Tuition
The cost of tuition for our Relational Bodywork Program is outlined in the table below. Applying early is advised. We also have work trade, scholarships, special promotions, and payment plans available (see below on this page).
Tuition costs do not cover housing, food, transportation, books, clinic fee, or supplies. Each student should purchase a copy of Andrew Biel’s Trail Guide to the Body, 6th ed, either directly from the Books of Discovery website or from us for ~$70 upon arrival. The program includes free student massage insurance. In the latter portion of the program, students have the opportunity to hone their skills as a professional by finding their own clients and working with them in a supervised clinic setting. The student financial responsibility for the clinic is normally paid by the clients, so it cancels itself out as an expense.
Summary of Required Post-registration Costs
| Item | 2024 |
| Tuition | 13913 |
| Hawai’i tax (4.7%) | 654 |
| Books (approx price) | 75 |
| Healthcare Provider CPR/First Aid fee | 135 |
| Student insurance (AMTA) | 0 |
| Clinic fee ($925) Paid for by clinic clients. |
0 |
| Total | 14777 |
*Application fee=50, Registration fee=100.
Other Likely Costs
Students will also need to acquire their own massage tables (for practicing on clients outside of class), sheets, towels, oils/lotions/butters, pillows, and whatever s/he wants for taking notes in class. Quality used Pisces aluminum massage tables may also be available for purchase at school in the first month of school for around $550. We receive a school discount on tables, but some students find tables through Craigslist or other means.
| Massage Table | 200-700 |
| Bodywork from Instructors (outside of class) | 50-500 |
| Supplies (sheets, classroom & client pillows, lubricants, notebooks, copies) | 50-100 |
Making Payments
Application and Registration fees are paid via credit card during the online application process. The subsequent tuition costs can be paid here on our website or via check, money order, or Apple Pay. (Please note: Any payment returned for any reason will be charged a $25 fee.)
Financial Support
Financial Aid
PCAB does NOT participate in any Title IV federal programs that allow for the receipt of federal financial aid.
BIPOC Scholarships
In recognition of the profound white privilege in the USA as well as the disproportionate whiteness of the massage profession, and in an effort to promote greater inclusivity in our program and in the massage profession, we offer two (2) $2500 scholarships for BIPOC individuals, with priority given to individuals of Hawaiian descent. Recipients are selected during September.
Special Promotions
For the 2024 program we are offering two promotions. Promotions can be combined with one another and with other scholarships or work-trade options.
- Pay1000/Save1000 Promotion
Between July 10 and August 31, the first 6 individuals who register for the 2024 course will receive a $1000 scholarship to be applied to their tuition balance. *To qualify, applicants must complete the online application and pay the nonrefundable application and registration fees prior to August 31, 2023, and must pay a $1000 nonrefundable tuition downpayment by Sept 10, 2023.
- Refer-a-Friend Promotion
Individuals who enroll in the course and refer others (“friends”) about the program who also enroll in the same course are provided 10% off of the base tuition cost. The “friend” who enrolls is provided with 5% off of the base tuition cost and must be someone who has not contacted PCAB prior to the referrer doing so. Both individuals must attend through April and pay for two-thirds of the tuition in order for the discount to be applied. See the Referral Agreement, which spells out commonsense rules for this promotion.
Work-trade
- PCAB offers “Space Crew” positions as a partial work-trade that takes some portion (approx $750) off of tuition. Individuals are responsible for setting up the space (moving rugs and equipment, etc) at the beginning of class as well as tearing down and cleaning up at the end of class (approx 15 min before and after class each day). Each person selected for that position must have a reliable vehicle. We may (COVID-willing) also have a Kitchen position, which involves tidying up the kitchen area for 10 minutes at lunch and 20 minutes after class. The work-trade positions will likely be decided during the Fall.
- We may also be offering a work-trade Research position, which involves reading scientific research articles on bodywork, meditation, and somatic psychology and summarizing that research for this website and social media. Inquire if interested.
Pay Later with a Payment Plan
Pay for your tuition over time with a low or 0% interest Payment Plan. This option allows you to make fixed payments until your tuition is paid. Take the opportunity to begin learning without having to pay the full tuition upfront! Learn more and apply below.
We offer a PAY LATER option through Klarna and Afterpay that works similar to a car loan, allowing you to pay up to $10,000 across 24 months with Klarna (and $2000 over a few months with Afterpay) so you can graduate and become licensed even if you don’t have the money now. With this option, you can attend PCAB even if you had little to no savings prior to when tuition is due. When combined with other options, anyone could have almost all of their tuition covered up front.
MiaShare offers 0% interest payment plans that are available to ALL students, regardless of financial status. You can select from pre-set plans or design your own plan by selecting your deposit amount and how long you’d like to spread out the payments (up to 24 months). There’s no extra fees. No catch. It’s as amazing as it sounds. We want our program to be accessible to anyone who is passionate about attending, so we are proud to be able to offer this option as of Aug 31, 2023.
Note that PCAB may withhold graduation transcripts until payments are made in full, so payment plans of 6 months or less are best for those who want to become licensed as soon as possible.
Personal Loans
Most students acquire their massage license from their state about 3 months after our program is completed. With that license, one can recover one’s tuition cost in well under a year with very little time spent (e.g. seven $75 sessions per week for six months=$13.7K). This means that a personal loan for the program could be paid back quickly (e.g. if you got a $10K loan at 3% interest, and you paid it back in one year, you’d be paying the financial institution only $300 to attend our program). For some, it’s far easier to pay tuition this way because the massage license gives them the opportunity to generate income at a much higher hourly rate than what they did before, while also providing lots of time to hold additional jobs if one wants. Check with your bank or credit union about loan opportunities.
Foreign Students
We accept students from any country, but because we are not a SEVP-certified school, we cannot issue an I-20 Form, which is necessary for individuals from most foreign countries to spend more than 90 days in the US. To our knowledge, Canadian citizens can spend up to 6 months in the US without the I-20 form.