Enrollment Process

Students may register for a course in one of three ways:

(1) Go to IPAIONLINE.COM and click on the green “Course Schedule” tab to the left. Use the drop down boxes at the top to search for your desired course. Search by Location, Course Category and/or Course Level. Add your desired course(s) to your shopping cart, provide the required information, click submit. Clicking “Submit Form” does not guarantee a spot in the class. You will receive a confirmation via e-mail confirming your enrollment. Visiting the web-site allows you to view a variety of useful information, including: how many seats are remaining in a course and who will be instructing the course. The web-site allows enrollees to pay for their course via Master Card or Visa or have an invoice sent.

(2) Complete the registration form in the back of this catalog and fax it to the IPAI office. Faxing the form does not guarantee a spot in the class. You will receive a confirmation letter via mail confirming your enrollment.   

(3) Complete the registration form in the back of this catalog and mail it to the IPAI office. Sending the form does not guarantee a spot in the class. You will receive a confirmation letter via mail confirming your enrollment.

No registrations are accepted over the phone. Registration forms are processed on a first-come, first-served basis. All registration forms must be received by the registration deadline listed for each conference or satellite.

Attending a Class

Registration at facility – Registration at all conference locations will be on Monday morning from 7:30 a.m. – 8:30 a.m. and Wednesday morning from 7:30 a.m. – 8:30 a.m. There is a special Sunday registration at the Spring Conference. Registration for satellite locations will be in the classroom from 8:00 a.m. – 8:30 a.m.

What to bring to class - Certain courses require materials that must be brought to class. Students should check their confirmation letter for details on specific course requirements. Each student should bring a calculator and a writing utensil. Temperatures may vary in classrooms, so a light jacket or sweater is recommended. If you have any questions concerning specific course requirements, please call the IPAI office.

Course manuals – Course manuals will be available at registration. IPAI does not mail course materials prior to class. (Note: Students with learning and/or physical disabilities should contact the IPAI Executive Director to discuss potential alternatives.)

Parking - Certain conference locations may not have free parking; be prepared to pay to park.

Class schedule - All courses begin at 8:30 a.m. and conclude at 4:30 p.m., unless otherwise noted. Students will receive at least an hour for lunch.  Courses listed as 2-1/2 days will consist of 2 days of class with the examination on the morning of the 3rd day.  Courses listed as 4-1/2 days will consist of 4 days of class with the examination on the morning of the 5th day. Examinations will conclude by 12:00 noon.

Overnight accommodations – It is the responsibility of the student to make their own overnight accommodations. At most locations, IPAI will reserve a group block and negotiate a special rate. See the individual conference information for specific overnight accommodation information. Students should make reservations as soon as possible to be eligible for the special rate. Due to limitations with the number of group block rooms and rates, IPAI cannot guarantee that students will receive a room and/or a special rate at the conference hotel.

Lunch - Lunch is not provided at IPAI courses so money for lunch is necessary.

Students with disabilities – All facilities used by IPAI for courses are accessible for students with disabilities. Students with special needs should contact the IPAI Executive Director to make the necessary arrangements.

Inclement weather – IPAI courses will be cancelled only in the event of very extreme conditions. If very extreme conditions exist, you may call the IPAI office to determine if your course has been cancelled. If you are calling after normal business hours, the recording will state if any class has been cancelled.

Academic Policies

Determining if you will get credit for a course - If you are enrolling in a course for continuing education credit, it is your responsibility to determine if you are eligible to receive credit. IPAI does not confirm your eligibility for Department of Revenue or Illinois Department of Financial & Professional Regulation (appraisal) credit. Assessment officials seeking continuing education maintenance hours for the annual Illinois Department of Revenue stipend or to become eligible for election should review their official Illinois Department of Revenue transcript and the course descriptions to determine their eligibility. Since course titles have changed over the years, it is important for students to review course numbers, not course titles. The course numbers never change. Students enrolling in a course for Illinois Department of Financial & Professional Regulation continuing education credit should make sure that they have not previously taken the course.

Stipend information - If you have any questions concerning the requirements or administration of the stipend, please contact the Illinois Department of Revenue.

Pre-election qualifications - Pre-election requirements for assessing officials vary depending on the particular position and the equalized assessed value of the jurisdiction. Individuals who have questions concerning the requirements in their jurisdiction should contact the Illinois Department of Revenue for clarification.

Cancellation penalty - Students who cancel:

• More than 14 days from the starting date of the course will receive a full refund less cancellation fee
• More than 7 days from the starting date of the course will receive a full refund less $50.00 and cancellation fee
• Less than 7 days from the starting date of the course will receive a 50% refund less cancellation fee
• No shows forfeit all fees
• No credit balances will be kept.

Cancellation/Transfer Policy – Students transferring from one class to another or cancelling may do so by completing a Cancellation/Transfer Form or by e-mailing the IPAI office at ipairegistrar@aol.com. Students will be assessed a $25.00 cancellation/transfer fee in addition to any penalty.

Cancellation of a course – All courses have minimum enrollments. If a course does not have enough students, or needs to be cancelled for any other reason, each student will be individually contacted as soon as a decision to cancel the course has been made. Payments will be transferred to another course or refunded. There will be no $25.00 transfer fee charged.

received. Payments will no longer be accepted at the class. All payments must be mailed to the IPAI office.

Introductory computer course restriction – Students may only receive credit for one “introductory” computer course during their career. Introductory courses are labeled as such in the course descriptions.

Receiving your grade - IPAI will make every effort to grade exams as quickly as possible. The grades will be recorded in your IPAI record and certificates will be mailed to you. IPAI does not give exam scores over the phone. Please do not call the IPAI office to request your results. For most courses, you can expect to receive your results within two weeks of the test date. For courses taken at the Spring Conference, please allow four weeks to receive your results.

Reporting results to state agencies – Successful completion of a class will automatically be reported to the Illinois Department of Revenue (IDOR) if payment has been received and if a student completed an IDOR PTAX-422 form during class. The PTAX-422 must be complete, including the Social Security number. Students that wish to have successful completion reported to the Illinois Department of Financial & Professional Regulation (appraisal) must provide their state license number on the “Appraisal Alert Form” during class. IPAI will not report successful completion to any other state unless a written request is submitted.

Re-taking an examination - If you fail to receive a minimum score (70%) on an exam, you will be notified by IPAI. If you wish, you may attempt to pass the exam again. Students must wait at least 7 days from the original test date and no longer than the end of the calendar year. The fee for re-taking the exam is $50.00. Students will be required to take the exam at one of the designated testing locations. Call the IPAI office to sign up for a testing time.

Seminar credit vs. exam credit - Several courses are presented as examination courses, as well as, seminar courses. For example, course #821, “The Income Approach: Assessing Real Property Investments” is an examination course. The course has also been approved as a seminar course and is course #829. The course is identical except for the examination. Students that have received credit for a course in the exam format will not be eligible to receive credit for the seminar format and vise versa. It is extremely important to read the course descriptions.