Hello, ujeanybear!
As far as the differences with the payment plans go, paying in full if you can is the best value - $999! If you need to space out the payments, you can do the Auto-Pay system and pay $1299. Or, you can choose the Standard Pay system and pay a total of $1499.
We don't think that education is a waste of money, and neither do you! So you can cancel at any time, but you will generally not be able to receive a full refund if you cancel more than five calendar days after enrollment. Refunds and billing are handled on a pro-rated basis. Like LynW said, give us a call at 1.888.427.1000, and we will make sure you get everything that you need!
Thank you!
Source: I am a Penn Foster Student Advocate.