Cancellation & Refund Policies
Refund Policy: 1-2 Day Courses
The SBWI realizes that life happens. We will refund payment for any reason until seven days before the class. After this seven day period we cannot provide you with a full refund for two reasons:
1. We have reserved your seat in the class which usually means that we had to tell other paying students that they cannot take the class.
2. Seven days prior to the class, we have already purchased your materials and supplies for the class.
If we can find a student to fill your seat within the seven days, we will provide you with a full refund.
Students also cannot miss any days of class. Due to critical safety reasons.
Refund Policy for 4-7 Day Courses
The SBWI realizes that life happens. We will refund payment for any reason until 30 days before the class. After this 30 day period, we cannot provide you with a full refund.
1. We have reserved your seat in the class which usually means that we had to tell other paying students that they cannot take the class.
2. 30 days prior to the class, we have already purchased your materials and supplies for the class.
3. We have already secured world-class instructors to travel to our facilities to teach.
4. We are unable to find other students to fill cancelations in these classes as quickly as other courses.
Cancellation Policy for the Wood Design: Furniture Making Career Program
1. An applicant who has not visited the school prior to enrollment may cancel without penalty following either the regularly scheduled orientation procedures or following a tour of the school facilities and inspection of equipment where training and services are provided. Cancellation must be requested prior to or within the first week of the enrollment period.
2. An applicant requesting cancellation prior to or during the first week of the enrollment period is entitled to a refund of all monies paid.
3. In the event of an applicant requesting cancellation prior to or during the first week of the enrollment period, there is no registration fee retained by the School.
Refund Policy for the Wood Design: Furniture Making Career Program
An enrolled student who withdraws, is dismissed, or otherwise terminates their enrollment will be processed under the following policies:
1. An enrollment period is defined as an academic year which is ten months (40 weeks) long in Wood Design; therefore an enrollment period for that program is ten months (40 weeks).
2. SBWI uses the Date of Determination to calculate refunds. The Date of Determination is the date the student’s enrollment was terminated by the School, the date the School was notified by the student that they were withdrawing, or the date the student was determined by the School to be withdrawn due to absences. Money due to the applicant or student will be refunded within 60 (Sixty) days after the date of determination. Written notification of withdrawal from the student is not be required for refund payment.
3. In cases of prolonged illness, death in the family, or other circumstances that make it impractical to complete a program, the School will make a settlement reasonable and fair to both parties.
4. In the case of a student who completes academic requirements early and within 60% of an enrollment period, a prorated portion of the tuition for that period will be due, based on the time completed, rounded up to the nearest 10%. For early completion after 60% of the enrollment period, the entire period’s tuition will be due.
5. If enrollment is terminated, the student will owe tuition and fees based on the following schedule:
Prior to or during the first week 0%
During the second week 20% or $2,824.80
During the third week 35% or $4,943.40
During the fourth week 50% or $7,062.00
During the fifth week 70% or $9,886.80
After the fifth week 100% or $14,124.00
Complaint Resolution Policy
The purpose of this policy is to provide a method of due process for the resolution of issues between students and Sam Beauford Woodworking Institute, or a person(s) acting for the School, such as an instructor, administrator, or other employee of the School. These procedures are designed to afford simplicity, speed, and high standards of fairness to all parties.
If a student has a complaint, they are encouraged to attempt to resolve the matter immediately and informally.
If the complaint cannot be solved informally, the process for resolving the formal complaint is as follows:
The student should submit a formal complaint in writing to the President’s Office, preferably within five (5) business days of the informal resolution attempt or incident. This can be via the online complaint form found below, which is automatically directed to the President’s Office, or hard copy letter. If a student delivers a hard copy formal complaint to an employee of the SBWI, the employee should deliver the formal complaint to the Presidents’s Office.
The formal complaint should include the following information:
The student’s contact information (full name, home address, SBWI email address, and phone number are preferred);
Description of the complaint, including dates, locations, employee dealt with, etc.
Any action(s) to resolve the complaint informally, including the outcomes of the attempt(s).
Desired resolution of the complaint.
The President’s Office will review the formal complaint and contact the student to acknowledge receipt.
Dependent on the nature of the complaint, the President’s Office will share the formal complaint with the appropriate supervisor or department head of the employee cited in the formal complaint. The supervisor or department head will review the formal complaint, follow-up with both parties for clarification of the situation and ask any pertinent questions, and issue a written decision to the student and employee within five (5) business days of receipt of the formal complaint. The written decision will also be shared with the President’s Office for record-keeping.
Following receipt of the written decision from the supervisor or department head, the student must respond in writing if they accept the decision or wish to appeal the decision within five (5) business days.
If the student wishes to appeal the decision, the supervisor or department head will share the formal complaint, their written decision, and the student’s request for appeal with the area Director of Operations. The area Director of Operations will review the formal complaint, written decision, and request for appeal. The area Director of Operations will issue a written decision within ten (10) business days to the student and employee. The written decision will also be shared with the President’s Office for record-keeping.
Following receipt of the written decision from the area Director of Operations, the student must respond in writing if they accept the decision or wish to appeal the decision within ten (10) business days.
If the student wishes to appeal the decision, the area Director of Operations will share the formal complaint, both written decisions, and the student’s requests for appeal with the President. The President will review all of the documentation and issue a decision within twenty (20) business days to the student and employee.
The decision of the President is final, and the last step of School-level due process.
The number of days indicated in the above procedures should be considered as the maximum, and every effort should be made to expedite the process. In some cases, an extension may be necessary to accommodate an absence, a holiday or SBWI closure, or other unforeseen circumstances. If an extension is necessary, the student will be notified and provided an explanation in writing.
With respect to all formal complaints:
If the complaint involves a question of judgment or opinion not covered by the scope of the School’s policies or rules, the President’s Office will review the formal complaint and meet with both parties to attempt to resolve the complaint.
Retaliation against a student or employee for their role in a formal complaint by any person is expressly prohibited and will be dealt with through the appropriate disciplinary action measures.
As required by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC) and the state of Michigan, the President’s Office will keep a record of all formal complaints received by the School, and any written decisions, appeal requests, or supporting documentation. These records will be retained for ten years. Appropriate measures will be taken to ensure student anonymity when accrediting bodies, including the ACCSC, request records pertaining to the School’s formal complaints.