We accept Americorps education award vouchers

FEE INCLUDES

• Tuition
• Full room and board
• All course readers
• All transportation during the program, including shuttles to and from Missoula’s airport

FEE DOES NOT INCLUDE

• Airfare or other costs associated with traveling to and from the program
• Credit filing fee
• A separate $405 fee is required to receive 9 academic credits through the University of Montana for Wildlife in the West.
• Medical Insurance – all students are required to have medical coverage during the entirety of Wildlife in the West

DEADLINES, PAYMENT AND CANCELLATIONS

Total tuition costs:

            $4,500 - in-state students plus a $405 UM credit fee for a $4,905 total
            $5,500 - out-of-state students plus a $405 UM credit fee for a $5,905 total

Northwest Connections has a rolling admission policy. Priority status is given to applications received by April 6th.

Students can make deposit and tuition payments to Northwest Connections either via personal check, money order or credit card.

No refunds can be made for cancellations unless another student from our waiting list can fill your space. If we can fill your space, a refund will be made less the $500 non-refundable registration deposit.

Northwest Connections cannot make exceptions to this cancellation policy for any reason, including, but not limited to, illness, travel delays, personal or family situations, emergencies or weather. As a result, we urge you to investigate accident, baggage, and trip cancellation insurance with a travel agent. Travel insurance helps protect you against financial loss if you must cancel or interrupt a trip because of illness or injuries to yourself, a family member, or traveling companion.

Northwest Connections reserves the right to cancel Wildlife in the West due to insufficient enrollment. In the unlikely event of such a cancellation, Northwest Connections will notify students by April 6th and students shall be entitled to a full refund of all monies paid less the application fee. NwC is not responsible for financial loss due to non-refundable airline tickets or other such expenses.

How do I remit tuition payments to Northwest Connections?

Students can make deposit and tuition payments* to Northwest Connections either via personal check, money order or credit card.

If you prefer to make your tuition payment by check or money order, please make the check/money order out to Northwest Connections, note the applicant's name in the memo section and mail to:

Northwest Connections
PO Box 1309
Condon, MT 59826

*Note to international students:
deposit and tuition payments are to be made in U.S. funds.

FINANCIAL AID

We accept Americorps education award vouchers and GI Bill education awards.

Students are responsible for determining if the financial aid package from their home institution will cover program costs for Wildlife in the West.

Many universities, including the University of Montana, will allow you to transfer your federal financial aid to cover the costs of Wildlife in the West. This process is called a consortium agreement. Below we outline the process for University of Montana students as well as students from other universities.

Consortium Process - University of Montana Students
Please let our office know as soon as possible if you will be applying your federal aid to Wildlife in the West. We will need to be in contact directly with UM’s Financial Aid Office and the sooner we can begin communicating with them, the better for you.

Directions: Go to the UM Financial Aid office and ask for The University of Montana Application for Consortium Agreement/Contractual Agreement.

Once you have the Consortium Agreement paperwork in hand, you will see that it requires several signatures: Your Department Chair (Box 1), NwC's credit and cost information and signature (Box 2), and your signature at the bottom. The UM financial aid office will fill out Box 3. You will need to take responsibility for ensuring all involved parties receive and sign this Agreement.

Please be sure to mail or fax us this paperwork once you have filled out Box 1 and signed the bottom, so we can fill out the "Financial Aid at Host Institution" section. We will then send this form to the UM Financial Aid office. This process can take as little as a week or as long as a month, depending on the time frame at financial aid and your organizational skills.

You will need to submit a FAFSA as part of this process; it goes without saying that you should get this done as early as possible to expedite this process.

Northwest Connections still requires half your tuition be paid in full to secure your spot in the program, regardless of when your financial aid is disbursed. The full tuition is due by April 30 unless you have worked out other arrangements with our office.

Consortium Process - Non-University of Montana Students
Your first step will be to find out if your school does Consortium Agreements. If they don't, ask what your options are. If they do, you will need to request the appropriate paperwork and have your financial aid office fill out their section then fax the document to the University of Montana’s financial aid office (see contact information below). Northwest Connections and the University of Montana will need to fill out a statement of costs and perhaps of accreditation.

It is imperative that you let us know as soon as possible if you are planning to use a consortium agreement to transfer aid. We will need to be in touch directly with your own financial aid office as well as the financial aid office at the University of Montana, since in most cases aid money will be transferred from your school to the University of Montana which will then forward the money to Northwest Connections.

You may need an academic advisor’s signature; in this case, it will help if you can show your advisor the syllabi for the three courses you will take during Wildlife in the West.

You should send copies of the form to both the University of Montana and Northwest Connections. The University of Montana contact information is:

Financial Aid Office

The University of Montana - Missoula
Lommasson Center 218
Missoula, MT 59812
Office: (406) 243-5373
Fax: (406) 243-4930
faid@mso.umt.edu

If your school does not do Consortium Agreements, and you do receive federal financial aid, you may want to consider filling out an In School Deferment Request Form. Please request this form from your school's financial aid office or from UM (see their contact information above). This form shows that you were attending a university course and will typically enable you to defer paying loans until the program ends.

We will do everything we can to help you through this process; please keep in touch with our office so we can provide you the most up-to-date and useful help.

Northwest Connections still requires half your tuition be paid in full to secure your spot in the program, regardless of when your financial aid is disbursed. The full tuition is due by April 30 unless you have worked out other arrangements with our office.

SCHOLARSHIPS

We offer scholarships for students who would otherwise be unable to attend Wildlife in the West.  Scholarships are based on a combination of financial need and academic merit. All scholarship applications are due by April 1, 2012.

In order to apply for a Northwest Connections scholarship, please provide us with each of the following:

-- A copy of your financial aid form (FAFSA).

-- A letter of financial need explaining what we need to know to understand the full picture of your financial status. Please include in this letter the following information:

• What type(s) of financial aid do you currently receive?
• What is your projected financial aid award for the year in which you hope to be attending Wildlife in the West?
• What has your financial aid office told you about transferring this aid to Northwest Connections (NwC)? (via a consortium agreement, for example)
• How much scholarship money (above and beyond what you will be able to transfer from your current financial aid) do you need from NwC to be able to attend the field semester?