PALP Cost, Registration & Family FAQ

Cost, Registration & Family FAQ

Know the Commitment Before You Register.

PALP runs October to June for students in 9th through 12th Grade. The 2026–27 cost is $250, and registration closes Sunday, October 11, 2026. Before you register, make sure your family understands the commitment.

The Quick Version
  • PALP costs $250 per student: a $50 nonrefundable registration fee plus a $200 program fee.
  • Miami Dolphins support covers 50% of tuition, which keeps the price at $250.
  • Register by Sunday, October 11, 2026. Payment plans are available, with full payment due by December 31, 2026.
  • PALP runs October to June. You attend at least 7 of 9 Core sessions, plus the required May and June sessions.
Register for PALP

Quick Answers

Question2026–27 Answer
Who can participate?Students in 9th through 12th Grade.
Is PALP competitive admission?No. You register for PALP; there is no competitive admission. This is different from the selective Junior Counselor in Training, Junior Counselor and PALS pathways.
Registration deadlineSunday, October 11, 2026.
First PALP CoreSunday, October 18, 2026.
Program yearOctober 2026–June 2027.
Standard program cost per student$250 total.
Payment breakdown$50 nonrefundable registration fee + $200 program fee.
Payment plansAvailable. Your full balance is due by Dec. 31, 2026.
FormatHybrid: in person in South Florida, with virtual options for students outside the area.
Does paying or registering guarantee completion?No. You complete PALP and earn recognition by meeting the published requirements.

What PALP Costs

$250 Total Family Payment

For the 2026–27 PALP year, your cost for one student is:

Registration Fee
$50
+
Program Fee
$200
=
Total Cost Per Student
$250
ChargeAmountImportant detail
Registration fee$50Nonrefundable; due when you register.
PALP program fee$200Covers the rest of the program cost per student.
TOTAL PROGRAM COST PER STUDENT$250This is your subsidized price, not the full cost of running PALP.

The $250 cost is per student. If two or more students from your household join, each pays $250. There is no sibling discount, because the price already reflects the 50% tuition scholarship from the Miami Dolphins.

Why the Family Price Is Lower Than the Full Tuition Cost

Miami Dolphins Support Helps Make PALP More Affordable.

With support from the Miami Dolphins, every participating student receives a scholarship covering 50% of PALP tuition, which lowers what your family pays.

That means $250 is a subsidized price, not the full cost of running an October to June program with curriculum, facilitation, student support, project coaching, leadership development, experiences and record-keeping.

The Miami Dolphins tuition support is the financial assistance currently available for PALP.

What Are You Paying For?

PALP is not a one-day workshop or a monthly club fee. Your PALP year includes:

✓ PALP Core leadership sessions.
✓ Real-world skill building matched to your grade.
✓ Your Community Impact Project, from planning through check-ins and your final defense.
✓ Leadership opportunities, including at least one documented leadership responsibility.
✓ Verified service tracking and your PALP Achievement Record.
✓ Access to the NVEEE Empowerment & Success Hub and its tools.

Payment Plans

You can pay in full when you register or choose a payment plan.

A PALP payment plan has 3 monthly payments. Your first payment is made when you register and includes the $50 registration fee plus a one-time $20 Paythen setup fee. Your full balance must be paid by December 31, 2026.

Junior Counselors have different payment options. See Cost & Payment on the Junior Counselor Pathway page.

Before You Register: Understand the Time Commitment

PALP Is October Through June, Not a Drop-In Program.

When you register, you are joining a school-year program with required work, deadlines and accountability.

Attend at least 7 of 9 Core sessions, plus the required May and June sessions. Attendance is only part of completion.

What You're Expected to Do

PALP is not a show-up-and-get-credit program.

PALP Core

Attend at least 7 of 9 main Core sessions and participate. The May and June sessions are still required.

Give Miami Day

Raise at least $100 and secure at least 3 different donors through your own outreach, unless a written hardship exception is approved.

Fall Campaign Activation

Complete at least 10 personal outreach contacts and at least 3 verified campaign actions that came from your outreach.

Designated experiences

Complete at least 5 designated NVEEE, partner or community events, or approved equivalents, beyond regular Core sessions. Give Miami Day fundraising does not count toward the five.

Holiday Party

If you are given a planning or event role, complete it. Attending without doing your role doesn't count.

Community Impact Project

Meet with your team weekly through April, complete all 6 check-ins from November to April, show your own contribution, complete revisions and take part in the May showcase and your individual defense.

Leadership

Complete at least 1 documented leadership responsibility beyond regular participation.

Recovery / revision

Complete any required corrections, redos or make-ups. Work sent back for correction stays incomplete until it is accepted.

June close

Attend the final June session or an approved equivalent, close out any missing evidence and receive final clearance.

Attendance Does Not Equal Completion

You can attend every meeting and still not complete PALP.

You complete PALP only when every requirement that applies to you is met or has an approved exception or equivalent.

Logging in, sitting in the room, attending most meetings, paying tuition, turning in unfinished work or being on a successful team does not replace your own missing requirements.

If a requirement isn't met by June, you don't receive the completion certificate.

What If You Miss Something?

Recovery Is Specific, Not "Do Extra Work to Make Up for It."

If you miss a requirement, NVEEE tells you exactly what is missing, what evidence is needed and any deadline to recover it.

A make-up or equivalent has to cover the requirement you missed. Unrelated extra work doesn't replace it.

Some live experiences can't be recreated. Major Junior Counselor in Training training steps have their own rules and may pause the pathway instead of allowing a routine make-up.

If your work is returned for correction, it stays incomplete until you resubmit it and it is accepted.

If you know you'll be stuck or absent, tell PALP before the deadline or session whenever you can. Communicating early is part of leadership.

What If You Live Outside South Florida?

Same Standard. Different Delivery.

PALP is designed to include students who participate virtually or from outside South Florida. Where you live doesn't lower the attendance, fundraising, project, leadership or contribution standards.

If you truly can't attend an in-person South Florida activity, NVEEE may approve a comparable alternative with similar time, responsibility, interaction and evidence.

An equivalent might be a live virtual partner experience, a local community, civic, career or service activity, a remote planning or communications role, a recruitment responsibility or another approved real-world experience.

A reflection worksheet alone, watching a livestream, an unrelated activity or an automatic waiver because you live elsewhere does not meet the standard. Ask for approval of a remote equivalent before the original event whenever possible.

PALP students working together during a leadership workshop
Families help students protect the time they've committed to PALP.

Parents & Guardians: You Are Partners in Follow-Through

PALP provides the structure, community, coaching and opportunities, but your student has to participate to benefit. You play an important role in helping your student protect the time they've committed and follow through from October to June.

Plan Ahead for the Year

Accept the calendar invite and check it before scheduling trips. Tell PALP about known absences early.

Stay Connected

You'll be added to the PALP family group chat and can communicate with the Program Director. These tools make dates, reminders, questions and updates easier to manage throughout the program.

Help Your Student Stay on Track Without Doing the Work for Them

Help your student track commitments and deadlines, without managing PALP for them.

The Community Only Works When Students Engage

NVEEE provides the community, instruction, opportunities, feedback and support. Your student brings the participation, effort, communication and follow-through. No one can complete leadership development for them.

Don't Wait Until the End of the Year

Requirements are tracked from October to June, so a last-minute request can't replace missed work or create a record that doesn't exist.

Equity Does Not Mean Lowering the Standard

Accommodations can change how your student participates, but not the expectation of real effort and engagement.

What Happens After You Register?

StepWhat happens
1. Complete registrationSubmit your registration information and the $50 nonrefundable registration fee.
2. Review the program commitmentYou and your family review the expectations, calendar, payment obligations and requirements.
3. Prepare for October 18The first PALP Core is Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026.
4. Begin as a PALP MemberYou start as a PALP Member. You can earn the Peace Ambassador title later by meeting the published standards.
5. Do the work between CoresComplete projects, missions, campaign and event responsibilities, Hub work, service and evidence between meetings.
6. Build toward completionUse check-ins, feedback, recovery and the May and June sessions to finish the year.

What If You Are Invited to the Junior Counselor Pathway?

Junior Counselor in Training is a selective add-on pathway. It is not included with standard PALP registration.

Junior Counselor in Training cost itemAmount / rule
Standard PALP$250 per student.
Junior Counselor Service and Training Retreat+$350 for selected Junior Counselors in Training; required training Feb. 9–15, 2027.
PALSPALS costs are additional and are handled separately once confirmed.
Combined payment planThe $250 PALP cost, $350 Junior Counselor Service and Training Retreat fee and any PALS costs can be combined into one payment plan, and Junior Counselors can start it at the same time as their PALP payments. When PALS is included, the plan may run through April 2027.

Junior Counselor in Training responsibilities are in addition to your regular PALP responsibilities. Being selected as a Junior Counselor in Training does not guarantee final Junior Counselor clearance or a PALS placement.

What Registration Does and Does Not Mean

Registration gives you…Registration does NOT automatically give you…
A place in PALP if you meet the registration requirements.The Peace Ambassador title.
Access to the PALP program and its resources.A completion certificate.
The chance to do real-world work, service, leadership and the Community Impact Project.A PALP award.
The chance to build a verified record of the work you actually complete.A recommendation letter.
Access to PALP leadership opportunities.A Student Leadership Team role, Leadership Fellow title, Junior Counselor in Training invitation or Junior Counselor title.

Family Decision Check

Before You Register, Can Your Family Say Yes to These?

✓ We understand PALP runs October through June.
✓ We understand the cost is $250 per student: a $50 nonrefundable registration fee plus a $200 program fee.
✓ We understand payment plans are available and the full balance is due by Dec. 31, 2026.
✓ We understand PALP includes work between meetings, not just attending Core sessions.
✓ We understand registering, paying and attending do not guarantee completion, titles, awards or recommendations.

If you can say yes, PALP gives that commitment somewhere meaningful to go.

Have Questions?

Every PALP question and answer now lives on one page, organized by topic.

What Parents Say

“Provides leadership, personal growth and community service opportunities that benefit the whole family!”
Parent of PALP and PALS students

★★★★★Rated 5 stars in more than 90 reviews on GreatNonprofits

Register for More Than Meetings.

PALP asks you to show up, do the work, lead, contribute, revise, build something meaningful and finish what you start.

Know the commitment now, not halfway through the year. If this is the growth you're looking for, registration for 2026–27 closes Sunday, October 11, 2026.