Camp Financial Policies

Registration Deposit

Prior to April 1st, families will be required to submit payment information to be kept on file for a $400 non-refundable deposit that is charged if and when the camper is accepted. We accept check, echeck, MasterCard, Visa, American Express, and Discover. The registration fee will only be charged if a camper is accepted. If a camper must cancel a course, the registration fee may be used for another course during the current season or during the next season. After that, the deposit will become unavailable for use.

Fee Payment

When completing your online application, you will be required to submit payment information for all future billing, including tuition balances and additional expenses that may occur. All tuition fees are due on or before April 1st. After April 1st, payment must be received in full for the student to be confirmed for the course.

On April 1st, any remaining balances will be automatically charged to the payment selected during the application process. All international courses will also require final balances be paid by April 1st. If paying via an alternate source (i.e. check from family member, DSS, or other) payment must be received prior to April 1st to prevent your card from being automatically billed. Tuition payments made via credit card or e-check, prior to April 1st, may be completed by phone or online by logging into your CampInTouch account.

Additional Expenses

Your child may incur additional expenses while at camp. This includes prescription medication costs if your child gets sick, damage fees for intentional damage done to SOAR property, or additional airline expenses. The airline expenses may include, but are not limited to, airline baggage fees, airline escort / unaccompanied minor fees, flight change fees due to missed flights, etc. In the event any additional fees occur, SOAR will charge the payment method selected for future billings and will notify you of the amount charged to your credit card on file.

Refund Policy

Upon cancellation of a course for any reason, the tuition balance (excluding the registration deposit) will be refunded on the following schedule:

61 days or more from course start date	Full refund
31 – 60 days from course start date	50% refund
16 – 30 days from course start date	25% refund
Within 15 days of course start date	No Refund

Once the course begins, if a camper is removed from course for any reason, there will be no refund. This includes illness, injury, behavior, family emergency, or any other reason necessary.
SOAR reserves the right to cancel a course due to insufficient enrollment.

Scholarship Fund:

SOAR has a limited number of scholarship funds for our Summer Programs. Partial scholarships are awarded based upon financial need. Applicants will be required to submit a Financial Aid Application, along with a camper application. Requests will be reviewed and granted based on need. For more information, please contact our admissions office at 828-456-3435 or at admissions@soarnc.org. SOAR’s scholarship fund is raised from donations made by parents of current and former campers. Learn more about SOAR’s need-based scholarships here.
If you are interested in contributing to this worthwhile fund, please read more here. Your contributions are tax deductible.

Spending Money

Spending money for all course and layover days will be added to your invoice. We have carefully evaluated the amount of spending money appropriate for each course and ask you to not send more money beyond the invoiced amount. SOAR will not be responsible for any money sent over the recommended amount. Approximately $15.00 of your child’s spending money will be held aside for a celebratory dinner near the end of their course. Any remaining money may be used by the student for souvenirs or necessary personal items during the course. Unspent money from purchases will be returned during the debrief. If requested, the staff will keep track of student spending through receipts, which may be returned to parents. This may be used to help teach financial accountability.

Damage to SOAR Equipment

Although we take precautions to ensure gear is treated respectfully, SOAR reserves the right to charge students for damage done to SOAR equipment due to negligence or non-compliance. This may include damage to tents, vehicles, cabins, etc. Parents will be notified of the damage and will be billed in the amount necessary.

Financial Policies