Question 1

Program

Accepted Answer

L E V E L SQalam offers three levels of Modern Standard Arabic {MSA} courses:
 
I. Beginner    : : Arabic 1–7
II. Intermediate    : : Intermediate Arabic 1–7
III. Upper Intermediate / Advanced    : : Intermediate Arabic 8–12    : : Introduction to Literature    : : Arabic News & Literature

T E R M S  &  C L A S S E SStudents progress through our curriculum in successive eight-week terms starting every other month except December. Terms may be longer due to holidays.For example: if you start a course in January, your next course will begin in March and the following course will begin in May.All classes meet online via Zoom. Lessons are not recorded {see our privacy policy below}.

Question 2

Holidays

Accepted Answer

Qalam will be closed on the following days in 2026:

February 27 – March 7
May 22–30
July 3–11
September 4–19
November 20–28
December 18 – January 2 {2027}

Question 3

Age requirement

Accepted Answer

All students must be at least 18 years of age on the day their course begins.
 
Qalam cannot accept children or underage applicants.​

Question 4

Class placement

Accepted Answer

Beginner students should register for Arabic 1 to learn the alphabet, common greetings and basic vocabulary.

If you can read Arabic and need help with placement, please contact us with information about your previous MSA* studies, such as when and where you learned the language and what textbooks you used.

Also tell us which course seems appropriate for you after viewing our curriculum.
 
*Qalam does not offer courses in Arabic dialects.

Question 5

Tuition & payment

Accepted Answer

All students must pay tuition in full before their course begins. Tuition cannot be prorated.

We accept only credit/debit card payments at this time.

NOTE: payments to Qalam might appear as "WIX", "Adyen" or "Alamo CA" in your account.

Students in Canada receive a tuition discount based on the US dollar exchange rate at the time of registration. Please contact us for more information.

Question 6

Refunds

Accepted Answer

You will receive a partial tuition refund if you submit a request to withdraw before the second class meeting begins.

If you paid...
$90 tuition, your refund will be $75
$180 tuition, your refund will be $150

Please contact us immediately if you have questions about a refund or payment {see above}.

Question 7

Auditing

Accepted Answer

Current students may audit* classes below their level for no extra fee. For example: Arabic 5 students are welcome to audit Arabic 4 classes.

*auditing = observing a class without participating

Question 8

Tutoring

Accepted Answer

Private instruction is available to current students for missed lessons and extra practice. Qalam does not offer private lessons in lieu of group classes.Fee for tutoring:$15 = half-hour session$30 = one-hour sessionTutoring fees are paid in advance via the "Extra" option under Register on each course description page.

Question 9

Privacy

Accepted Answer

Maintaining your privacy is very important to us.

R E C O R D I N G S

Qalam classes and lessons are not recorded. Students and visitors are not authorized to record Qalam classes and lessons using any audio, video or photographic device or application.

F I N A N C I A L   D E T A I L S
 
Qalam San Francisco does not share or sell our students' personal or financial information. We do not store or have access to credit/debit card details beyond identifying markers {such as card company, expiration date & last four digits} for the individual cardholder. Our payment processor complies with the highest standard of data security, as described here.

A N A L Y T I C S  &  C O O K I E S
 
Web-Stat is an analytics service that we use to monitor our website's traffic and visitors' general details. We rely on these statistics to maintain and improve our site, our class offerings, and our communications with students.
 
Cookies via Web-Stat allow us to view our visitors' device type and screen size, browser, OS, partial IP address, approximate location, referral type, and page visits in real time. All data is pseudonymized and Web-Stat will never use this data to identify individual visitors or match it with other information about an individual person, such as a name or street address.
 
Qalam does not support third-party cookies used by advertisers.
 
You can manage cookies by changing your browser settings.

Question 10

Credits

Accepted Answer

All photos {except Nasser's image} via Wix, Shutterstock and Unsplash.

Qalam | قلم

FAQ

Program

Holidays

Age requirement

Class placement

Tuition & payment

Refunds

Auditing

Tutoring

Privacy

Credits

FAQ

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Program

Holidays

Age requirement

Class placement

Tuition & payment

Refunds

Auditing

Tutoring

Privacy

Credits