MU has come really close to screwing me a couple times in the same ways that others have described, both times related to Hong Kong flights, which I probably won't ever use them for again. However seeing as how they more or less run the monopoly on inter-Yunnan flights I do still use them for those, which oddly always seem to operate without any real problems compared to the longer flights.

Check the listings here: www.gokunming.com/en/listings/itemlist/kunming/tibetan/

Just worked it all out. Will manage to arrive back in Kunming mid May and get in two weeks of classes plus another four in June and fulfill the six week requirement of the grant without having to worry about whether or not Yunda will provide 1-1 instruction over the summer. Plus this gives me much more time to be doing my own thing and working on research once I'm done with Putonghua classes in June. They just confirmed receipt of my application paperwork, said all is in order, and I'm good to go! Don't even have to do anything with visas or residence permits since I already have a 90 day F and short term studies less than six months are allowed on an F. Yunda even just confirmed this for me in writing.

I think in the end folks in this thread are completely right, they may advertise summer self directed coursework with 1-1 instructors but judging from how much of a pain it was to get them to commit to this I would not recommend that anyone try or rely on it. In my case I was still able to make things work but maybe this experience can at least be use to someone else here in the future. Summer Chinese classes at Yunda just ain't gonna happen even if they say they offer them.

For sure it would make my life really easy to just take lessons at KCEL or Keats and I've thought of that, but my grant was explicitly approved on the condition that I would be enrolling at Yunda and I'll need to show proof of course completion in September when I get back to the states. I think for June it will be fine since Yunda will still be in session and they already told me I could enroll then. I only need six weeks/120 hours of instruction, so at this point I think I'll just end up really squeezing my schedule here in the states to get back to Kunming by mid-May or just offer Yunda enough extra money to find me a teacher for two weeks into July. If nothing else works, I'm sure throwing more money at them hopefully will.

I realize that there are a lot of threads and have looked through them, just looking for any additional info anyone can provide. Most of what people have written seems to be pretty mixed and hit or miss as far as 1-1 instruction being available over the summer.