Refund Policy - Government Subsidised Courses

NSW Government Subsidised Courses
Principles and practices underlying this policy
Fees for government funded and subsidised courses
Withdrawals, refunds and deferment of enrolment from government subsidised courses
Requests for withdrawal or deferred enrolment made BEFORE commencement
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: in person at Carlingford or Chatswood; phone to 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.
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:
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.