Tuition & Bursary Family FAQs

This page contains frequently asked questions & answers regarding tuition and bursaries.

Have a question that is not on this page? Please send it via the Tuition & Bursary Question Form found at the bottom of each section and it will be answered directly and added to this page if broadly applicable.

Tuition

For an overview of the HCOS tuition and resource structures, please see HCOS Tuition & Resources.

Does my paid tuition get directly applied to my student's resource budget?

No. Tuition and resource budgets are two separate elements. Tuition is required for enrollment at HCOS since the school is only partially funded by the Ministry of Education. Resource budgets are how we use government funding for curriculum, resources and third-party services to provide personalized education plans for every student, partnering with parents to make decisions around the most effective way to do so.

The use of these resource budget funds is guided by Ministry of Education's regulations. For more information, please see What can I spend my funding on?

What are the payment options for tuition?

One Time Payment (Credit Card)
- When you select this tuition option in Encom, you will be able to pay immediately.
- Once payment is received, the full resource budget becomes available.
One Time Payment (Cheque)
- If this option is selected, a cheque for the full tuition amount owing for your family should be sent to the following address dated no later than September ~~30:~~29th:
  HCOS Accounts Payable
  905 Badke Rd
  Kelowna, BC V1X 5Z5
Pre-Authorized Debit (10 months - September to June)
- When you select this tuition option in Encom, you will be prompted to complete a pre-authorized debit form.
- The full resource budget is not available until the first payment is processed at the end of September.
- All monthly debits will occur on the final day of each month, beginning in September. If the final day of the month is on a weekend or statutory holiday, it will be processed on the next business day.
- 30 days notice is required to cancel any further tuition payments. For pre-authorized debit or cheques, an NSF charge of $25 will be applied if necessary.

If one of these methods do not work for you, please contact Aubri Reid at areid@onlineschool.ca to discuss other options.

Am I able to pay via e-transfer?

No. Our finance systems are not currently able to accept e-transfers.

Is there an added charge for the 10-month tuition payment option?

No.

Can I receive a tax receipt for the tuition I pay?

No. HCOS does not provide tax receipts for tuition paid due to a variety of factors. The existing CRA parameters to provide tax receipts for tuition are designed for brick & mortar schools with set curriculum for students and do not translate well to the online setting. These parameters are very complex and would require an enormous amount of staff time to calculate and maintain. Based on our research, the result would be a very small eligible portion of the tuition, resulting in a very small benefit to tax returns. As such, HCOS simply does not have the staffing capacity at this time to implement tax receipts for tuition.

Am I able to change my tuition choice after I've selected it?

Yes, prior to payment, if applicable. Please email Aubri Reid at areid@onlineschool.ca to arrange for any changes to your tuition option.

Is tuition refundable if a student withdraws?

No. Tuition is non-refundable. However, for students on a 10-month payment option, after a 30 day notice period passes, no further payments will be required upon withdrawal from HCOS.

For Grad Program courses, tuition is non-refundable but courses may be exchanged for a different course during the same school year.

Can students in the same family choose different tuition options? Does it matter which order I list my students? Does SE status factor into this?

Yes, families can choose different tuition options for each student. K-9 students should be listed in descending order by age (ie. oldest student first). This process should be followed regardless of SE status.

What happens with tuition and resources for a student who enrolls after September 30?29th?

For K-9, enrollments from October 1 to the February funding snapshot will automatically be charged $0 tuition with a $200 resource budget. K-9 enrollments between the February and May funding snapshots will be charged $0 tuition with a $0 resource budget.

Grade 10-12 students are charged the regular tuition rates regardless of the time of year the course is enrolled as they are fully funded at all times. Once active, students have one year to complete the course.

Once I choose a tuition option, are there restrictions around PO spending?

PO numbers are released each year during HCOS Connect at the end of April. Once PO numbers are available, all enrolled K-9 students receive the base resource amount of $350. Once tuition is paid, the remaining resource funds become available. These resource funds are available for third-party or internal spending. Lessons are not payable until October 1.

Can I pay for a student's tuition from another family?

Yes. Please email Aubri Reid at areid@onlineschool.ca to arrange payment for another student.

For Grad Program students, what do I need to know about tuition?

Selecting courses by September 1 will ensure eligibility for the pre-authorized debit option for paying tuition. Any courses selected after this date will require the full amount paid upon enrollment (if a charge is applicable).
A course is considered to be a full 4-credit offering. 2-credit courses will count as half of a course towards a student's course load. If two credit offerings are selected, the tuition rate for those will be $25 per course.
Course challenges are charged $50 per course.

Why isn’t there a $0 tuition assistance option in the Grad Program like there is in K-9?

As in most schools, the grad program is more expensive to run so there was no room to offer a $0 tuition option. However, if you are unable to pay tuition, bursary applications are available.

Have a question that is not on this page? Please send it via the Tuition & Bursary Question Form and it will be answered directly and added to this page if broadly applicable.

Bursaries

How do I apply for a bursary?

Bursaries are part of the tuition selection process in Encom under Step 2 - Payment Methods. To apply for a bursary:

Select K-9 or Grad Tuition for your students and One Time Payment in Step 1.
In In Step 2 select Bursary as the payment method.
Complete the questionnaire and submit.

When will families know if they will receive a bursary?

Bursary applications will be assessed and awarded on a monthly basis once applications are open until the end of August. Bursaries typically cover a student's full tuition amount and are awarded based on availability of bursary funds.

Can teachers be a bursary application reference for a family?

Yes.

If my bursary application is not successful, can the tuition option selection be changed?

Yes.

If you have additional questions, please contact your Regional Administrator or Grad Advisor. We will continually update this FAQ page with new questions and answers.

Have a question that is not on this page? Please send it via the Tuition & Bursary Question Form and it will be answered directly and added to this page if broadly applicable.