Pricing Model

GLN makes language learning accessible and affordable for all.

As an organization we strive to connect and empower people through language and culture. We realize that language learning is neither accessible nor affordable. Who We AreIt is our goal to make language learning opportunities available to everyone.

While GLN classes are as affordable as it gets, there are many ways to get your registration fee waived. Current GLN teachers, certain volunteers, interns, and partners are eligible to have their registration fee waived.

GLN Pricing Innovation

When you register for a class you put down just $200! [Of the $200 non-refundable registration fee, GLN gifts half that amount ($100 stipend), minus a $5 PayPal fee, to students who qualify for the Participation Stipend. This bonus gift is entirely at the discretion of GLN, be sure to see GLN Participation Stipend Gift Policy section for conditions)]. By enrolling in a GLN class, each student agrees to all pricing terms including the class refund policy and all terms related to the Participation Stipend.

Our pricing model makes language learning affordable while incentivizing active class attendance and participation:

  • Registering for a Class: Anyone 18+ may participate in a GLN class by submitting a class request during one of our three registration periods (Spring, Summer and Fall). Participants under 18 may be allowed to join on a case-to-case basis with a signed parent release form.
  • Payment Method: Students submit payment online with a Credit/Debit card or with their PayPal account. Please note that all eligible Participation Stipends will be reversed/returned back to the original form of payment. Please keep this in mind when deciding which payment method to use.
  • Drop a Class and Class Refund Policy: By enrolling in a GLN class, each student agrees to all pricing terms including the class refund policy. If you would like to drop a class, please email your request to Learn@thegln.org. Students who drop a class 24+ hours before the first class meeting will be refunded their $200 payment, minus a $25 enrollment cancellation fee. For students who drop a class 24+ hours before the second class meeting, $100 (the base registration fee) is non-refundable, and the remaining payment, up to $100, (minus a $5 PayPal processing fee) will be refunded. For example, if a student pays $200 for a class and drops 24+ hours before the second class, the student will be eligible for a $95 refund. If a student uses a GLN credit to pay for a class, only the amount paid for that class is eligible for the drop policy. For example, if a student paid $150 for a class, combined with a $50 credit, and dropped 24+ hours before the second class, the student will be eligible for a $45 refund. The same policy holds for students who are enrolled in a Language Medley class. For example, students who drop a class 24+ hours before the first class meeting will be refunded their $100 payment, minus a $25 enrollment cancellation fee. For students who drop a class 24+hours before the second class meeting, $50 (the base registration fee) is non-refundable, and the remaining payment, up to $50 (minus a $5 PayPal processing fee) will be refunded. Students who drop the class within 24 hours of the second class meeting or after the second class meeting are not eligible for a refund. Students who remain in the class, and wish to be eligible for the Participation Stipend, are subject to the attendance policy (see below).  
  • Refund, Credit, or Transfer a Class: If you would like to transfer to another class, please email us. If you would like a refund for a class because you were waitlisted or because GLN could not provide the class, please contact us at Learn@TheGLN.org to see if we can award you a spot in another class. You will not be charged the $25 cancellation fee if GLN cannot provide the class. You may register and pay for multiple classes, even if you only intend to take one class, even if you apply for the same language and level multiple times, however each class payment will be subject to the same dropped class policies as any other class. Donations, GLNsider purchases, Priority Registration purchases, and donations from Participation Stipends are all non-refundable.
  • Credit and the Participation Stipend: To apply your GLN credit towards a class, you will pay for the full class (typically $200), minus your GLN credit. Please note that the Participation Stipend amount depends on your credit being applied. $100 out of every $200 class is a non-refundable registration fee. Beyond that, a standard Participation Stipend is the remaining $100 minus the $5 PayPal fee ($200 class payment, minus $100 non-refundable registration fee, minus $5 PayPal fee = $95 maximum Participation Stipend). If you received a GLN credit of $100 or more, you will be ineligible for a Participation Stipend. If you received a GLN credit less than $100, your maximum Participation Stipend-eligible amount is $100, minus $5 (PayPal fee), minus the GLN credit amount. For example, a $25 GLN credit means that for a $200 class you will pay a $100 non-refundable registration fee, $25 GLN credit, and $75 class payment. Your maximum Participation Stipend would be $75 minus $5 PayPal fee, for a total of $70. Again, if you are using a $100 or $95 GLN credit or Language Discovery Scholarship, you will not be eligible for a Participation Stipend.
  • New GLN Credit and Participation Stipend Policy as of Summer 2021 classes: starting with Summer 2021 classes, all qualifying Participation Stipends ($100 minus $5 PayPal fee) will be issued in the form of a $95 GLN credit only. There will be no monetary issuing of Participation Stipends and we appreciate your understanding that we cannot make exceptions. GLN credit can be used towards a language class, purchase of Priority Registration or other GLN services, or a gift card for a friend. GLN credits or discounts cannot be combined and students who use a $95 or more GLN credit to purchase a class will not be eligible for the GLN credit stipend at the end of the semester.
  • Online Classes: Students are responsible for their own abilities to access the classes they enroll in through ensuring that they have adequate IT equipment or devices as well as internet or WIFI to participate in class. Students should be prepared to use audio and video in video-conferencing platforms. GLN is not responsible for students’ personal IT circumstances. While we are willing to reasonably assist whenever possible, students are expected to have functional audiovisual capabilities and internet connections sufficient to attend class. GLN is not obligated to make exceptions to the pricing or withdrawal policy for reasons involving personal IT equipment, for unexpected IT issues or for schedule changes due to reasons such as outages or equipment failure. In order to qualify for the Participation Stipend, all online students should be visible on camera throughout the entire class.

We are all facing many challenges during this global pandemic and GLN is doing everything possible to continue our programming and services to the best of our ability, as well as to provide new and exciting opportunities for language-learning. We appreciate your understanding for any difficulties that may unexpectedly occur with the virtual platforms and, while we are not responsible for IT issues, we will do everything we can to make sure you have a great experience with GLN, now and in the future.

GLN Participation Stipend Gift Policy – Will you qualify?

Attending class is vital for students to make the most of what the GLN has to offer. Through our rigorous participation policy, we aim to attract dedicated students for each class, since we know that learning a language does not just depend on you, the learner, but it also greatly-depends on your environment and peers, and everyone’s commitment to creating a great class environment. Due to the large number of students learning a language with the GLN, we strive to ensure that our students have the best experience possible. Please bear in mind that $200 for a 6-12 week class is considerably subsidized and your expectation should be that for $200, you are receiving 6-12 classes. The Participation Stipend is not an amount that GLN owes the student in any form. It is a bonus gift from GLN that is entirely at the discretion of GLN. Are you interested in the Participation Stipend? Be sure to read the below terms to better-understand what may qualify or disqualify a student for this generous bonus gift. Paying for a class with a GLN credit? Be sure to read the Credit and the Participation Stipend policy above.

  • Excused Absences: Students taking 12-week classes are eligible for a $100 Participation Stipend in GLN credit if they miss no more than 2 sessions. Students taking classes that meet for less than 12 weeks (such as 10-weeks or 6-weeks) are eligible for a $100 Participation Stipend credit if they miss no more than 1 session.
  • Late Arrivals and Early Departures: If you are 15 or more minutes late to class, or if you leave class 15 or more minutes early, you will be marked absent for that session.
  • Makeup Sessions: We include 2 weeks of make-up classes as part of our semester planning in the event that one or two of your classes are canceled due to holiday or other official GLN cancellation. Please include those extra two sessions in your planning since they will count towards your semester attendance should they need to be used. While rare, make-up sessions may take place at a different place, day, or time if so decided by the teacher and the majority of the students. Those make-up sessions will also count towards your attendance and, since the Participation Stipend is a discretionary bonus gift, GLN is under no obligation to make attendance exceptions for students who cannot attend make-up sessions.
  • Semester Attendance: Semester attendance is based on the number of times the class meets during the semester, regardless of when students actually register and begin attending classes. By way of example, if you enroll in a course after the class has held 2 meetings, you will be marked absent for those first two meetings. Please take this into consideration before joining a class that has already started.
    • Sometimes a class start date can be delayed due to circumstances out of our control, so if you wish to enroll in a class but are afraid you may have missed classes already, please contact us.

Unforeseen Circumstances: In the spirit of having compassion towards our students and being understanding of extenuating life circumstances that may affect any student’s attendance, GLN does not distinguish between the circumstances of one person’s absence versus another. Rather, we offer a blanket “excused” absence for all students (for 12-week classes there are 2 excused absences), in an effort to help our students when they most need it, such as sickness, travel, academic exams, work commitments, illness or death of family or friends. With over 600 students per semester, we are unfortunately unable to excuse any further absence, for any reason.

Holidays: GLN does not hold classes on Thanksgiving or Independence Day (July 4); all other days are considered regularly-scheduled classes unless otherwise noted by GLN. Classes that would normally meet on Thanksgiving or July 4 should plan to makeup that class at the end of the semester. Please keep this in mind when planning your schedule.

Stipend Disqualifications: As noted above, students disqualify for the Participation Stipend if they fail to meet the attendance requirement. Since the Participation Stipend is a discretionary bonus gift, GLN reserves the right to disqualify any student who is disruptive in a class, disrespectful to the teacher or fellow students, disrespectful to GLN office staff or volunteers, expresses racist or discriminatory sentiments, or any other reason that GLN finds reasonable to refuse providing this bonus gift. GLN has a reputation for excellent service and care. We realize that with a high volume of students, classes, teachers, and volunteers, disagreements may occur. GLN is firmly committed to resolving any and all disagreements directly with the parties involved (whether class-related, payment-related, or other). Should a student bypass GLN’s internal resolution by filing a dispute with PayPal, a credit card company, or any other institution, or making public statements that GLN finds damaging, GLN reserves the right to refuse that student a Participation Stipend. GLN reserves the full right to refuse or distribute a Participation Stipend at its full discretion. Should a student violate GLN policies or act in a way that GLN finds disruptive or damaging, GLN reserves the right to remove the student from any class, at any point, without eligibility for a refund and deny the student future class enrollment.  The above disqualifications are extremely rare and GLN is grateful for its very positive relationship with students, volunteers, teachers, and partners since 2005.

Requesting a GLN Participation Stipend Gift ($100 Participation Stipend in GLN Credit): Be sure to look out for our email at the end of the semester with the details about your qualification status for a stipend. This should not be confused with emails about surveys or make-up classes. Each student takes full responsibility for receiving the stipend qualification email and following any relevant instructions. If a student did not receive the email for whatever reason (such as extenuating circumstance or the message being in the spam folder), the student is responsible for contacting GLN within 10 calendar days of the student’s last class. Since the Participation Stipend is a bonus gift, GLN is under no obligation to provide the stipend if a student fails to respond in a timely manner, even if for whatever reason the student did not receive an email from GLN and the student failed to contact GLN within the above timeline. Please be sure to keep your credit card or PayPal account active as all qualified Participation Stipends are sent back to the original transaction. At the end of the semester, if you are eligible for a $100 Participation Stipend credit, we will send you a quick online form to complete. We require a completed form in order to process your stipend, so be sure to check your emails and spam box! Due to the very large volume of stipends that we must process manually we cannot accept any stipend request beyond the deadline specified in the semester-end email to you (we typically give a 2 week window to complete the quick form). We do not accept email, phone, or any other form of request for stipends other than our stipend form and must receive a completed form from you by the specified deadline in order to process a stipend from your original payment. Any stipend unclaimed by that deadline will be considered a tax-deductible donation to GLN. We begin issuing stipends after the form is closed.

GLN Policy on Immersive Learning 

At GLN we work hard to create the type of immersive environment that facilitates learning in our classes, we ask students to help us to create a distraction-free environment. Students are asked to observe our zero-tolerance policy for cellphone usage in class. Our volunteer teachers spend a lot of time planning lessons and creating an environment conducive to learning.

Usage of outside elements such as cellphones, laptops, tablets, guests or consumption of food during class creates damaging distractions that are harmful not only to our teachers but also to the entire classroom environment. GLN reserves its teachers the right to mark any student using the afore-mentioned elements as absent from that lesson. Disruptive behavior does allow GLN teachers, volunteers and staff to remove a non-compliant student during class time. Please plan to bring paper and a pen to take notes if needed.