Resources to help prospective students understand logistics and expectations, and estimate the expenses involved in attending RBS courses.
RBS attracts a diverse student body that includes academics, antiquarian booksellers, book collectors, bookbinders, conservators, curators, rare book librarians, teachers, and professional and avocational students of the history of books and printing. Some courses are primarily intended for particular constituencies (for example, professional rare book catalogers, or private collectors). While the average RBS student is a mid-career professional, in recent years attendees have increasingly included graduate students as well as exceptionally talented high school and undergraduate students.
For most courses, a genuine interest and commitment to the subject is sufficient; however, some advanced courses require additional experience. Consult individual course descriptions for more information.
Course Costs
We work hard to keep our courses accessible. These amounts represent only about 45% of the actual cost per student of running the School. If it were not for the generosity of the University of Virginia (which provides free space, the salary of certain full-time staff, and many other benefits) and the Friends of RBS, RBS could not exist either in its present form or at its present level of excellence. Tuition rates do not include preliminary course materials or travel and housing expenses (see below for more information about these costs).
Some full-tuition scholarships are available for Rare Book School courses. Scholarships and fellowships may be used to cover the cost of a single in-person course, one 22-hour online course, or two 12-hour online courses, or three 6-hour courses, or two 6-hour and one 12-hour courses taken within a single year.
In-Person Course Fees
$1,495
For certain courses with field trips or lab expenses, tuition is $1,595. Rates are noted on the individual course description pages. For shorter courses, fees will vary. See the course description page for tuition details.
Online Course Fees
- 22-hour online courses: $1,100
- 12-hour online courses: $900
- 6-hour online courses: $600
Additional Expenses
Students are responsible for paying for their own travel and accommodation when attending in-person courses.
Rare Book School provides a light breakfast (at most locations) and coffee breaks throughout the day for in-person attendees, but students are responsible for their own meals during the week.
In addition, most RBS courses have advance reading lists or other assignments that instructors require students to work on before they arrive for class. We know that it’s not always easy to get the books and articles assigned by RBS instructors. If you are having trouble locating books, you may be able to borrow books through inter-library loan. There are a number of American used/antiquarian booksellers specializing in books on books and other subjects relevant to RBS courses. The books listed may be found through umbrella sites like BookFinder.com and viaLibri.net, or on individual sites like AbeBooks.com, Alibris.com, or Biblio.com at discount prices.
In-Person Course Expectations
RBS attendees enroll for a single course in any given session/week. That is, students cannot take multiple courses during the same session, nor do they usually attempt to take back-to-back courses over a two-week period.
Students generally arrive on either a Saturday or Sunday in time for dormitory or hotel check-in, and for the 5:00 p.m. registration on Sunday. Classes begin on Monday morning.
All students must make a full-time commitment to any course they attend, including the online courses. For in-person courses, this generally means 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, though start and end times may vary slightly for courses not held in Charlottesville. Most generally stay in residence through Saturday morning, partly to avoid the annoyances of Friday evening travel, but also to enjoy a final meal with friends, old and new.
Online Course Expectations
RBS attendees may enroll in courses that do not overlap.
Online courses will be held synchronously and are anticipated to run between the hours of 11:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday. The application process for online courses will be the same as for our in-person courses, and will thus be competitive.
Refund/Cancellation Policy
Your $250 deposit is non-refundable. The remaining part of your tuition is refundable so long as you let us know at least thirty days before the start date of the course. If your course is cancelled by RBS, your tuition, including the deposit, will be fully refunded.