A withdrawal or temporary pause is only possible if the request is made in writing to Keri Wiederspahn at info.writingthelight@gmail.com.  It will be necessary to make a new program deposit (Annual Administration fee) if a student pauses for a semester and then wishes to restart the program at a later date with the approval of Dr. Kordis.

 

REGARDING A STUDENT CANCELLATION OF A RESIDENCY:

• Beginning with all residencies from September 1st onwards, please know that we will no longer be able to handle credits or transfer any residency bookings. 

• If a Certificate student needs to cancel attendance to a residency, they can have a refund of their residency deposit (usually non-refundable) minus the equivalent of $100 as long as the cancellation is made within four weeks of the residency start date, otherwise the deposit is non-refundable. 

• For tuition paid for a canceled residency, ALL students may have the paid tuition portion refunded (beyond the non-refundable deposit) with the equivalent of the total amount paid minus the PayPal fee at the original country fee rate (i.e. 4,5% EU, 5.5~6% USA, CANADA, AUSTRALIA + 3% administrative fee).

 

Refunds exclude any travel or other costs incurred outside what is covered by tuition.