Background: Wilmette Institute has maintained essentially the same system for tuition fees for extension (community) courses over the past eight years, with one small fee increase in 2021. We remain committed to providing high quality, affordable online courses, and to offering both full and partial scholarships so that anyone who wants to take our courses can do so. Extension course tuition income has not kept pace with the increasing operational costs of staffing, faculty honoraria, and the various improvements to infrastructure that have so far kept participants interested to continue taking our courses.
Economic Reality: Wilmette Institute needs to receive a minimum of $0.5 million dollars per annum to cover its basic operating costs. We currently receive around $100,000 from participants’ tuition fees. To supplement this figure, we are adopting the following new tuition scheme in 2024.
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Breakdown of proposed changes
Base fee: The current ‘base fee’ for an individual who is not eligible for any of the discounts mentioned above, is $95 for a 7 or 8 week course. The fee for 9 or 10 week courses is currently $105. We will raise the fee for all courses between 7 and 11 weeks long to $110. Shorter courses (5 or 6 weeks) will cost $95 under the new tuition schedule.
Any participant who completes their course would then be eligible for a $35 discount on their next course.
Early registration discount: This would be discontinued. The vast majority of participants do not register early enough (4 weeks or more) to obtain this discount. Also, due to the length of time between registration and the start date of the course, many registrants lose their confirmation email, or difficulties arise which cause them to be unable to commit to the coursework as consistently as they had planned.
First-Timer discount: This would also be discontinued. The hope is that First-Timers will be encouraged to complete their first course in order to get the discount for their second (and subsequent) courses.
New flat fee for high school or college/university students: Students currently get a 20% discount. We want to encourage more students to take our courses, so a flat fee of $50 will replace the discount (for any extension course that’s fewer than 12 weeks long). This fee represents an approximate 55% discount. The plan is that the new price will be one factor in attracting more students into Wilmette Institute’s Learning Center.
Study Group discounts to continue: We will maintain the 40% discount for study group members. This means each group member will pay just $66 to participate in a 7-11 week course ($57 for a shorter course).
Group registrations are always negotiable. We understand there may be some group members who cannot pay the fee, or who need additional help, while others may be able to pay more in order to make up the difference. We intend to make group registration easier, and to facilitate contact with the Institute Registrar to ensure group members who require extra assistance can receive it.
Senior discount to be discontinued: A significant percentage of our course registrants each year are senior citizens. Many of those senior citizens are long-term members of our online learning community and have demonstrated the capacity to concentrate their intentions and dedicate their spare time to completing their courses, making them eligible for the course completion rebate mentioned above.
Note: No discounts are stackable. Participants eligible for more than one discount should choose whichever one they wish to benefit from.
Revised scholarship application process
Wilmette Institute values the sincere and loving contributions of Learning Center members who return, year after year, to take our courses. Our policy on tuition support remains unchanged: anyone who wants to take our courses should be able to do so; lack of finances should never be a barrier. We began experimenting this year by introducing an “Offline/Other” payment method for faster processing of registrants who pay by check, or request a full scholarship. We intend to pilot this as a permanent solution which would eliminate the need to complete a separate application form for tuition support.
To request tuition support, please email the Registrar’s office at: learn@wilmetteinstitute.org, and let us know a) which course you want to take and b) how much you can reasonably afford to pay. Our experience has shown that those participants who make a partial payment tend to be more committed to their course and more likely to complete it. Any amount is acceptable. You may also request deferred payment if the course is starting soon and you are unable to pay on registration. If you complete the course and achieve a certificate of completion you will be eligible for immediate support for a future course. If you do not complete the course and there are no extenuating circumstances you may be asked to wait until the following year to request additional support.
We’d love to hear from you as we implement these changes. We hope this new scheme will allow you to continue taking as many extension courses as you might desire, and that you feel enabled to continue contributing in a meaningful way to Wilmette Institute discussion forums and Zoom sessions.
To registered members of the Bahá’í community: we invite your generous support by making a regular contribution to the Wilmette Institute scholarship fund. (Note: This can now be done through the Online Contribution System or OCS.)
