Fees, Withdrawals, Transfers and Refunds for NSW Government Subsidised Courses
Principles and practices underlying this policy
- The College strives to assist its students to carefully choose and enrol in the course that is right for them. It is the student’s responsibility to choose their course carefully on the basis of information and/or advice provided by the College through various mediums – website, brochures, email, phone or in person.
- The College is a not-for-profit organisation committed to creating and providing affordable and inclusive learning opportunities. To be sustainable we require a minimum number of students in our face to face small group training courses. When a student elects to withdraw from a scheduled course it can lead to inconvenience or costs to fellow students, teachers and the College.
- The College is committed to the provision of quality training and to upholding the rights of our students with respect to our obligations as a Registered Training Organisation (RTO), our contractual requirements as a provider of government funded or subsidised accredited training, and consumer protection. On the rare occasions that a student seeks to withdraw from a government funded or subsidised course, seek a full or partial refund or credit of their enrolment fees the College will assist as per this policy.
- Students are responsible for providing complete and accurate information about their eligibility for subsidy and/or enrolment.
Fees for government funded and subsidised courses
- Fees will be applied as per the contractual requirements of government funding and on the basis of information provided by the Student at the time of enrolment.
- Under some contracts, such as Smart and Skilled, the relevant government funding body sets the course fee and also contributes to the cost of each course with the student paying the balance. The amount payable depends on the student’s eligibility and personal circumstances, the specific course being undertaken, and the listed course fees. For any given student the amount payable ranges from being fee-free ($0) to a modest co-payment of $240 and up to $5000 for higher level qualifications.
- In order that students are aware of the fees they may be required to pay, the College assists students to determine their eligibility and to estimate their course fees under subsidised training and to find the right course for them, including the mode and location of training.
- Course fees payable by a student may be reduced for units of competency already completed and recognised through formal Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) and Credit Transfer processes.
- The College will not accept more than $1500 in tuition fees in advance from any student.
- The College offers students the opportunity to pay their fees through a payment plan, subject to a minimum payment amount and the terms and conditions of the payment plan agreement.
- The College does not offer student loans or participate in the Commonwealth’s VET Student Loans (VSL) scheme.
- The College will notify students who have outstanding fees every 28 days. Bank charges or exclusion from tuition may apply to students who are behind on payment of fees.
- Testamurs, Certificates and/or Statements of Attainment will not be released to students that have outstanding fees.
- The College may levy a fee for incidental expenses such as specific resources (eg published text books) excursions and training resources (eg kits, tools) that are not consumed during training and become the physical property of the student after they complete or withdraw from a course.
Withdrawals, refunds and deferment of enrolment from government subsidised courses
- Different criteria apply and the amount refunded will vary when a student elects to withdraw from a government subsidised course before or after course commencement. This is known as withdrawal with or without penalty.
- In the event that the College cancels a course prior to commencement students will be contacted about their availability and interest in transferring enrolment and related fees to a future Course enrolment, or a refund.
- Students considering withdrawing from the course they are enrolled in at any time should first make enquiries by phone, in person or via the website.
- A decision to withdraw must be submitted in writing using the Request for Withdrawal Form available via the Contact Us page.
- Depending on the timing of the Request for Withdrawal and the specific circumstances this will then lead to a Deferment of Enrolment or a Request for Refund.
- Deferment of Enrolment to a later course will be followed up and actioned through discussion with senior training staff and all fees paid in advance will be carried over to the later course, with no administration fee.
- Withdrawals with no deferment to a later course may be eligible for a refund. All requests must be made on the Request for Refund Form available via the Contact Us page.
- If approved, refunds will be paid within 10 working days of the date the Request for Refund form is received.
- All refunds will be paid to the person or organisation that originally paid the fees.
- Students should note that changes to work commitments or personal circumstances outside of the following conditions will not be considered as grounds for a refund or deferment of enrolment.
Requests for withdrawal or deferred enrolment made BEFORE commencement
Withdrawal WITHOUT penalty
Request for withdrawal or deferred enrolment more than 5 days prior to course commencement:
Deferred enrolment: Subject to advance notice (> 5 days prior to commencement of the course) students may elect to transfer their enrolment and fees paid in advance to an alternative course, with no penalty or admin fee applied.
Deferred enrolments will be limited to courses scheduled no more than 6 months after the date the request is made. Payment already received will be transferred to that future enrolment. This can be done by contacting customer service on 1300 845 888 or via the website.
Students may only defer their enrolment once without penalty. An administration fee of $33 incl GST will be applied to a second withdrawal being processed.
Refunds: Subject to advance notice (> 5 days) students may seek a refund by completing a Withdrawal Form and submitting a Request for Refund Form. The College will refund the student fees paid, within 10 working days and with no administration fee applicable.
Withdrawal WITH penalty
Request for withdrawal or deferred enrolment less than 5 days prior to course commencement:
Where a student elects to withdraw from a course with less than 5 days’ notice the student is withdrawing with penalty.
The College will first seek to assist a student to defer their enrolment to a later course. A $33 incl GST administration fee applies.
In the event that the student is unable to defer the College will give consideration (depending on the circumstances) to refunding student fees paid in advance.
Other than in cases of extreme hardship no refunds are available less than 5 days prior to course commencement.
The refund amount will be at the discretion of the College and will be subject to an administration fee of $33 incl GST.
Withdrawals, refunds or deferred enrolments AFTER commencement
The College is not obliged to issue refunds to students who have commenced their course and choose to withdraw from their studies with the College. Exceptions to this may include overpayments, disruption to course delivery, substantive quality issues, and exceptional hardship.
Overpayments
If a student has overpaid their fee payable, due to error or change in eligibility, the College will refund the amount overpaid within 10 working days, and with no administration fee applied.
Disruption to course delivery after commencement
In the unlikely event that the College is unable to deliver your course in full:
- You have the right to choose whether you would prefer a refund of relevant (pro-rata) tuition fees, defer enrolment to a later course at the College or transfer to another provider.
- Deferred enrolment: The College will first seek to assist a student to defer their enrolment to a later course. No administration fee applies.
- Refund: The refund amount will be for the undelivered part of your course. The refund will be paid to you within 10 working days of the date on which the course ceased being provided.
Substantive quality issues
The College policy is that we will provide a quality learning experience and that all assessment, if applicable, will be in line with national standards.
If a student believes that the course has not been a quality learning experience then redress and/or refund may be sought.
Circumstances may include if the course delivered does not match what was promised in the course description, the quality of teaching, venue or equipment is not up to a reasonable standard and (in VET accredited courses) a complaint regarding unfair assessment and/or unfair treatment is substantiated.
Students seeking a refund on the basis of a substantive quality issue should refer to our Complaints Policy and complete a Complaints Form in the first instance prior to lodging a Request for Refund or an Academic Appeal.
The Complaint matter will be reviewed by a staff member who may seek further information including the opinion of the tutor, an independent subject expert, and a survey of opinions of other class members. Depending on the resolution of the complaint, if the complaint is substantiated the College may issue a full refund, a part refund or an offer of deferred enrolment to a future course or a reassessment of the student.
Refunds requested for hardship
In the event that a student does not commence a course due to sickness or personal crises or commences a course and due to sickness or personal crises cannot continue, that student may be given due consideration for a partial refund once they have outlined their reasons in writing on the Request for Refund Form. Any such refund is at the discretion of the College and may carry an administration fee of $33 incl GST.
Substantiating evidence may be required. If a refund is approved, the refund will be paid within 10 working days of the date the Request for Refund Form is received.
Transfer to another provider: Should a student chose to withdraw or the College is unable to deliver the course in full the College will issue a statement of fees paid and a transcript of units of competency completed so that another provider can enrol the student and charge appropriate fees. The College is not responsible for the actions or pricing of another provider.
Completion of sufficient units of competency to be awarded a lower qualification: If in the unusual event that a student withdraws from a higher level qualification but has completed requirements for the award of a lower level qualification then any difference in student fees applicable, and paid, will be refunded. No administration fee will apply.
Your rights
This policy does not remove the right from a student to take further action under Australia’s consumer protection laws. All students have the right to a statutory “cooling off” period if one applies.
Should a student not be satisfied with the decision of the College, the matter may be referred to the NSW Department of Fair Trading.
In the case of an accredited/VET course the student may lodge a complaint to the Australian Skills Quality Authority and/or Training Services NSW. Further information on these escalated complaints procedures can be found on their websites.
In the event that a student enrols on a fee-for-service basis in an accredited VET course but is not eligible for subsidy they should refer to the related Fees (partial or Full) Refunds and Credit Notes Policy.