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COVID-19 Vaccination Requirement
As a school, the best thing that we can all do to keep our staff and students safe is to make sure that everyone is vaccinated.
Therefore, all students taking in-person classes at ALPS are required to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
You must be vaccinated in order to attend in-person classes at ALPS.
This means that you must have, at minimum:
- 2 doses in a 2-dose series, such as the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or
- 1 dose of a single-dose vaccine, such as Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine
COVID-19 vaccines are widely available in Seattle.
The closest place to get your vaccine is right across the street from ALPS, at the Harvard Market QFC Pharmacy on Broadway.
Please talk to ALPS staff if you need help finding a place to get vaccinated.
If you are not already vaccinated, and cannot get vaccinated before you begin classes, you must attend classes online until you are vaccinated.
If you are eligible for a booster shot, we strongly encourage you to get one.
- Please contact ALPS staff if you need help finding a place to schedule your booster shot.
If it is not possible for you to get vaccinated before you begin classes:
- Begin the vaccination process. Vaccines are widely available in Seattle. Please contact ALPS staff if you need help finding a place to get vaccinated.
- If you are not vaccinated, and you wish to claim a religious or medical exemption, please talk to ALPS staff. You will need to complete paperwork to apply for an exemption. For a medical exemption, you will also need a doctor to fill out an exemption form. For a religious exemption, you will also need a religious leader to fill out an exemption form. Applying for a medical or religious exemption does not guarantee that the exemption will be approved.
- You will not be able to attend in-person classes until you are vaccinated. If you can’t attend a required in-person component of your classes due to non-compliance with the vaccination requirement, you may be due a tuition refund according to the terms of the ALPS cancellation and refund policy. If you have an F-1 visa, you will need to take IMMEDIATE action such as transferring to a new school in order to remain in the USA.
Available Classes
ALPS is open, and all of our part-time and full-time course options are available.
Depending on your visa type, you can choose to attend in person at our school or online via Zoom. However, most students with F-1 visas must study in person.
Bimodal Classes - In Person or Online
Many ALPS classes will be bimodal (hybrid) style during the pandemic. That means that some students will attend face-to-face and some students will attend online. This will allow non-F-1 students who feel more comfortable staying home to continue studying online.
Bimodal / online classes at ALPS are all live (synchronous) and feature the same interactive ALPS teaching style, with lots of speaking practice and opportunities for feedback.
The total number of students in each group class, combining online and in-person students, is still 8 students maximum.
Live (Synchronous) Online Classes
Any eligible student can choose to study 100% online, 100% in person, or partly online and partly in person. (With very few exceptions, students with F-1 visas cannot study online–contact us about your specific situation). For students who feel more comfortable studying from home, we will continue to offer online classes through the end of the pandemic. All online classes are live (synchronous) and feature the same interactive ALPS teaching style, with lots of speaking practice and opportunities for feedback.
F-1 Transfers and Initial I-20s
We can accept both transfer F-1 students and initial F-1 students applying from overseas. We process applications quickly and you usually receive your I-20 on the same day that your application is complete.
If you apply to ALPS as an initial F-1 student from outside the United States, you must study in person. You cannot enter the US on an F-1 visa to take online classes at ALPS.
Safety Precautions
We want to have as safe an environment for our students and staff as possible given the circumstances.
If you would like to know more about the additional safety precautions that we are taking, please contact us!
Last updated: May 24, 2023
