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Introduction
Enrollment agreements, also known as contracts or applications, serve as both legal documents and marketing tools. According to The American Law Institute, "A contract is a promise or a set of promises, for the breach of which the law gives a remedy, or the performance of which, the law in some way recognizes a duty." Chief Justice John Marshall said it in a simpler way: "A contract is an agreement in which a party undertakes to do or not to do a particular thing." The student enrollment contract is the single most important form a school will ever prepare. In the planning, wording and design of the contract, you are telling the prospective student exactly what you, as a school, intend to do for him or her. You are also teIJing this individual what you expect him or her to do in return. You must be explicit in your instructions so that there is not shadow of a doubt what is expected of both parties.
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Contract?
A home study contract is basically the same as any standard contract that offers a service to an individual. The one basic difference is that a home study contract is not only a legal document, but it is also a marketing tool the same as a brochure, catalog or piece of advertising material. The ideal contract should take the prospective student just a few moments to read and comprehend. It should contain as few hand manipulations as possible. A "hand manipulation" is handwritten or filled-in information on the contract, i.e., every time a pen is placed on a contract to write a name, address, check a box, fill in a number, etc. The contract should be attractive. It should create a positive emotional reaction in the mind of the prospective student. It should be inviting. It should list the obligations, rights and responsibilities of the school and the student. Avoiding legal jargon is a plus in a home study contract. It should contain simple and understandable language
June 1992
NHSC OCCASIONAL PAPERS are essays intended to stimulate and encourage candid exchanges of ideas between home study professionals. For a complete set of Occasional Papers, write or call the NHSC.
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whenever possible. Above all, it should facilitate, not hinder, an enrollment decision by a student. Nearly every state and several federal agencies have statutes and regulations for school contracts. Many of these regulations prescribe such special requirements as type size, addresses of agencies, specifically worded refund policy provisions, cancellation notices and even the title for the contract itself. Depending upon the requirements of the state in which your school resides, the method used to enroll students, and the location of your students, you may well have to have more than one enrollment contract. In most cases a school enrolling students solely by mail should have an enrollment agreement that is in compliance with the laws and regulations of the state where the school is located. In some cases, however, the students' state of residency may have provisions that apply only to students residing in that state which would not apply to the school or students who live in other states. Thus, it might be necessary to have a contract specifically for the state in which you are domiciled and another contract for students who are enrolled from other states. Additionally, if your contract lists tuition plans which include finance charges, it may be necessary to have contracts which comply with the usury laws of the various states whose laws may apply. Furthermore, recent court decisions tend to indicate that certain consumer law contract provisions might apply to agreements with students enrolled by mail in other states, even though the "education" laws and regulations of those states would not apply. Also, as a general rule, if a school uses sales representatives to enroll students (even though the final acceptance of the student's enrollment contract takes place at the school's main office) the laws and regulations of the state where the student is enrolled probably apply. This often requires that the school use an enrollment contract that is in compliance with (and possibly approved by) the state where the student is enrolled. It is conceivable that a school with sales agents in 50 states and the District of Columbia, would have to use as many as 51 different enrollment agreements.
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What
_6.
_7.
Student's address
Name of course
There are five areas which a good contract should satisfy. They are to:
1.
2. 3. 4. 5.
serve as a legal document spelling out what you intend to do for the student and what the student's obligation is to you; keep the contract as brief and simple and understandable as possible for the student;
write it from a positive point of view so that it does not have a negative impact on the reader; be attractive from an artistic point of view carrying "your message" and "your image" to the prospective student; and have as few hand manipulations as possible so that the prospective student does not get writer's cramp or become discouraged when filling out the form. Keep in mind that many high school graduates these days have difficulty filling out a driver's license application.
_8.
_9.
Enrollment prerequisites
Necessary information about the student's educational and experiential background for the school's home office to determine whether a student is "qualified" to enroll in the course
10. Statement
of school's obligations (including course objectives, course contents, postage obligations, etc.) Statement of student's obligations (including submission schedule, etc.) lesson
II.
What
Should
be Included?
-
14. Indication of school's acceptance of the agreement (may be a signature and a date block on the form, or form may be stamped by home office)
In order to write an effective contract, the National Home Study Council has prepared a checklist of items to be included in a student enrollment contract. These items are:
15. "AccreditedSchool"seal
16. A form number or date to identify the particular edition of the contract 17. School's cancellation and settlement policy, and how students may cancel 18. Applicable cooling off notice; varies from state to state
_2. _3.
1.
A heading, indicating that the document is or becomes a contract or enrollment agreement School name School address
G.!. Bill
4. _5.
19. Block to be checked if student wants to enroll under the G.\. Bill
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FTC Regulations
_22.
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21. Holder in Due Course Notice (also known as Preservation of Consumer's Claims and Defenses)
FTC Cooling off period for door-to-door not apply to mail or telephone sales) sales (Does
2.
3.
4.
financial
_26.
6.
7. 29. Amount of other charges (sales tax, insurance fees, room and board, extension fees, etc.) 8. 30. Separately state prices and cancellation policies for home study and required resident training courses.
Keep in mind that all items may not be necessary in your contract since you may be exempted from some items because of the way your school is organized or how it operates.
Including the registration fee in the amount of tuition a school may retain. The registration fee must be subtracted from the total course price before calculating the tuition that the school may retain.
I.
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Sample
Enrol1ment
Contract
The following are sample copies of enrollment contracts. They are not intended to be all inclusive contracts which you must use. It sbould be used as a "checklist" in order to gauge whether or not you
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information
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Conclusion
The above may seem like an awful lot of "things" to include in your contract, but if you follow the instructions as outlined here, you can and will produce a document that will get results. As a final point, it is suggested that you have your proposed contract examined by your legal counsel and by the NHSC staff before printing it.
Sample Contract
(Note: For illustrative purposes only--not legal counsel when preparing a contract,) intended as legal guidance, Consult with your
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FIRESIDE ACADEMY
1:34 Firsl Street, Chkago, Illinois (,O(,S7Tei<phone 31:.'::'::;;.J: 12 Special Opportunity Enrollment Application: with to.nay' Money-Back Pro'ision
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Material:
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under the headtng. "My Spw'l Adv,n"'gC!.,'
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(Accrediting
Commission
I understandthat 1am to rewve all "'"'. sludy gUIdes.tnstruaion and gradmg """"" a; expl.ined in detail on
the back of this sheel
form)
Preservation of Consumer
[)
IUtl,on in fuO.
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I wanliO pay hy Ihe e",y pavmenl plan-S] :9.00 as m~' down paymenl ,nd S119.00 ",eh month for :~ monlhs, wllh paymenl I"" Si.1.00 (See be]ow fo, eomp]CIC de:a;t> about payment hy terms.)
Truth in Lending Regulation Z, FTC Consumer Protection Laws, Your state regulatory body, To obtain FTC documents, call 202-326-2222.
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Yo", """ roonthl) po)ment will be 'ue ,0 "'Y" or more ,f,,, "0"' ,".olimeno 'pee me" ""'ep"d Yo" o.h" mont",y p,y'men" will h,due on,h,"ro, "'y 01 ,h,monoh" "'" p'ymen: )0"' Th""" Rm"IM"lImen, Con,,01 .h,T..'h ,,' in Lendin. Disclos""s on ,hi. ,.roemen, 'pply Yo, will "ceiv<' copyof .his ,.ro,m,no when Y'o",enrollmenois ''''''p''d by ,he schooi ]f 'hIS '1",m,nl by ,h, school,,11mone) you h,ve p'" '0 ,heschoolw,lI '" promp']) rdund,d. i. noo'''''p'''
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"']ow ,how> youhove 'nd u,d,,,,,,d ,he'erm.. thor ",d o",linedonholh.idesof IhlS
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1. If FireSide Acodemy is OOlif"o of concell'lIon w"h,n ter. colendor do" af"r m,dPlgh' ollhe
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ENROLLMENT
IT'S EASY TO ENROLL! Name: Address: Streel ApI..
(C1) GREEMENT A
. "'''H ,"c,in our Course Selecled: City
Stale
Complele and sign Ihis form. Enclosc il along with your payment
posl\1ge.frce envelope and mail itloday. A' soon as we receive your enroll men I. we'll rush your fir" lessons 10 you by relurn mail.
ZIP
If the stUdenl completes more than 50% of the course. Ihe Academy shall be enttlled 10 Ihc full tUilion. The percenwge of the course completed is Ihe receipt of the compleled Jessons by Ihe Academy as compared to the 10101 lessons (J 8) in Ibe course.
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EASY PAYMENT PLAN: I enclose my check. money order, or credit card informalion for
eachmonlh for-
as
Course Prerequisites
tutlion in full.
In order 10 enroll for Ihis program. you musl be "I leasl18 valid high school diploma or its equivalen\. You mus: be nuenl in English 10 be act'epted.
Check or money order. payable10Sherlock Holmes Academy (U,S. funds only). VISA
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I Sale,
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2 C"h Dow,
MaslerCMd
American Express
C,,,d No,
Expires-
You will rcccive 18 independentSludy lessons senllo you in such a fashion thaI you will be able 10 progress rapidly Ihrough :he program.
My Special A.dvantages
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$1,689
You may study with the program allhe rale which malches your abili:y \0 learn. You will receive a diploma upon comple:ion of Ihe program. Upon your gradualion. Fireside Academy will advise graduales upon requesl in how 10 secure a job. However. Ihe Academy does nnt gl"trantee job placemenl. and finding a joh is ultimalely Ihe responsibilily of Ihe sluden\. You are allowed IWOyears:o complele the program. If allhe expiralion of Ihe Iwo year period you bave nol finisbcd y"u may ex lend Ihe timc for complclion 6 monlhs by paying a nominal fee of $100. provided Iha: your tuilion is fully paid.
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Sari,,; ,10." holda ofrhi., eomumer credit eontr'ocr i.' .'u/')eer ,n all claims ",,,t defeoses ,,'hieh rhe dehw the selicI' of goods or scrTi"s ahtaioed pursu"nt hCrelo" ,,'ilh Ihe pr'OCw/., "ereof Rcw,""y hae,oda 001 exceed omo"1/.' paid h." dehtar tfl'r'cuoda
Solier IS",e to Doyer; I I) Do oar sigo cop." is oc"pred. this ogrccmc'" "'e ",ill scod hefOl'c you read 1/ 01' if 1/ eOIl/",os t"e ",e"r cop." aoJ' hlaok 'a payoff 'paces. io adl'Ooee
ro a duc
eomplmlyfilled.io /loo.<oetioo
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If r"is agreemeot
of this a",,'eme"').
Ihc ea!llraer
This 'greement becomesa legally bindinginstrumentwhensignedby the studentand acceptedby the FiresideAcademy,1234First Street.Chicago,Illinois 60687
A phoiocopy of Ihl, appli,,"i'" will he <CnliO
,
t"""
Tod:lY's Date:
Dale of Birth:
Occupalion:
Evening: <-)
htgher
envelope
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Mr. William Wright, President of American School, Chicago, is retiring in July 1992 after more than 30 years with the school. He first joined the staff of American School in ]958 and has been its President since] 974. Mr. Wright has been active in NHSC and its Accrediting Commission for many years. He serviced as a school member on the Accrediting Commission from 1984 until ]990, the last three years as the Vice Chairman. He was NHSC's President from] 978 to 198], and in addition he was a member of the NHSC Board of Trustees and Chairman of the Business Standards Committee. He has served on a number of school evaluations during the past 20 years.
Mr. Wright received the NHSC "Distinguished Service ] 98 I and the "Man of the Year" award in ]988. A ward" in
:he revme side of this form Indl",lCsIhot youhave rcad and undersloodbothsides of Ihls Agreemenl,and believe:h" you
b, ,ntltled
to Ihe registrntion
the following: ,. Up lOaod including completion of Ihe first 1(1<;', oflhe course, !O% oflhe tuillon m'nus the DmOunt ofth, reglstrDilon fee.
h. AfICrcomplCiing more Ihon 10% 01 Ihe course tmd up 10and including complCllon of 25% of the course, 25% of Ihe ,uitlon minus Ihe amounl of Ihe regiStrailon fce c. AftercomplCting more Ihan 2'<% oflhe course up lO'nd including completion of50% of the course, 50% of the tuition minus Ihe amounl of Ihe regiStr:>lion fee. 4 If Ihe studenl rompl"'s more Ihon 50% of Ihe course, Ihe Academy shall he en!illed 10 the fulltuilion Tuillon paymenl must he in U.s. fund,only Students in C,nad, ond forCign ",untries will
INTERNA llONALSTUDENTS:
He has served as a member of the Illinois Proprietary School Advisory Aboard; has been a member of the American Associ~tion for Adldt and Continuing Education for a number of years; an accrediting review person of the North Central Association; and an attendee and speaker at NASASPS meetings, Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and many NHSC Conferences and Workshops. Mr. Wright recently gave a presentation at the NHSC Annual Conference on "Creating Better Enrollment Forms."
NEW YORK RESIDENTS:If you ",ncel thiscontro". IheAcademymay keep a I",,"on of ,he contr'Ct pricehosed upon
Ihe lesso", nnd ancillary good, you have ",ed. For New York resident.<, your tuilion is Ihe Total Sales Price. Any holder or this ronsumer contract Is ,"hj"llo all ciaim' and derenses whir.h the dehlor could a",rt ag,i"sllhe seller or goods or senices oh,.ined p"rsU.1I1 hereto or wilh the proceeds hereor. Reco,'e." hereunder hy Ihe dehlor shllil nol exceed the '0101111' paid hy' the dehtor hereunder.
IF YOU ARE UNDER \8: Your ,nrollment ohllalion mast be guarontecd by haviog your p,rent, guard;",
or responsible
pcrson over age 2! sign below. (Note Dgoorantor's Slgn"ure is not regulled if you Drein the US military setVlCe.! 13)' ,igOlng bclow. Ihe guaranlor guarDntecs Ihe student's ohligOtions under thosEnrollmenl Agreement. Gu,rantor's N.me: Addre"
Streel Guaranlor's Signature: R,'"ion>hlp 10 SlUdent.
Apt. .
City
Siale
ZIP
WIIA
TYOU
WILL
mDteriDlsa" Iioimes
included Acodemy.
in the luttion
Y'ou selected.
These
olSherlock 'aluc.
need If
Ihe Academ)"
remve.S io 12
)'ou
mDlCr"ls
he allowed
01 egual or supcoor
10 he completed
,our >ludles.
,4
",II
months
il )'ou
months
1O complete
Direw" in full.
loe",nd
si.. months
Oncc
you ,""
CDmpleted
your >ludles
ond
hc ,warded
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