Payment Terms

1. Payment Processor

All payments are processed by Stripe, Inc., a third-party payment processor. YMAU does not collect or store your full credit card number, CVV, or other full payment card details – these are transmitted directly and securely to Stripe. Your payment is also subject to Stripe's Terms of Service and Stripe's Privacy Policy. YMAU is not responsible for the availability or performance of Stripe's systems.

2. Registration Fees

Conference registration fees are tiered by submission date:

• Early Bird: $60 (Deadline: November 15, 2026)
• Regular: $80 (Deadline: January 10, 2027)
• Late Registration: $100 (Deadline: February 1, 2027)

Fees are listed and charged in U.S. Dollars (USD). If your card is denominated in another currency, your bank or card issuer may apply currency conversion fees; YMAU is not responsible for these.

Registration fees cover participation in one assigned committee, meals during conference days, speaker sessions, the Networking Exhibition, a leadership workshop, and the Africa Night Soirée, as described in the Registration Guide. Fees do not cover travel, visa costs, or accommodation unless you are approved for financial aid covering those items.

Advisors/chaperones are not charged a registration fee but are responsible for their own travel and accommodation costs.

3. When You Are Charged

Payment is due at the time of registration submission, unless you are:

• Applying for financial aid (see Section 5), in which case payment is deferred pending your aid decision, or
• Registering as part of a school/organization delegation with a separate payment arrangement coordinated by your delegation leader

Your registration is not confirmed until payment is successfully processed (or your aid award is finalized). Final payments are due by February 1, 2027 at 11:59 pm EAT.

4. Refund and Cancellation Policy

All registration fees are non-refundable and non-transferable, except where required by law. This includes:

• Cancellations for any reason, including illness, visa denial, or change of plans
• No-shows
• Requests to transfer a registration to another individual

If YMAU cancels or substantially changes the conference (e.g., date, location) for reasons within our control, we will communicate refund or credit options at that time. We are not responsible for costs you incur independently of registration (e.g., flights, hotels booked outside of YMAU's financial aid program).

5. Financial Aid and Payment

If you are approved for financial aid, YMAU pays directly on your behalf for the aid components you receive (e.g., fee waiver, accommodation, transport, flight/visa stipend) rather than reimbursing you. Aid decisions are final and not subject to appeal. If your aid award does not cover the full registration fee, you are responsible for paying the remaining balance by the applicable deadline.

Financial aid is limited and competitive, and is available only to Africa-based applicants as described in our Registration Guide. Submitting financial aid documentation (transcripts, recommendation letters, short answers) does not guarantee an award.

If you are not accepted for financial aid, you must pay the registration fee to keep your registration position by the registration deadline of February 1, 2027.

6. Failed, Disputed, or Fraudulent Payments

• If your payment fails or is declined, your registration will not be confirmed until a successful payment is made.
• If you initiate a chargeback or payment dispute through your bank or card issuer without first contacting YMAU, we reserve the right to suspend or cancel your registration and deny future registrations.
• If we identify a fraudulent or unauthorized payment, we will cancel the associated registration and may report the activity as required by law.

If you believe you were charged in error, contact us at business@yalemodelau.org before filing a dispute with your bank – we're able to resolve most issues directly.

7. Security

Because payment card data is handled directly by Stripe, YMAU never has access to your full card number. Stripe maintains its own PCI-DSS compliant security standards. For more detail, see Stripe's security documentation.

8. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Payment Terms from time to time, including fee amounts and deadlines for future conference cycles. The version in effect at the time of your payment governs that transaction. Material changes will be reflected with an updated "Last Updated" date.

9. Contact Us

Billing and payment questions:

• programs@yalemodelau.org
• reg.recruitment@yalemodelau.org
• intl.recruitment@yalemodelau.org
• admin@yalemodelau.org