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 two years and/or four semesters needed to graduate.   The cost of these are fixed, with possibility of certain class(es) waived to be determined at acceptance with an individually adapted tuition plan provided if applicable.

2. RESIDENCY TUITION

With four residencies required in order to graduate, students have the flexibility to choose which residencies to attend.  Students who have attended previous workshops with George Kordis may be able to have one residency requirement waived outside of the St. Vladimir’s residencies.

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.

Once a student has been admitted into the Certificate Program:

1. A non-refundable deposit of $400 will need to be paid (applied towards the total tuition cost and serving as the annual Administrative fee — see below) within the first two weeks of being accepted into the program in order to secure their spot.
2. Students will receive a breakdown of the total expected tuition billing along with various flexible payment option plans. 
3. Students will choose to pay either by semester or month-to-month in a payment plan.  Along with tuition, an Administrative fee ($400 annually per student) will be payable as part of the overall program cost.  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.
4. Students will need to be ready to make a deposit on their first residency of choice along with their first tuition payment.  A notice of when to expect the final residency payment will be sent after payment is completed (it is also usually indicated on the registration detail of each particular residency).

NOTE: Tuition payments must be made no later than a month in advance of each semester – for FALL 2023 by August 15th, and for SPRING 2024 by December 15th, 2023.

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

PLEASE NOTE ALL TUITION BILLING WILL BE PRESENTED IN EUROS AT TIME OF BILLING BASED ON DOLLAR TUITION COST. 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.

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 credit given for the month in which the request is made (or previous months), but it is possible to have credit kept on file for the remaining month(s) of the semester which have already been paid.  The credit can be used for residencies or other programs. 

There will be no refunds once a semester has started as there are limited spots in the program and it is not expected to be able to fill spots off our waitlist once the program has commenced.  There is only a monetary refund given if a new student entering the program or a continuing student entering the Fall of the 2nd year has deposited for a given semester and changes his or her mind for participation — notifying us no later than one month in advance of the semester starting. Please note the annual program deposit is non-refundable, and a tuition refund is only possible if notice is given as explained above.  

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.

CANCELLATION OF A RESIDENCY:

Students may withdraw from residency up to four weeks prior to the start of the residency and receive a full refund of the residency tuition, minus the deposit.  Students should refer to the cancellation policy as explained for the individual residency.  This refund excludes any travel or other costs incurred outside what is covered by tuition.