Refund Policy

Fact box

Policy owner: Vice President Operations
Policy category: Management: Finance
Policy status: Approved
Approval body: Council
Endorsement body: Executive
Related policies:
- Complaint and Grievance Resolution Policy
- Fees, Payments and Tuition Assurance Policy
Last amended: 13th March 2024
Relevant HESF: 1.1.2.c, 7.2.2.c

Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to outline procedures related to refund of fees for Alphacrucis University College (AC) students.

Scope

All VET and HE students

Policy

DOMESTIC STUDENTS

Refund of Tuition Fees when Student Withdraws before Census Date

Withdrawing from a subject or unit prior to the census date for that semester is permitted without affecting the student's transcript and fees will be refunded in full. The student must complete the Variation of Enrolment Form to indicate withdrawal.

Refund of Tuition Fees when Student Withdraws after Census Date

A student who withdraws from a subject or unit after the census date will receive a fail grade on his or her transcript and is not entitled to a refund.

Exceptional Circumstances for Refunds when Students Apply to Withdraw after Census Date

A refund may be granted to a student who makes changes to, or withdraws from a subject or unit, after census date, provided evidence is supplied that the student had ceased attendance by the census date, and was unable to notify AC for reasons beyond his or her control.

An application for a refund after census date will only be considered where AC is satisfied that the circumstances were:

beyond the student’s control; and
did not make a full impact on the student until on or after the census date, and
were such that it made it impracticable for the student to complete the subject(s) or units(s) of study requirements.

Re-crediting FEE-HELP/VET Student Loans balance

A students who withdraws from a course and has received FEE-HELP/VET Student Loans assistance, will have their FEE-HELP/VET Student Loans balance re-credited with the amount equal to the amount of FEE-HELP/VET Student Loans assistance that they received for a subject or unit, if:

the student withdraws on or before the census date; or
the student applies in writing within 12 months after the census date of the subject or unit and AC is satisfied that special circumstances apply to the student; or
the student applies in writing 5 years after the census date where there has been unacceptable conduct by AC or AC is unable to act or is being wound up or dissolved in relation to their VSL application.

Circumstances where a refund will not be granted

Fail a subject or unit or do not attend classes

If a student fails a subject(s) or unit(s), s/he will still be charged for that subject(s) or unit(s), regardless of whether or not the student attended classes or accessed the class content on Moodle. If the student did not formally withdraw before census date, s/he will still be charged for the affected subject(s) or unit(s).

Please note, special circumstances do not include a lack of knowledge or understanding of the census dates or AC’s enrolment and withdrawal processes. Also, if a student withdraws from a subject or unit after the census date because s/he changed their mind about studying, the student is still required to repay the debt for that subject(s) or unit(s).

INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

Miscellaneous Fees for International Students

Application fees and any accommodation booking fee and/or airport pick-up fees are non-refundable.

Refund of Tuition Fees

If a student’s visa application is rejected or refused, and/or the offer of a place is withdrawn by the student, the student will be entitled to a full refund of course fees less an administrative fee of no more than 5% or $500.00 (whichever is the lesser amount).

Tuition fees are refunded in full where:

the student is unable to commence their course because of a serious and prolonged illness, disability or death of an immediate family member; or
the course which was applied for ceases to be offered by AC.

Tuition fees will not be refunded where the international student has:

supplied fraudulent, forged or deliberately misleading information and/or documentation to AC, immigration or any government agency; or
had their enrolment terminated due to either academic or behavioural misconduct for the session in which the misconduct occurred; or
failed to notify their request for refund within 90 days of the end of the session in which the tuition fee was applicable; or
had their CoE cancelled due to non-commencement of studies, lack of academic progression, failure to attend the required classes or other reasons within the student’s control; or
submitted the request for withdrawal from the subject(s) or unit(s) after the census date of the course; or
when a student is enrolled in a package course and has not yet commenced their principal course, a refund will not be available on any deposit or advance payment of tuition fees for their principal course.

Exceptional Circumstances

An application for a refund after census date will only be considered where AC is satisfied that the circumstances were:

beyond the student’s control; and
did not make their full impact on the student until on or after the census date; and
such that it made it impracticable for the student to complete the subject(s) or units(s) of study requirements.

Refund Schedule

If the international student is eligible for a refund and withdraws prior to the commencement of a course, the following refund schedule applies:

If the request for withdrawal is received 28 days or more before the commencement of the course, 90% of pre-paid tuition fees will be refunded.
If the request for withdrawal is received less than 28 days before the commencement of the course, 75% of pre-paid tuition fees will be refunded.

If the international student is eligible for a refund and withdraws after the commencement of a course, unless under the circumstances where tuition fees are refunded in full, the following refund schedule applies:

If the request for withdrawal is received prior to the census date of the course, 50% of pre-paid tuition fees will be refunded.
If the request for withdrawal is received after the census date of the course, 0% of pre-paid tuition fees will be refunded.

If you have not paid the required tuition fee prior to the commencement of studies, the amount refunded to the international student will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.

Payment of Tuition Fees

International students are required to pay tuition fees prior to the commencement of each semester. If, after the census date of enrolled subjects or units, a student’s tuition fees are not paid, or the student has not made alternate arrangements, then the student will be notified of AC’s intention to report them to the Department of Home Affairs.

Package Courses with Business Partners

For a package course (usually a VET and HE course package), where the initial course is offered by the business partner but the principal course must be with AC. International students taking package courses are required to pay the first semester’s fees for both the initial course and the principal course of their package.

For package courses with business partners, the refund of fees for the initial course will be governed by the policies of the business partner. The refund of fees for the principal course (which must be with AC) will be governed by this refund policy.

Responsible for implementation

Vice President Operations

Key stakeholders

Faculty, students

Procedures

Refund Procedures

Refunds are not automatic - where a refund is due the student must complete two processes to receive a refund:

a) the student must notify AC in writing of their intention to withdraw; and

b) the student must seek a refund.

a) Written Notice of Intention to Change or Withdraw from Courses, Subjects or Units

Students wanting to change their course or to change or withdraw their enrolment in a specific subject or unit after their initial nomination should complete a Variation of Enrolment form, available via the Student Management System (Quercus).

Students applying for ‘special consideration’ to withdraw after the census date must apply in writing to the Student Affairs Committee (SAC). If approved by the SAC, the student can apply for a refund.

AND

b) Seeking a Refund

The student must formally request a refund by completing AC’s Online Refund Request Form. This must be included with the written notice of intention to withdraw or received by the Student Experience Department within 30 days of this written notice.

If an international student is seeking a refund prior to commencing study with AC because of a visa rejection, the student must provide AC with written notification and a copy of documents evidencing the refusal including an original letter from the Australian Embassy, High Commission or Immigration Office.

Transfer of Fees

AC will not authorise the transfer of fees to other institutions or any other student’s account. Refunds for students will be completed in the same method by which the fees were originally paid, and must be refunded to the country of origin, if applicable – for example, where fees are paid by Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT), they may only be refunded to the originating bank account. If a third party such as a sponsor or scholarship agency paid for the student fees, any refund will be paid to the third party.

Bank charges for refunds made by cheque, bank draft or electronic transfer may be deducted from the refund amount.

All refunds will be made within 28 days after AC receives a written refund claim. The amount of the refund made will be in accordance with the refund schedules above.

Refund Complaints Process

Student complaints in relation to refunds are processed using the AC grievance and appeals procedures. There are no charges for this process. AC dispute resolution processes do not circumscribe the student’s right to pursue other legal remedies; students may take further action under Australia’s Consumer Protection Law.

If a decision was made to not re-credit a student’s FEE-HELP/VET Student Loans balance for special circumstances, the student may ask for the decision to be reviewed within 28 days of being notified following Step 3 ‘Submission of Grievance Form’ of AC’s Complaints and Grievance procedures. The reviewer must provide written notice of decision and statement of reasons for making the decision, as well as notifying them of their right to appeal to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) if they are unsatisfied with the reviewer’s decision.