Payment & Cancellation Policies

Geology Field School LLC | Texas
These policies apply to Geology Field School field courses and workshops.

Please read these policies before you register. Refunds are calculated from the published fee on that course's page.

Payment Policy

Non-refundable deposit: A $500 non-refundable deposit per participant is required at registration.
Balance due: The remaining balance must be paid in full at least 1 day before the trip start date.
Late payments: A $50 late fee applies. Failure to pay by the due date may result in registration cancellation and forfeiture of all payments, including the deposit.
Returned payments: A $35 fee applies for returned checks or declined credit/debit cards.

Cancellation Policy

All cancellations must be submitted in writing. The initial $500 deposit is non-refundable.

Refunds apply only to payments made beyond the $500 deposit, based on how many days before the trip start you cancel:

When you cancel	Refund of balance beyond deposit
36+ days before start	90%
29-35 days before start	75%
22-28 days before start	50%
15-21 days before start	10%
0-14 days before start	0% (no refund beyond deposit)

Worked examples below use the standard published course fee of $9,995. Your course page controls the published fee used for your refund math.

Example (published fee $9,995; deposit $500; balance beyond deposit = $9,495):

36+ days: 90% of $9,495 = $8,545.50
29-35 days: 75% of $9,495 = $7,121.25
22-28 days: 50% of $9,495 = $4,747.50
15-21 days: 10% of $9,495 = $949.50
0-14 days: $0 beyond the deposit

Why late cancellations refund little or nothing: By then, vendor payments are typically finalized, and it is often not possible to recover costs or fill the spot.

Special circumstances & exceptions

Medical emergencies / bereavement: Documented cases (for example, a doctor's note or death certificate) may be eligible for a credit toward a future trip or a partial refund at Geology Field School's discretion.
Trip cancellation by Geology Field School: If we cancel due to unforeseen circumstances (unsafe conditions, low enrollment, force majeure, or similar), we keep the $500 deposit and refund payments beyond the deposit, or offer a reschedule. Hotel and vendor bookings are often non-refundable.
Participant replacement: You may transfer registration to another eligible person up to 2 days before the trip for a $100 administrative fee.

Refund processing

Refunds are processed within 30 days of the confirmed cancellation date.
Refunds are issued via the original payment method when possible; otherwise by company check.

Questions: chris.oswalt@geologyfieldschool.com