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, 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 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 Tentative |
| 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 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 feeds are paid via credit card during the online application process. The subsequent tuition costs can be paid here on our website or via check or money order. (Please note: any payment returned for any reason will be charged a $25 fee.) We also have a PayLater option.
Financial Support
Financial Aid: PCAB does NOT participate in any Title IV federal programs that allow for the receipt of federal financial aid.
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.
Scholarships: PCAB offers two sets of scholarships. We offer five (5) $1000 scholarships that are based solely on financial need. Anyone can apply for these scholarships. In addition, 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, with priority given to individuals of Hawaiian descent. Recipients for all scholarships are selected during the summer. Scholarships and work-trade positions can be combined.
NEW for the 2024 Program:
The first 12 individuals who register for the 2024 course will receive their choice of one of the following three awards*:
- A $500 scholarship to be applied to their tuition balance
+ Free 3 new sets of massage table sheets & fitted headrest covers
+ Free Trail Guide to the Body (6th edition) book - A Free new Pisces Pro aluminum table (with tilting headrest and professional carrying case)
+ Free 3 new sets of massage table sheets & fitted headrest covers - 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 May 31, 2023, and must pay a $1000 nonrefundable tuition downpayment by June 15, 2023.
Payment Plans: Students who cannot pay by the first week of class may select from one of our two payment plans that allow payments to be spread out over the course of the program into either two half-payments (Jan/March) or three third-payments (Jan/March/May) for an extra $50 or $200, respectively.
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.