Registration Policy

Table of Contents

How to Register

All registrations are processed through our secure online registration site hosted by CampMinder. Please follow “Register Now” links on specific program pages to register.

Required ages for programs are posted with each program. If your child is of age within 30-days of the program start date, please call or email the registrar to request an exception. We are unable to make exceptions beyond this.

If you have questions about using our online registration tool please call our office Monday–Friday between 8 am and 4 pm PST: 425-788-1301 or contact us HERE.

Click below to manage your online account (pay online balance, update registration info, etc): 

Update Your Registration Info

Checking for Open Space in a Course and Waitlists

Course registration changes quickly. There are two ways to check for open spaces in a course:

  • Call our office 425-788-1301
  • Click on the “Register Now ” link from our website. Programs will appear with “waitlist ” if they are full.

If your program appears waitlisted:

  • Waitlists will only appear when a program is 100% full.
  • There is no cost to register for a waitlist (you will need to enter your payment information, but you won’t be charged unless a spot opens and you agree to register). Registration is highly encouraged.
  • Space may become available last minute. Participation is not guaranteed for those on the waitlist.
  • Participants on a waitlist will be contacted in the order they are received, up until 2 weeks prior to a program beginning. If you would like to be removed from a waitlist, please contact our office
  • Participants will be contacted via the primary email address provided
  • Up until two weeks prior to a program beginning, participants have 48 hours to accept an open space before we call the next person on the waitlist. Within two weeks, an open space will be offered to the first person to respond

Applying for Scholarships

We do not offer discounts, but we do provide scholarships to families in need. Before applying for a scholarship, please consider whether our maximum scholarship award for the program you are interested in will allow you to attend. If you will be unable to attend unless you receive more than the maximum amount awarded for that program, please consider saving money to attend at a later time–we’ll still be here!

Scholarship Application

Youth Programs

The maximum scholarship considered for youth programs is 50% of the program cost. Scholarship applications are reviewed on a first received, first reviewed process. Scholarship applicants will be notified within 14 business days by the email address and phone number listed on the application. If you have not heard within that time window, please contact [email protected].

Adult Weekend and Week-long Programs

Currently we are unable to offer scholarships for these programs.

Adult School Year Programs (Adult Intensives)

If you are applying for the The Immersion at Wilderness Awareness School, the scholarship application is part of the online application. Priority is given to students who have already made their deposit to attend the program.

If you are applying for the Nature Instructor Training program, applications must be received before submitting a scholarship application. Scholarship applications for this program will not be considered without a program application. Program applications should be submitted to the School Year Program Director. Scholarships will be applied to any remaining tuition after the non-refundable deposit has been paid.

Supporting Scholarships

A huge thanks to all of our supporters who make these scholarships possible!! Learn more about creating scholarships for our students.

In order to provide scholarships to our students, we rely on the generous support of our donors through the Ingwe Memorial Scholarship Fund. We were pleased to be able to offer over $89,000 in scholarships last year! But even with that level of funding, not everyone who applied for a scholarship was able to receive one. Our goal is to increase the amount we can give this coming year and in the years to come. Please consider a tax-deductible contribution to support future scholarships.

Deposit, Payment, Discounts/Fees, Cancellation and Refund Policies

Payment, Cancellation and Refund Policies (not valid for The Immersion)

Wilderness Awareness School welcomes students who are motivated to learn wilderness and outdoor education skills, speak fluent English, are healthy and socially responsible. We will deny admission to anyone we believe to be unable to meet the safety demands of our courses. We will expel any student who exhibits behavior that is unsafe or disrupts from the educational mission of a course. If a student is expelled, there will be no refund.

Credit card and E-Check payments made online through our secure registration tool will appear on your billing statement as follows:

“ACH Wilderness Aware”

Wilderness Awareness School cancellation/credit and transfer policies are based on our investment in staff, course planning, as well as food and equipment purchases before your course. We cannot recover our expenses if you cancel. Short-notice cancellations often prevent others from attending.

Download/Print a Receipt

To download and print a receipt, please log in to your account, and select the Financial Management tab. Select the “Current Season”, and click “Statement”. From there, you’ll be able to review this information and print it if needed.

Deposit Policy

25% of your registration payment is the deposit and is non-refundable. Please see the payment chart below for when payments are due. If you register for a program after the Balance Due Date, then full payment is due. 

Payment Policy **Chart is updated to include all programs**

Below is a summary of payment policies. For questions, please contact our registrar at 425-788-1301 or contact us HERE.

Program TypePayment DatesBalance Due Dates
Weekly ProgramsNon-Refundable Deposit at RegistrationAug. 15th, Nov. 15th, Feb. 15th
Wild WithinNon-Refundable Deposit at RegistrationAug. 15th, Nov. 15th, Feb. 15th
Nature Instructor TrainingNon-Refundable Deposit at RegistrationAug. 15th, Nov. 15th, Feb. 15th
Tracking IntensiveNon-Refundable Deposit at RegistrationAug. 15th, Nov. 15th, Feb. 15th
Plant IntensiveNon-Refundable Deposit at RegistrationFeb 15th, Apr 15th, June 15th
Monthly ProgramsFull Payment at Registration–
Day CampsFull Payment at Registration–
Skills Day CampsFull Payment at Registration–
Overnight CampsNon-Refundable Deposit at RegistrationApril 1st
Youth ExpeditionsNon-Refundable Deposit at RegistrationApril 1st
Adult Programs (Summer)Non-Refundable Deposit at RegistrationApril 1st
Adult Programs (School Year)Full Payment at Registration–

Most students of our School Year Programs (Youth and Adult) choose our Quarterly Payment Plan – see payment schedule above. See the Enrollment Package for discounts/fees for The Immersion.

Late Payment Policy

Payments received more than 15 business days past the due date are considered late. Students have a grace period of 15 business days to make payment. Students may not attend class if payment has not been received by the end of the grace period.

Cancellation Policies

For shorter term programs (Summer Camps, Monthly Youth Programs, Adult Weekend/Weeklong programs), if you choose to cancel or leave a course for any reason:

  • 15 or more days prior to the course starting date; you are entitled to a full refund, minus the deposit. *Note: Programs that require payment in full at the time of registration are entitled to a 75% refund within this policy. Please note that for Adult Weeklongs like the Wilderness Survival Trek and Art of Mentoring, the 75% refund window is 30 days or more before the course start date.
  • 14 days or less prior to the course starting date and once the course has begun, we are unable to offer any refunds or credits.

COVID Sick Cancellation Policy for weekend Adult Programs: For students who are unable to attend class last minute due to getting sick or having an exposure to someone who has a confirmed case of COVID-19, the following applies:

  • You may transfer to another class of equal or lesser value that is on the current schedule AND has openings. This can be applied to any available class on our current Adult Programs listings. There will be no charge for this transfer. Transfers must be made within 2 weeks of the start date of your original class.
  • If you are not able to or don’t want to transfer, we will offer a 50% refund. Refund requests must be made within 2 weeks of the start date of your original class.

For longer term programs (Weekly Youth Programs, Tracking Intensive, Wild Within), if you choose to cancel or leave a course for any reason:

  • Cancellation up to the start of the program: Entitled to a refund for any payments in excess of 25% of course tuition.
  • Cancellation after the start of the program, but before Nov. 15th: Entitled to a refund for any payments in excess of 50% of course tuition.
  • Cancellation between Nov. 15th and Feb. 15th: Entitled to a refund for any payments in excess of 75% of course tuition.
  • Cancellation after Feb. 15th: No refund given.

For Wild Plant Intensive:

  • Cancellation up to the start of the program: Entitled to a refund for any payments in excess of 25% of course tuition.
  • Cancellation after the start of the program, but before April 15: Entitled to a refund for any payments in excess of 50% of course tuition.
  • Cancellation between Apr. 15th and June 15th: Entitled to a refund for any payments in excess of 75% of course tuition.
  • Cancellation after June 15th: No refund given.

For The Immersion and Nature Instructor Training (NIT), see the Student Handbook that you received upon enrolling. Or contact the Registrar.

To cancel an existing registration, please email our Registrar at [email protected] or reply to your confirmation email received at the time of registration.

If any duration of a course is canceled by Wilderness Awareness School:

Although we rarely need to do so, we reserve the right to cancel a course or change a course duration, tuition or location. Wilderness Awareness School is not responsible for costs associated in these cases. We recommend that you consider refundable tickets for travel.

  • We are unable to offer refunds if any duration of a program is cancelled due to inclement weather, or circumstances out of our control.
  • If a program is cancelled due to low enrollment, tuition will be fully refundable or transferable.

Transfer Policy

If you transfer from one course to another:

15 or more days prior to the course starting date–no additional charges. Tuition is transferable for the same participant within the same fiscal year. Tuition is non-transferable between participants.
14 days or less prior to the course starting date, regular cancellation and refund charges will apply.

To ​make changes to an existing registration, please email our Registrar at [email protected] or reply to your confirmation email received at the time of registration.​

Illness/Injury Policy

In the event of illness or injury:

  • Wilderness Awareness School will make all attempts to transfer participant to another program within the same fiscal year. (Summer programs only)
  • If we are unable to transfer a participant, tuition will be refundable minus the deposit as noted above. Tuition is non-transferable between participants (Summer programs only)
  • We are unable to pro-rate tuition (school-year), or offer make-up days.

Weather Policy

As an outdoor school we enjoy spending time outside, rain or shine, only retreating to indoor spaces (if they are available) in rare instances of lightning or hazardous wind conditions. We are unable to offer refunds if any duration of a program is cancelled due to inclement weather (such as flooding, snow, icy roads, etc.) or other circumstances out of our control. Depending on the program, we may attempt to reschedule the class day that was cancelled, but in some cases that will not be possible due to scheduling limitations. We will let participants know by 8am if a class day needs to be cancelled due to weather or other circumstances out of our control.

Smoke/Air Quality Policy

At many of the locations we run programs, we have limited or no indoor space and with the increased threat of summer wildfire smoke in Western Washington, it is necessary to have a plan in place to ensure the safety of our campers and staff.

In the case of hazardous air quality, we will monitor conditions and will consult the Washington Department of Ecology website for updates on local air quality. The WA Smoke Blog is also an excellent resource that we will look at. If threat levels at the nearest monitoring sites to our programs are deemed unsafe for staff and campers by the Program Director we will cancel class. Please see the condition levels from the WAQA Publication which we will use to guide our decision. If conditions are “moderate” or “unhealthy for sensitive groups” we will limit strenuous activities as best as possible. If conditions are “unhealthy for everyone” we may cancel class for the day. We will reach out to all families/students via email by 8:00am to cancel programs for the day. 

Summer Camp Parents: If your child has additional health concerns or sensitivities and must be withheld from camp at a lower level of risk, please let us know so we are aware they are taking the day off. We are not able to offer a refund in this case per our usual registration policies.

If two or more program/summer camp days in a week are cancelled by WAS due to smoke, fire, or air-quality concerns, you may request a 50% refund per day for the total number of cancelled days. To request a refund, please email the registrar. [email protected]  These conditions pose a huge threat to outdoor education organizations, and we are grateful for your support and understanding.

Required Forms

A Medical and Release form is completed as part of the online registration system. We require that you digitally sign this form for all courses. Because of the ever-changing nature of medical and other requested information, we require that the form be updated for each course you or your child participates in. Thank you for understanding.

Some courses may require an additional physician’s release form:

Directions and Maps to Courses

Please see our Maps and Directions page for more information.

Airport Shuttle

We are offering transportation from and to SEATAC Airport for the following programs:

  • Wilderness Survival Trek (Adult)
  • Art of Mentoring (Adult)
  • Teen Wolf Tracking Expedition (Youth)

Shuttle Details

  • $40 each way
  • Sign up online during registration or email / call the office later to add shuttle to your registration
  • Pick up at SeaTac airport 1.5 hours before the program start time and drops off at the SeaTac airport 1.5 hours after the program end time
  • Driven by WAS staff
  • Meet at the end of the Alaska Airlines arrivals area
  • Participants arriving by Amtrak Train or Bus can take the Soundtransit Link Light Rail to SeaTac to the catch the shuttle to the Program http://www.soundtransit.org/Schedules/Link-light-rail

Confirmation Packet

Within 24 hours of completing your online registration (most likely it will be instantaneous), you will receive a confirmation email containing links to the following:

  • Program Details & Gear List
  • Map/Directions to program location
  • Any additional required Forms

If you do not receive your confirmation email or if you have any questions, please contact our registrar at 425-788-1301 or contact us HERE.

Wilderness Awareness School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, age, sex, disability, national or ethnic origin, or sexual orientation. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Wilderness Awareness School