Paying Your Tuition

Upon completing enrollment, SSC offers multiple options for tuition payment. Lessons or classes will begin once a payment option has been selected. Additionally, lessons or classes cannot begin if there is a balance from a previous semester on the account. Payment options are:

• Pay in Full: Invoiced electronically for any programs in the academic year.
• Pay By Semester: Invoiced electronically for any programs in the current semester. Payments must be completed by the last day of the semester.
• Installment Plan: SSC offers a flexible payment plan for lessons and classes! With rolling admissions, tuition is prorated based on when a student enrolls, and divided into equal installments for the remainder of the semester. We do not bill for the specific number of lessons/classes participated in each month. There will be a $100 non-refundable deposit per semester required for all installment plans.
  • A full Academic Year payment plan is divided into 8 equal installments due on:
    • September 9
    • October 9
    • November 9
    • January 9
    • February 9
    • March 9
    • April 9
    • May 9
  • An installment plan for the Fall semester only will be 3 installments and for the Spring semester only will be 5 installments, according to the above schedule.
• Accepted forms of payment include: direct bank account deduction/EFT; credit card; check made payable to SSC, either mailed or dropped off in person to our Front Desk. All electronic payments will be processed through Quickbooks.
• You can set up automatic payments for your installment plans using our convenient Quickbooks Online system.
• Please note that all invoices are due within 7 days of receipt.

Withdrawals, Refunds & Credits

Please contact a member of the Registration Team if you are considering changing teachers or instruments, or if you need to request a withdrawal. Withdrawal requests must be received at least 72 hours prior to the date of the next lesson for the below refund schedule to apply. 

Refund schedule for Private Lessons: 

• Withdrawal before 1st lesson: 100% refund.
• Withdrawal before 3rd lesson: 50% refund.
• Withdrawal before the halfway point of the semester: 25% refund. 
• Refunds or in-house credits for withdrawals after the halfway point in the semester will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis with the final decision being at the discretion of our Finance Department.  Consideration will be given in situations with extenuating circumstances including, but not limited to, hardship such as loss of job or serious illness. 

Refund schedule for Group Classes

• Before 1st  class: 100% refund
• Before the halfway point in the semester: 25% refund.
• After the halfway point in the semester, no refunds. 

If you are on an installment plan and have paid more than the prorated amount at the time of withdrawal, the excess will be retained as an in-house credit to be used for future purchases. If you have not yet paid as much as the prorated amount at the time of withdrawal, you will be issued a final invoice for the remaining balance due. 

All in-house credits retained are available to use within 1 calendar year of the date of withdrawal, and can be used for tuition and admission to select events. 

Makeups & Attendance

SSC's makeup policy: 

• Each student is eligible for 1 makeup over the course of the semester for excused absences (at least 24 hours notice of an upcoming missed lesson).
• Students/families are financially responsible for all lessons registered for regardless of cancellation out of respect for our faculty members’ time set aside for your student. 
• Student absences for which sufficient notice is given (at least 24 hours in advance of the scheduled lesson) are eligible to be made up. Last minute, day-of cancellations will not be eligible for makeups. In the event of an emergency situation, please communicate with your teacher directly and the lesson may be made up at the discretion of your teacher. 
• Any lesson canceled due to a teacher being unavailable for any reason will be made up. 
• There is a “Flex Week” built into the schedule at the end of the Fall semester as well as 2.5 weeks at the end of the Academic Year, however makeups can be scheduled at any time agreed upon by the faculty member and the family throughout the semester.
• Faculty are not required to reschedule a missed makeup lesson that was mutually agreed upon between the teacher and family.
• Faculty and families are asked to make reasonable efforts to make up lessons by the conclusion of the flex period. If after three attempts no mutually agreed upon makeup lesson is scheduled, the faculty member is no longer obligated to make up that lesson. 
• In the event that you need to transition to online instruction, please contact your teacher.
• In the event that SSC must close due to inclement weather, SSC will make up a maximum of 2 lessons per semester. If such an event occurs, further information will be communicated regarding a shift to virtual learning or scheduling an in person makeup lesson. 

Weather-Related and Other Closings:

• Each campus will determine, based on weather conditions, whether or not they will be open for in-person lessons and classes. Closures will be posted on the SSC website and social media platforms. Preschool/PreK/Kindergarten programs will be closed for weather if the Hingham public schools are closed.
• Force Majeure: Neither the school nor student shall be in default of its obligations if and so long as it is prevented from performing such obligations due to severe acts of nature or weather events including floods, fires, earthquakes, hurricanes, or explosions; war, acts of terrorism, and pandemics; acts of governmental authorities such as expropriation, condemnation, and changes in laws and regulations.

SSC COVID Policy (effective 2023)

• Individuals who test positive for COVID can return to SSC six days from when they were first symptomatic or tested positive (whichever came first) and must remain masked through day 10 or upon receiving a negative test. If symptoms persist, individuals must stay home through day 10.

Accessibility

• In accordance with Massachusetts General Law, we do provide signing services at SSC sponsored events upon request. Please call us directly to request this service at least 5 business days before the event.
• Service animals permitted. For safety reasons pets are not allowed inside SSC buildings and must be restrained if on the grounds.
• Please obey the speed limit when driving through the neighborhoods surrounding the SSC campuses.

Competitions

• Students must be in good standing financially with SSC in order to be eligible for participation in any SSC competitions. “Good standing” means that any registrations at the time of the competition are either already paid in full or there is evidence of an active payment plan and payments are current on that plan.
• Scholarships awarded at competitions are valid for the following school year beginning in the Fall after the competition was held.