Active Student Policy
FAQ

Not quite, and we want to be clear about why. Your Program Duration — the actual length of your program — is 12 to 15 months for AHC, or 24 to 36 months for AP. It was published in your brochure at the time you enrolled. Your Certification Eligibility Window is a separate, longer runway (3 years AHC, 6 years AP) to finish your requirements at your own pace. For many years, we offered live classes well past a student's Program Duration, sometimes allowing students to take the same classes over and over again, because we were able to, and because we wanted to and we're glad we could. Staying Active is how that same level of continued support continues today.

We absolutely have a responsibility to deliver the program you enrolled in—and we have taken that responsibility very seriously.

What can sometimes be misunderstood is the difference between your program duration and your certification eligibility window. Your program duration is the period during which your curriculum is delivered. Your certification eligibility window is the additional time you have to complete your remaining requirements and graduate. They are not the same thing.

For many years, we continued offering live classes, Student Services, academic advising, and ongoing support well beyond students' original program duration because we genuinely wanted to make success as accessible as possible. We were grateful to be able to do that while the Institute had the resources.

As our community has grown and the cost of providing those services has increased, we can no longer sustain offering unlimited ongoing support at no cost. That's why we created the Active Student model.

Students who wish to continue participating in live classes, receiving ongoing academic support, and remaining actively engaged in the life of the Institute are warmly invited to remain Active. Students who choose to become Inactive do not lose the work they have completed or their place in our community—they simply pause the ongoing services that require continuous faculty, administrative, and Registrar support until they are ready to return.

Our goal has never been to take support away. Our goal is to ensure we can continue offering meaningful support—for today's students and for those who will join us in the years ahead.

Because we need our community's help to keep offering it. Enrollment has slowed across higher education, including here, which means fewer new students supporting the ongoing cost of live classes and advising for students who've been with us a long time. We kept giving that extra support as long as we possibly could — new mini-courses, trimmed programs, real belt-tightening on our end first. This Contribution is what lets us keep going, and allows us to keep providing new live classes beyond your program duration.

One consistent path applies to everyone who enrolled before March 2025. If you enrolled after that date, you're already on this model, and nothing changes for you.

You were — we announced this more than a year ago and waived the fee for that full year, specifically so everyone had time to plan. This mindful rollout made sure that every student (with very few exceptions) had received their full program live.

Of course, and we take responsibility for not making this distinction clear enough, sooner. Six years was always your Certification Eligibility Window — time to finish your requirements — not the length of the program itself. Your program's actual length is, and always was, 12 to 15 months for AHC or 24 to 36 months for AP.

For most students, no — this is intended for students whose program has already been fully delivered. If your program is still active, please reach out to us directly. We have solutions, and we want to work through them with you personally.

Live classes, clinical classes, Student Services, academic advising, graduation support, community access, our learning platform, new recordings, curriculum updates, transcripts, and admin support.

Tuition covered your program, and it delivered everything it promised. The Contribution funds something different: the ongoing people and systems — advisors, live classes, our platform — that support you after your program ends.

Choose whichever rhythm fits you — the benefits are identical either way.

Set up my Active Status →

Yes. We apply it the same way for every student, regardless of how long you've been part of this community.

No, not on a case-by-case basis — it's applied consistently, except where the law requires otherwise or an officially published policy says so. What the Registrar does look at individually is how the policy applies to your specific remaining requirements, since no two academic records are quite the same.

The Contribution is part of how this school can continue for the next ten years, not just this one.

We understand why it can feel that way, so we want to answer plainly. Your tuition paid for your program, and your program was delivered in full — every class it included. That's complete, and nothing here asks you to pay for it twice. The Contribution supports something different: the ongoing services many students keep using after their program ends — graduation review, advising, transcripts, platform access, community, live clinical classes, and Student Services. Those don't stop the day your last class does, and neither does the support behind them. We have continued to provide them to you, at no cost, for some, for years beyond your program was provided, and for others well beyond your Certification Eligibility Window. We cannot continue to do that without your help.

You're welcome to choose Inactive status instead, same as any student. But we'd love for you to stay Active if you can. The Preceptor Program was built at real cost to us, specifically to make certification more reachable for students like you. The Contribution is simply how we keep making that possible — for you, and for the next student walking the path you once walked.

You're in a genuinely small, specific group, and we want to work with you personally rather than guess. Please reach out to us directly before assuming anything about your situation — we have real, individual options for you, and we're committed to honoring everything we promised when you enrolled.

The length set by the catalog in effect when you enrolled — generally 12 to 15 months for AHC, 24 to 36 months for AP. This is fixed and doesn't change and was published at the time you enrolled in the catalog.

A separate, longer runway — 3 years for AHC, 6 years for AP — to finish your certification requirements at your own pace. Once it closes, so does your eligibility to certify.

Often, yes — coursework may remain viewable. Certification itself may not, since those rules belong to NAMACB, not us. We can't guarantee recognition of work completed after your published window.

It was built for one reason: to make certification more reachable for a small group of students. Rather than asking students to complete hundreds of additional in-person hours, we created a thoughtful mix of recorded lessons, independent study, and live classes.

Over time, we chose to teach almost all of it live instead of what was origionally pubished as pre-recorded or asynchronous because we believed that gave students a richer experience. We're glad we did — and it's part of why continuing to offer live classes at this level now takes support from the community it serves.

The Hybrid Preceptor Program came out of a real need. At the time, AAC board certification required 540 hours of in-person clinical training — for many students, that was simply out of reach, financially and geographically.

When the AAC opened a more flexible pathway, we chose to redesign the program rather than keep that 540-hour requirement in place. What we built was a blend of pre-recorded lessons, independent study, and live classes.

Many of those classes were origionally advertised as pre-recorded or otherwise offered asynchronously. We have taught them all live instead, for years, because we believed it gave students a richer education. We're glad we did.

What's changed is simple: we can no longer offer that level of live teaching and ongoing support at no additional cost. The Active Student Contribution is what lets us keep teaching live, rather than returning to the original recorded and independent-study format.

Because we care about your path, we chose to give you those classes live — even though the program was originally built around a mix of recorded, independent, and live learning. That was our choice, and we're glad we made it. The Contribution simply supports continuing that live experience while you finish your remaining requirements.

If now isn't the right time to contribute, that's completely fine. You're welcome to complete your remaining classes in recorded form instead, at no additional cost, for as long as your certification window stays open.

The Hybrid Program extended your Eligibility Window to give you up to six years to finish your program — not six years of new live classes that have already been provided to you. Some classes originally planned as recorded were, in practice, given live, because we had the resources to do that at the time. We're glad we could offer that, and staying Active is how that same spirit of extra support continues now.

When we built this program, we did it because we believed you deserved an easier path — one that didn't require hundreds of extra in-person hours to reach certification. That belief hasn't changed.

It was designed as a mix of recorded lessons, independent study, and live classes. Over time, we chose to teach almost all of it live instead, because we believed it gave you a better experience. We're glad we did.

Today, we can no longer offer that level of live teaching, advising, and support without the community's help. If you'd like to keep learning live, we'd love for you to stay Active. If this isn't the right season, Inactive status is always here — you can continue with the recorded curriculum where it applies, and return whenever you're ready.

Our hope is simple: if this school has gone the extra mile for you, and you're able to help us do that for the students coming after you, we'd be deeply grateful.

No. A course you enrolled in on its own stays its own thing. The Active Student model applies to your certification program — not to standalone courses. If you took Anatomy & Physiology or something similar separately, that enrollment is reviewed on its own terms, under whatever agreement applied when you signed up for it.

Because finishing even one requirement still takes real support behind the scenes — faculty review, Registrar sign-off, your academic file, Student Services, and graduation processing. The Contribution is what keeps all of that running, whether you have one requirement left or several.

Not directly — graduation review, transcript preparation, and certificate issuance are part of what Active status supports. If you're Inactive when you're ready to graduate, you can simply reactivate, complete the process, and return to Inactive afterward if you'd like.

Your enrollment agreement, your published catalog, your graduation checklist, and your official academic record with the Registrar are what determine your requirements. Faculty and advisors offer guidance along the way, but something said informally, even years ago, doesn't change published policy.

Live classes, advising, new recordings, and Student Services pause. Nothing you've already finished is ever lost.

Yes, as many times as life requires. This model exists so you never need a formal leave of absence again.

Sometimes — it depends on your situation, and a Teach-Out may cover it. Ask Student Services and we'll walk through your options together.

A Teach-Out is a decision our Registrar makes individually, usually for students whose program is already complete, based on your specific file. It provides access to already-taught, recorded classes without live instruction or advising, and it's available only while your certification window is still open.

No. Anything you've completed stays part of your permanent academic record.

Refunds are uncommon and may be one tool the Registrar has to support you on your transition out of Active Student Status. Any settlement will apply only to classes we never actually delivered — not classes a student chose not to attend.

Always. Your transcripts, completed coursework, and academic history are permanently protected, and any certificates you've earned stay yours.

No. Never. Honest questions and real disagreement are part of what makes this community work.

No, and we know that's not the answer everyone hopes for. This model applies the same way to every student, regardless of when you enrolled. Student Services is glad to help you find whichever path — Active or Inactive — fits your life right now.

Because no two academic records are quite the same. Every student enrolled under a specific catalog, agreement, scholarship, and timeline. The policy applies to everyone equally — what the Registrar reviews individually is how it fits your particular requirements.

Our hope is that every student graduates with a great education and a good relationship with this community.

We're a small, founder-led school. That's what lets us offer the kind of personal support we do, but it also means our time and resources aren't unlimited. We can't provide open-ended individual support once trust in a relationship has genuinely broken down.

Asking questions, disagreeing with a decision, filing a grievance, seeking outside advice, advocating for yourself — those are always your right, and using them never affects your standing here, on its own.

Occasionally, though, it becomes clear that another path would serve everyone better. When that happens, our Registrar may recommend a Teach-Out or another academic pathway that lets you complete your education while protecting the learning environment for everyone else. This is never a punishment or a judgment — it's simply a recognition that not every relationship is the right long-term fit.

We're responsible not only to you, but to our faculty, our staff, and the hundreds of other students who trust us to keep this a respectful, supportive place to learn.

Over the past ten years, we've learned something about growing a large, global community: the loudest voices are rarely the most representative ones. Most students quietly attend class, care deeply about their education, ask thoughtful questions when they need clarity, and keep moving forward. They are the heart of this community.

From time to time, a misunderstanding starts small and grows — through assumptions, secondhand conversations, or discussions where no one has the complete picture. Before long, students are making real decisions based on something that isn't quite accurate.

If you ever read or hear something that concerns you, come to us first. Ask us directly. We'll look at your individual record, explain the policy, and answer honestly.

We also ask students to be thoughtful with each other. Every academic pathway here is a little different, and advice that's true for one student may not be true for another. Sharing an assumption as fact can create confusion or worry for someone else without meaning to.

None of this is about silencing disagreement. Honest questions, respectful discussion, even criticism — all of it belongs here, and always will.

Ayurveda teaches us that clarity is kind. Before drawing a conclusion about your education, ask the people responsible for it. We'll always do our best to answer honestly, clearly, and with respect.

We're planning to teach Ayurveda for decades to come. If that ever changed, we'd make every reasonable effort to protect your records and arrange a teach-out, in line with accreditation and legal requirements.

Email admin@yogavedainstitute.com. You'll get a written answer according to our published grievance process, which we treat as final unless genuinely new information comes to light.

Our Registrar looks at the full facts of your specific case to decide what's fair. Reach out — we'd rather understand your situation than have this document guess at it.

Email us before September 1 with your specific question. Most hesitation has a simple, personal answer.

Please ask them. Some of the most thoughtful improvements we've made over the years came from a student who simply asked, "Can you help me understand?" Those conversations matter to us, and we'd always rather have them than have you guess.

If something ever feels off, or a policy doesn't make sense, please come to us first. Ask. Give us the chance to explain with your personal file in front of us before assuming the worst about our intentions.

For more than a decade, our team has helped students through all kinds of difficult situtations, pregnancies, illness, financial hardship, family responsibilities, career changes, and every other season of life. Our first instinct has always been to ask, "How can we help?" We hope you'll give us that same chance before deciding we've acted unfairly. That is never ever our intent.

Honest questions are always welcome. Real honest and mindful disagreement is always welcome. We'll gladly explain our decisions, review your individual circumstances, and admit when we could have communicated something better. What we ask in return is simple: start from the assumption that we're trying to help. If we start there, we'll almost always find our way forward together.

You'll move to Inactive automatically, which is simply a pause, not a loss. You can reactivate or explore other options whenever you're ready.

Student Services, at hello@yogavedainstitute.com. We're a small team doing our best, and we'd always rather answer your real question than have you guess.