Funeral Service – Online

Tuition and fees. Tuition will be determined according to the modality of enrollment (Online or On campus). The online tuition rate is $205 per quarter credit hour. If the general education courses are taken at CIFS, then the total tuition and fees will be $20,190. This total includes a $50 application fee due with application, a $50 graduation fee due 30 days prior to graduation, and $20,090 tuition (98 quarter credit hours multiplied by $205).

If you transfer your general education. If all general education courses are transferred to CIFS, then the total tuition and fees will be $14,655. This total includes the $50 application fee, the $50 graduation fee, and $14,555 tuition (71 quarter credit hours multiplied by $205).

Books are included. All required textbooks are included in the cost of tuition. All students who pay tuition are entitled to one set of textbooks as required by classes. Online student books will be mailed to the address on file no earlier than two weeks prior to the start of the quarter, via UPS/Signature Required. Online general education courses use ebooks.

Payment plans. Tuition for online students is due two weeks prior to the start of the quarter to ensure timely delivery of books. CIFS offers quarterly and monthly payment plans to assist students in financing their education. The default plan is to pay tuition on a quarterly basis – for each academic term. For students who choose to enroll in the monthly payment plan, payments are expected to arrive the first day of each month; for online students, the first monthly payment is due 2 weeks prior to the start of each quarter. Students in the final quarter of enrollment will only be allowed to split their tuition into two monthly payments. CIFS accepts credit cards, debit cards, cash, money orders, cashier’s checks, and personal checks. Commonwealth Institute does not charge out of state tuition.

Travel for your campus labs. Online students are responsible for all costs associated with travel, transportation, lodging, food, etc. for their time on the CIFS campus.

Other charges. If the monthly tuition is paid after the 5th day of the month, then a $15.00 late fee will be added to the account balance of the current month. There is a $50.00 Non-Sufficient Funds (NSF) fee for any returned check. Termination of enrollment, for any reason, will incur a $100 administrative fee. Licensure examinations are governed by entities other than CIFS: the National Board Examination is $570.00 ($285.00 per section), payable to the ICFSEB, and the Texas Mortuary Law Examination is $89.00, payable to the TFSC. A CIFS Challenge Examination is $250.00, payable to CIFS.

Federal financial aid. Commonwealth Institute of Funeral Service participates in the Title IV Federal Student Financial Aid Program. Financial aid programs available to students are the Federal Pell Grant, a need-based federal grant; the Direct Subsidized Loan, a need-based federal loan whose interest is deferred while in school and during a 6-month grace period; the Direct Unsubsidized Loan; and the Direct Parent PLUS Loan, a credit-based loan available to qualifying parents of dependent students. To be eligible, a student must be enrolled and accepted in the Associate of Applied Science Degree in Funeral Service and enrolled at least ½ time.

How to apply for aid. The applicant must have been accepted to CIFS before any financial aid is processed. Complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) at studentaid.gov and use CIFS school code 003556 to have the application routed to the school, at least two (2) months prior to your scheduled enrollment date. All financial aid documentation and a signed and dated CIFS Award Letter must be completed two weeks prior to the first day of class. The college publishes a Net Price Calculator at https://commonwealth.edu/financial-aid-net-price-calculator/.

Veterans and rehabilitation benefits. Commonwealth Institute of Funeral Service is approved by the Texas Veterans Commission for VA educational benefits. Veterans requesting educational benefits work with the Registrar, and the applicant should have all paperwork completed and accepted by the school two months prior to enrollment. Chapter 33 is paid directly to the school. VA Rehabilitation vouchers must be submitted to the Registrar’s Office 60 days prior to enrollment, and Texas Rehabilitation Commission (TRC) vouchers approved and presented 45 days prior to enrollment.

Scholarships. The college lists the R.L. Waltrip Scholarship, Dr. George Poston Memorial Scholarship, Houston Funeral Directors and Morticians Association Scholarship, Houston Metropolitan Funeral Directors Association Scholarship, Southeast Texas Funeral Directors Association Scholarship, Texas Sales Club Scholarship, 100 Black Women of Funeral Service Scholarship, Texas Funeral Directors Association Scholarship, American Board of Funeral Service Education Scholarship, International Conference of Funeral Service Examining Boards NBE Scholarship, various state association scholarships, Select Educational Trust Second Career Scholarship, SCI Mortuary Science Scholarship and NorthStar Memorial Group Scholarship.

Cancellation and refunds. A full refund will be made to any student who cancels their enrollment within 72 hours of the first day of the academic term for which the enrollment agreement has been signed. After the first 72 hours, the school may retain not more than $100 in any administrative fees charged. A student may not collect a refund if the student has completed 75 percent or more of the total number of hours in the portion of the program for which the student has been charged on the effective date of termination.

Where graduates work. Graduates of this program may find entry-level employment as an apprentice/intern/provisional licensee with funeral homes, embalming services, cemeteries, and affiliated funeral service companies. Individuals seeking these credentials must also meet the requirements of the appropriate state licensing agencies.

Published program outcomes. The college publishes its program information on its Accreditation & Approvals page. For 2025: 562 students enrolled, 166 graduated (161 of the 166 within 1½ times the designated program length), a cohort graduation rate of 83%, 93% employed overall and 67% employed in funeral service. For 2024 the graduation rate was 79%, with 86% employed and 67% in funeral service; for 2023, 82%, with 95% employed and 70% in funeral service.

National Board pass rates. In 2025 CIFS students passed the National Board Examination Arts section at 83% (national 78%) and the Sciences section at 70% (national 71%); in 2024, 83% (78%) and 72% (73%); in 2023, 75% (78%) and 70% (69%). National Board Examination pass rates, graduation rates, and employment rates for this and other ABFSE-accredited programs are available at www.abfse.org in the Directory of Accredited Programs.

Distance education graduates. The college’s most recent distance education figures, for 2025, report 136 DE graduates, an NBE Arts pass rate of 89%, an NBE Sciences pass rate of 70%, a graduation rate of 88% and 72% employed in funeral service.

Becoming licensed. Students completing the Associate of Applied Science Degree must take both sections of the NBE as a requirement for dual licensure in Texas (and many other states). At present, the computer-based NBE consists of two sections (embalming sciences and funeral directing arts) containing 170 questions each, administered by appointment at Pearson VUE testing sites. Students must be certified by Commonwealth Institute in order to sit for the NBE, which requires a score of 80% or higher on EACH section of the CIFS Certification Exam.

Licensure in Texas. Texas requires applicants for licensure to be at least 18 years of age, hold a high school diploma or GED certificate, pass a criminal background check, graduate from an accredited mortuary college, score a minimum scaled score of 75% on each section of an approved licensing examination, score a minimum of 75% on the Texas Mortuary Law Examination, and complete a period of provisional licensure for a maximum of 24 consecutive months in which the provisional licensee must perform 45 cases under the direct supervision of an approved funeral director and/or embalmer.

Other states. The college’s state disclosure lists the AAS Degree as fulfilling state educational requirements for licensure, certification, and/or eligibility for licensure examinations in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, with caveats in some: Colorado (licensure requirement begins in 2027), Hawaii (embalmer only), Minnesota and Ohio (+ bachelors degree), and Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming (+ additional college). There are no uniform licensing laws governing funeral service in the United States; each state sets its own requirements, and it is the responsibility of the student to ensure that licensure requirements have been met.

Career services. The Commonwealth Institute Career Center maintains a database of prospective employers concerning job positions for current students and graduates, for both full and part-time employment. The Career Center also provides resume building/critique, interview help, and assistance with LinkedIn profiles. Current job openings are posted on the school website under the Alumni section, and employers are invited to attend Career Fairs, held at CIFS each year, where they can recruit prospective employees and conduct interviews. CIFS does not guarantee employment to any student or graduate, as this is a decision which must always be made between employer and prospective employee.

Outlook. The college’s Job & Career Info page states that overall employment of funeral service workers is projected to grow 4 percent from 2020 to 2030, slower than the average for all occupations, and that about 4,000 openings for funeral service workers are projected each year, on average, over the decade.

Learning online. All quizzes and exams will be delivered through the school’s Learning Management System (LMS) - Canvas. To ensure exam security and academic honesty, a third-party remote proctoring service is utilized. This involves the use of a webcam, microphone, and high-speed/reliable internet. However, CIFS reserves the right to require that exams be administered in a proctored setting.

Remote proctoring. Every student should be aware that they are being video and audio recorded during each examination and those recordings are evaluated to ensure exam integrity and academic honesty. Students will be asked to verify their identity via a valid photo I.D. (for each online assessment), and they will be required to scan the room and work area. Browser extensions and/or software downloads may be required on the student’s computer to enable remote proctoring, which may negate the usage of public or workplace computers.

Online attendance. In an online environment, “attendance” is more than just logging into a course. Online attendance is measured by students’ academic engagement with the course content, course tools, course instructor, and with other students in the course. During the first week of class, all online students are expected to log in to their courses, view each course syllabus and pertinent messages, and become familiar with course layouts, schedules, and due dates. An online student may be terminated if they have more than two consecutive assignments missing in a single online course and/or they have missed all scheduled assignments for a single week in all of their enrolled courses combined.

Your books arrive by mail. Online student books will be mailed to the address on file no earlier than two weeks prior to the start of the quarter, sent via UPS/Signature Required. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure a current mailing address is on file. Online general education courses use ebooks.

A library from a distance. Distance learners may participate in the Books-By-Mail program by using an item’s “Hold” function in the online library catalog. Information about the library’s collection, including links to full-text materials, is available 24/7/365 at library.commonwealth.edu, and membership in the Library and Information Resources Network (LIRN) adds full-text electronic journals, newspaper, and bibliographic databases.

Coming to campus. Online degree students choose one of two paths for their labs and externships:

• Path A, for those who DO NOT work in funeral service or cannot complete the requirements at their place of employment: you will come to the CIFS campus for all 3 lab/externship requirements and be on campus for a full week (Monday – Friday).
• Path B, for those who DO work in funeral service: you complete 5 first calls, 5 arrangement conferences and AT LEAST 9 embalming cases at your funeral home under a designated preceptor, after a site inspection and preceptor training, and your employer completes the CIFS affiliation agreement; you then spend 2 days on campus for 1 embalming case and the restorative art lab hours.

Online students receive a visitor card during their campus labs, and are responsible for all costs associated with travel, transportation, lodging, food, etc.

Grades and progress. All courses require a minimum passing grade of “C” or 70% in order to progress to the next academic term. Due to the timely nature of our profession and the duration of instruction, CIFS does not allow any make-up examinations or assignments. CIFS requires students to earn a 2.0 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) to graduate, and a student has up to three attempts to successfully complete and pass all courses.

A national student body. One of CIFS’s distinct assets is the diversity of its student population. Students, campus and online, come from all over the United States, and this results in constant faculty and student exposure to various perspectives, cultures, and practices. The opportunity also exists to make valued friends and future professional contacts nationwide.