Tuition Fee Scholarships and Subsidies Policy

Fact box

Policy owner:
Policy category: Academic: Outreach & Scholarships
Policy status: Approved
Approval body: Executive
Endorsement body: Executive
Last amended: 13th March 2024
Relevant HESF:

Purpose

This policy outlines the criteria and procedures regarding Alphacrucis University College (AC) tuition fee scholarships and subsidies for students and Higher Degree Research (HDR) candidates.

Scope

All students and HDR candidates

Policy

As part of its mission, AC offers tuition fee scholarships and subsidies to selected students/candidates. AC does not offer scholarships to cover living or other expenses. The number and monetary amount of tuition fee scholarships/subsidies offered is at the discretion of the Executive, based on availability of funds as allocated in AC’s annual budget process.

Tuition fee scholarships cover all or part of the student/candidate tuition only, and may be renewable for the period of the relevant course of study, provided that the student/candidate continues to meet the criteria. Tuition fee subsidies cover part of the student/candidate tuition only and may be renewable for the period of the relevant course of study, provided that the student/candidate continues to meet the criteria.

External Scholarships

External funds toward tuition fee scholarships adhere to the AC Donor Management Policy. AC is not responsible for the selection, approval or administration of other external scholarships granted to students/candidates. If an external scholarship is withdrawn for any reasons, AC is not responsible for continuation of that scholarship funding. If AC tuition fees are changed after the original scholarship was awarded, the external donor is responsible to make adjustments to the scholarship if required.

Tuition Fee Discounts for Staff

Tuition fee discounts for AC staff are outlined in the Staff Conditions of Employment Policy. For all other tuition fee scholarships/subsidies outside of staff discounts, the following criteria applies.

Tuition Fee Scholarship and Subsidy Guidelines

Criteria for AC tuition fee scholarships/subsidies includes but is not necessarily limited to consideration of:

church affiliation and missional commitment of the applicant;
strategic considerations for AC, such as developing networks or developing particular research areas;
academic strength of the applicant;
demonstrated leadership and/or community service;
course of study preference;
capacity of the applicant to finance their own study. This may include consideration of their country of origin, SES, and demonstration of meeting specific visa requirements.

The Head of School, Director of Student Experience and/or HDR Program Director may table to Executive recommendations for a full or partial tuition fee scholarships/subsidies for coursework students and/or HDR candidates.

Continuation of Scholarships and Fee Subsidies

To continue to receive a tuition fee scholarship or subsidy, the recipient must meet a number of criteria that may include:

maintenance of church affiliation and missional commitment;
evidence of satisfactory academic progress in the form of an annual progress report produced by the relevant Program Director (or equivalent);
consent to have his/her name and scholarship details released for promotional and event purposes.

Termination of a Tuition Fee Scholarship or Subsidy:

AC reserves the right to terminate a scholarship or subsidy for the following reasons:

changes to the course status;
where the awardee commits serious misconduct including, but not limited to, the provision of false or misleading information in their application for an AC tuition fee scholarship or subsidy;
the awardee ceases to meet the ongoing eligibility requirements;
once the full value of the scholarship has been paid; or
the awardee does not resume study at the conclusion of an approved deferral period.

Appeals relating to the termination of a tuition fee scholarship or subsidy should follow the AC appeals process.

Responsible for implementation

Vice President Operations

Key stakeholders

All staff, students and HDR candidates

Procedures

Tuition Fee Scholarships and Subsidies Procedure

1. Application for tuition fee scholarship or subsidy

The applicant must complete an application form for consideration by the Executive.

2. Acknowledgement of receipt

It is the responsibility of the applicant to contact AC if s/he has not received an email confirmation of receipt within 10 working days of submitting the application.

3. Collation of information

In the case of coursework scholarships/subsidies, the Student Experience Department will collate the information for consideration by the Director of Student Experience. In the case of HDR candidates, the HDR Office will collate the information for consideration by the Head of School and/or HDR Program Director.

4. Assessment of scholarship application

The Head of School, HDR Program Director and/or Director of Student Experience may table applications to Executive, including recommendations. The applicant must meet the academic entry requirements for the course of study. The amount or number of tuition fee scholarships/subsidies available in any year will be determined during the annual budget process.

5. Notification of results

Upon receipt of the Executive's decision, the Head of School, HDR Program Director and/or Director of Student Experience will notify both successful and unsuccessful applicants of the decision prior to census date of the relevant semester. The Head of School, HDR Program Director and/or Director of Students Experience is responsible for informing all relevant stakeholders of approved scholarships/subsidies and maintaining records.

The tuition fee scholarship/subsidy is conditional on the awardee taking up the offer of a place at AC that year, unless approval to defer has been granted. Awardees may apply to have the scholarship/subsidy deferred for up to one year only, after which time the offer is withdrawn.

The awardee, at the time of accepting the tuition fee scholarship/subsidy offer, must accept the conditions and agree to provide any information relevant to assessing his/her ongoing eligibility for the scholarship/subsidy. Normally, a six-month extension may be granted if the candidate is making good progress toward submission. No further extension will be considered.

Any substantial changes to enrolment (e.g. interruption or withdrawal, change of study load, program change etc.) must be notified to the Director of Student Experience for coursework student and the Head of School for HDR candidates prior to making any such changes.

Appeals Process

The awarding of an AC tuition fee scholarship/subsidy is entirely at the discretion of the Executive and no appeal regarding non-awards will be considered.