Admissions Policy & Criteria for Admissions:

In order to ensure that the school only enrolls students who are qualified and who can benefit from the school’s programs, the following admissions criteria are adopted.

To be admitted to the school, an applicant should meet the following requirements:

• Students must be 18 years old or older for our Adult Programs.
• Students must be between 13- 17 years old for our Junior Program.
• Students must complete an application form and pay in full or prove financial responsibility when booking through a representative in order to enroll.
• Passports and other pertinent documents must be reviewed and signed upon arrival.
• Eight students per class maximum (Junior Programs is 12 maximum).
• Students must not be absolute beginners with the exception of private lessons.
• Student applications must be processed within 24 hours.
• Students who would like to study 18 hours or more a week need to have a student visa
• Students traveling on a visa waiver or B1/B2 visa should only be enrolled for 17 hours a week or less
• Students with a tourist visa may enroll in the afternoon class only if desired.

Exceptions to these requirements may be made at the discretion of the School Director on a case by case basis as follows:

• An individual younger than 18 may be admitted to the Adult Program provided s/he is capable of meeting the expectations for behavior appropriate to an adult environment;
• Alternatively, an individual younger than 18 may be admitted if (i) the Academic Manager determines that, given the educational and maturity level of the individual, including the individual in the group classes will not detract from the educational experience of the other students in the class, and (ii) the individual accepts, and is capable of meeting, the expectations for behavior appropriate to an adult environment
• A native speaker of English may be admitted provide s/he take private lessons only;
• An individual who has not achieved literacy in his or her own language may be admitted provided s/he takes private lessons.
• Children younger than 13 may be admitted provided they take private or semi-private lessons while their parents are on campus. They will be booked through our Junior Department. All instructors who teach this class must have a teaching credential with the State of California or a Master of TESOL.

In all of these exceptions the explicit approval of the School Director must be given before the individual can be admitted.  If the School Director does not believe that the individual will benefit from the school’s programs, s/he will not be admitted.

Course Confirmation and Payment

All tuition and fees must be paid in full before you start classes at CISL. Upon receipt of your application and payment, we will send you a letter confirming your acceptance. Payment may be sent by any of the following: international money order, electronic bank transfer (wire transfer), credit card (MasterCard or Visa only), Pay to Study and Western Union. We cannot process your application unless we receive your payment.

Bank Transfers

CISL will provide the school’s bank information for wire transfers upon request. Please include the student’s name and student ID as part of the bank transfer information. The payment must include all sending and intermediary wire transfer charges. CISL will pay all receiving fees.

F-1 Student Visa

CISL is authorized to issue a Certificate of Eligibility (Form I-20) to qualifying full-time students. The I-20 form is used when applying for a student visa (F-1) and will only be issued for the number of weeks that your tuition is paid. You can extend your course at CISL, and a new I-20 will be issued. The visa must be obtained at the U.S. Embassy in your home country before your departure. If you are denied a student visa, you will receive a refund of all prepaid tuition (minus the $150 registration fee or other non-refundable fees) when you (i) give the school a copy of the denial letter from the U.S. Embassy and, (ii) return the original I-20 form issued by the school as well as a copy of your passport. If you require an I-20 form, you must provide CISL with documents showing that you have enough money to pay for all of your tuition and living expenses while you are studying at CISL as well as a copy of your passport. Please send these documents with your application. Financial means can be demonstrated with:

1. Evidence of financial means (e.g. a copy of a recent bank statement) to pay your tuition and living expenses for the duration of your stay, or
2. A letter of financial responsibility from your parent or legal guardian accompanied by evidence of their financial means (e.g. a copy of a recent bank statement); or
3. A letter of sponsorship from your company or organization together with evidence of their financial means.

Students taking any 20-lesson per week course and who are requesting an I-20 for a student visa will also need to take either an Afternoon Elective or attend a 1.5 hour Study Hall session each week in order to meet the 18-hour per week minimum requirement for the student visa. There is no extra charge for the 1.5 hour/week Study Hall. Students who choose the Study Hall option will have the designation “Plus” on their confirmation (e.g. “Standard Plus”). Failure to adhere to our minimum 85% attendance policy may result in termination of I-20 and dismissal from the school.

Accommodations

A deposit of $250 is required for all accommodations. If you cancel your accommodations after they have been confirmed, the deposit is not refundable. Please read the Refund Policy carefully. If you are requesting homestay accommodations, please make flight reservations so that you arrive no later than 21:30.

Course Extension

You can extend your course after you arrive. The additional course fee must be paid before the start of the extension. You can pay the school directly or through your official CISL representative in your country.

Airport Transfers

Please send us your flight information as soon as possible. If you are requesting homestay accommodations, please make flight reservations so that you arrive before 21:30.

San Diego: If you are staying with a host family, the airport transfer if requested is $100 if you arrive between 9:00 and 21:30 on the weekend. Your host will meet you at the airport in the baggage claim area; holding a sign with your name on it. Please be sure to carry your “Airport Transfer Confirmation” with you so that you have the emergency assistance number to call in case of a problem. If your flight is delayed to after 9:30pm, you will need to take a taxi or shuttle van to the host’s home. If your flight will arrive Monday- Friday, please contact the school in advance to make arrangements for getting from the airport to your host family’s home. For students not staying with a host family (or those arriving late or on weekdays) a private transfer service is available for $120 (one-way).

Medical Insurance

The school does not provide medical insurance. However, we strongly recommend that you purchase medical insurance for travelers to the United States, or that you ensure that your current policy in your country is also valid in the United States. You should do this before departing your country. Medical treatment in the United States is very expensive. You are responsible for any medical expenses incurred, so please be sure that you review the terms of your insurance policy, including covered services, deductibles, co-payments, length of coverage, etc., prior to arrival.

Photos & Video

Students agree to allow photos and video taken during the program to be used for CISL publicity and recruitment purposes.

Liability

CISL, its staff, and its representatives will not be liable for loss, damage or injury to persons or property however caused, except where liability is expressly imposed beyond exclusion by statute. Students agree to allow photos and video taken during CISL programs to be used for publicity purposes.

Holiday Schedule

Converse International School of languages is only closed on certain national holidays if it is on a week day. Except for private lessons, no credit or make-up time will be granted for lessons lost because of holidays.

• January 1 (New Year’s Day)
• February (President’s Day)
• May (Memorial Day)
• July 4 (Independence Day)
• September  (Labor Day)
• Thursday and Friday in late November (Thanksgiving)
• December 24 & 25 (Christmas Holiday)

Registration Fee

A non-refundable registration fee of $150 is required for all courses.

Career English Program Cancellation Policy

$250 is non-refundable if the student cancels or postpones the program prior to its commencement and before a company placement has been made. The entire fee is non-refundable if the student cancels the Career English  program after a company placement has been found or after it has started.

Tuition:

Express Mail Charges

Express mail charges are not refundable.

Payment of Refunds

Refunds will be paid within 30 calendar days of your request. We can only pay refunds to the person or company from whom the funds originated. To obtain a refund you must do all of the following:

• Make a written request to the school; and
• Return the original Form I-20 document issued to you by the school.