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International Students

Protocol on fees and refunds for international students

As Endorsed by Fee Policy and Management Committee 10 Dec 2008

Purpose
Scope
Definitions

Terms and Conditions for Fees and Refunds for International Students
1. Application fees
2. Deposit for acceptance of an offer
3. Overseas Student Health Cover
4. Tuition Fees
5. Refunds
6. Students who obtain permanent residency
7. Appeal and grievance provisions

Other administration information
1. Deposit for acceptance of an offer
2. Refunds

Purpose

The purpose of this Protocol is:

  1. 1. to establish procedures and guidelines on the charging of fees for international student admission and enrolment and for the refund of course-related fees for international students;
  2. 2. to establish the terms and conditions associated with fees and refunds to which international students agree when accepting an offer for a UTS course;
  3. 3. to ensure that UTS fee and refund procedures for international students comply with the Education Services for Overseas Students Act 2000 and associated legislation and with other relevant laws and regulations.

Scope

This Protocol covers all fee and refund information for international students who apply for admission to UTS and who will reside in Australia for the duration of their course of study. It supplements the UTS Statement of Protocol on Refund of Fees and Section 4 of the UTS Student and Related Rules.

Definitions

Census Date means the date after which no Tuition Fees for that Teaching Period will be refunded to Students who withdraw from a course.
Commencement Date means the first date of a Teaching Period or any other date decided by the University from time to time.
Commencing Student means an international student who has returned a valid and signed Letter of Offer to the University and will commence study at the University in the near future or who is undertaking the first Teaching Period of study.
Continuing Student means an international student who has completed at least one Teaching Period of study at the University.
Deposit means the amount payable by a Commencing Student upon acceptance of an offer of enrolment. University Deposit means the amount specified by the University on an annual basis and is the amount payable by a Commencing Student if no reductions or waivers apply.
Distance Students means a Student who will or does undertake their University course of study away from the University campus and who resides in Australia for the duration of the course of study.
Letter of Offer means the letter of offer including the terms and conditions of a Student's enrolment to study at the University.
Protocol means this Statement of Protocol on Fees and Refunds for International Students together with the UTS Statement of Protocol of Fees, Section 4 of the UTS Student and Related Rules and any schedules.
Special Circumstances means the circumstances described in condition 5.11.
Sponsor means the entity that is responsible for the payment of a Sponsored Student's application fees, Deposit and/or Tuition Fees in accordance with a sponsorship agreement between the Sponsor and the Sponsored Student.
Sponsored Student means a Student whose application fees, Deposit and/or Tuition Fees are paid for by a Sponsor.
Student means an international student enrolled in a course of study through the University who will reside in Australia for the duration of the course of study. Student includes Commencing Students and/or Continuing Students of the University.
Study Abroad Fee means the fee payable by a Study Abroad Student described in condition 4.10.
Study Abroad Program means a period of study (up to one year) which may be undertaken at the University by a student from a higher education institution outside Australia and that may be counted towards the requirements for an award at their home institution.
Study Abroad Student means a Student enrolled in a Study Abroad Program.
Teaching Period means one semester of study at the University and any other period of time as decided by the University from time to time.
Tuition Fees means the fees payable by a Student for each Teaching Period and may include any applicable Study Abroad Fees.
University means the University of Technology, Sydney.

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Terms and Conditions for Fees and Refunds for International Students

These terms and conditions apply to all international students who have accepted an offer of enrolment to a course of study by the University and all international students who are enrolled in a course of study at the University.

1. Application fees

  1. 1.1 There is a $100.00 non-refundable application fee for all applications for full-award courses except where otherwise authorised by the Director, UTS International.
  2. 1.2 There is a $110 non-refundable application fee for courses that are packaged with Insearch courses.
  3. 1.3 The Director, UTS International may authorise a waiver of the application fee by issuing an internal memorandum specifying the circumstances in which the application fee may be waived. In certain individual cases the application fee may also be waived on the authority of the Director, UTS International, in its sole discretion.
  4. 1.4 There is no application fee for Study Abroad Programs.

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2. Deposit for acceptance of an offer

  1. 2.1 Acceptance of an offer of enrolment into a course of study will be completed once the University has received
    1. 2.1.1 a valid and signed Acceptance Form; and
    2. 2.1.2 full payment of the Deposit, unless an exception applies.
  2. 2.2 The amount of the Deposit will be specified in the Letter of Offer.
  3. 2.3 The Deposit amount will be credited towards the Student's first Teaching Period Tuition Fees.
  4. 2.4 The Deposit may be an amount reduced or waived on the basis of a formal agreement with another institution or agent or if otherwise authorised by the Director, UTS International, in its sole discretion. If a Student's Deposit is an amount reduced or waived by the University in accordance with this condition 2.4, the Student's Tuition Fee liability and/or refund eligibility will not be in any way affected.
  5. 2.5 If a Commencing Student defers commencement of a course of study, the Deposit will be retained by the University. Any remaining credit balance of the Deposit will be carried forward and credited towards the Student's next Teaching Period Tuition Fees.

  6. Exceptions
    Non-student visa holders (Temporary Residents)

  7. 2.6 Students who provide a certified copy of a temporary resident visa permitting them to study in Australia for the duration of their course are not required to pay a Deposit to accept their offer. Temporary Residents who do not provide a certified copy of their visa must pay the full Deposit in accordance with condition 2.1 above.

  8. Sponsored Students

  9. 2.7 Sponsored Students who provide a financial guarantee from their Sponsor at the time of acceptance of an offer for enrolment at the University are not required to pay a Deposit to accept their offer. Sponsored Students who do not provide a guarantee must pay the full Deposit in accordance with condition 2.1 above.

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3. Overseas Student Health Cover

  1. 3.1. Students may authorise the University to arrange Overseas Student Health Cover ('OSHC') on their behalf by indicating this in the Letter of Offer and providing payment of the OSHC payment as specified in the Letter of Offer.
  2. 3.2. If a Student provides authorisation in accordance with condition 3.1, the University will make arrangements on behalf of the Student with the agreed OSHC provider and the University will transfer the Student's OSHC payment to the OSHC provider.
  3. 3.3. It is the Student's responsibility to maintain valid OSHC while in Australia and the University accepts no responsibility for a Student's failure to renew their OSHC beyond the period for which the initial arrangement was made by the University as specified in the Letter of Offer.

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4. Tuition Fees

  1. 4.1 Tuition Fees must be paid in advance for each Teaching Period.
  2. 4.2 Tuition Fees are liable to increase at the commencement of each academic year.
  3. 4.3 All fee payments must be made in Australian dollars.
  4. 4.4 Credit balances of Tuition Fees will automatically be carried forward to the next Teaching Period.
  5. 4.5 Under University Rule 4.4.2 students who do not pay Tuition Fees by the due date may have sanctions imposed upon them including the cancellation of their enrolment and consequent notification to the Department of Immigration and Citizenship.

  6. Full-degree coursework Tuition Fees

  7. 4.6 Tuition Fees are charged for each enrolled subject and are determined by the credit point value of the subject and the course of study in which the Student is enrolled.
  8. 4.7 When a Student enrols in a subject the fee for that subject will be charged to the Student and must be paid by the due date for that Teaching Period.
  9. 4.8 A Student's final Tuition Fee liability for each Teaching Period is determined by the amount of subjects in which the Student is enrolled at the Census Date for that Teaching Period.

  10. Study Abroad Program Fees

  11. 4.9 Study Abroad Students are charged a Study Abroad Program Fee for each Teaching Period which covers an enrolment of up to 24 credit points for that Teaching Period. If a Study Abroad Student enrols in more than 24 credit points in one Teaching Period, the Study Abroad Student will be charged Tuition Fees for each additional subject.

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5. Refunds

  1. Refunds where a course cannot be delivered (Provider Default)

  2. 5.1 After a Commencing Student has accepted an offer of enrolment at the University, in the unlikely event that the University is unable to deliver the course as offered, the Deposit and any Tuition Fees paid by the Commencing Student to that date will be refunded within two weeks of the day on which it is determined that the course can no longer be provided.
  3. 5.2 Alternatively, a Commencing Student may be made an offer by the University to enrol in an alternative course for a cost no greater than the cost of the originally offered course of study.
  4. 5.3 Where an offer of enrolment is withdrawn by the University because a Commencing Student has breached the terms and conditions of the Student's application or Letter of Offer, including through the provision of fraudulent documents, the University reserves the right to retain the Commencing Student's full Deposit.

  5. Refunds where a Student withdraws from a course (Student Default)
    Refund of Deposit

  6. 5.4 Where a Commencing Student withdraws from a course during the student's first Teaching Period, the Commencing Student is entitled to a partial refund of any Deposit paid. The amount of the Deposit retained by the University is determined by the date at which the student withdraws, as follows:
    1. Prior to the Commencement Date: the University will retain an amount equal to 10% of the University Deposit Amount.
    2. After the Commencement Date but before the Census Date: the University will retain an amount equal to 40% of the University Deposit Amount.
    3. After the Census Date, the University will retain the entire Deposit.
  7. 5.5 For completeness, where a Commencing Student has paid a reduced amount in accordance with condition 2.4 above, the amount retained by the University is nonetheless based on the University Deposit not the reduced Deposit paid. The amount retained by the University will never exceed the Deposit amount paid by a Student.
  8. 5.6 An application for a refund of the Deposit by a Commencing Student must be made in writing directly to the Director, UTS International.

  9. Refund of Tuition Fees

  10. 5.7 Where a Student withdraws from a course prior to the Census Date of a Teaching Period, they are entitled to a refund of all Tuition Fees paid for that Teaching Period, excluding the Deposit amount paid which is refunded in accordance with conditions 5.4 and 5.6 above.
  11. 5.8 An application for a refund of Tuition Fees by a Student must be made in writing directly to the Student Administration Unit.
  12. 5.9 A Student may apply for a full refund of Tuition Fees where they have withdrawn from a course due to Special Circumstances. Special Circumstances include, but are not limited to:
    1. i. A Student's application for a student visa is rejected;
    2. ii. Serious illness or misadventure, or other compassionate grounds such as death in the immediate family;
    3. iii. Political, civil or natural events which prevent full payment of fees; and/or
    4. iv. Where a Student is excluded from their course of study and has already paid fees for the first Teaching Period of their period of exclusion.
  13. 5.10 Refunds to Students due to Student Default will be paid to the Student within four weeks of the date of receipt of the Student's completed application for a refund.
  14. 5.11 Refunds will be forwarded to the Student's home country unless the Student can demonstrate grounds for the refund to be made in Australia. Such grounds may include:
    1. i. The Student has enrolled in a course at another Australian education institution (copy of letter of offer from the other institution must be provided); and/or
    2. ii. The Student has obtained or applied for another kind of visa to remain in Australia (copy of visa or application must be provided).

  15. Refund of Overseas Student Health Cover ('OSHC') fees

  16. 5.12 Commencing Students who withdraw from or suspend their course may be eligible for a refund of any OSHC fees paid to the University. The amount refunded will be determined by the policies of the relevant OSHC provider.

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6. Students who obtain permanent residency

  1. Students who obtain permanent residency are no longer considered international students and this Protocol no longer applies to them. Terms and Conditions for fees and refunds for students who obtain permanent residency are covered by the UTS Statement of Protocol on Refund of Fees (see under 'Refund or remission of tuition fees') and section 4 of the UTS Student and Related Rules.

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7. Appeal and grievance provisions

  1. 7.1 Students with a complaint against decisions of the University may seek assistance from the UTS Student Ombud's Office.
  2. 7.2 This Protocol, and the availability of complaints and appeals processes at the University, does not in any way remove the right of a Student to take action under Australia's consumer protection laws.

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Other Administration Information

1. Deposit for acceptance of an offer

  1. 1.1 The Deposit must not be accepted from a Student or otherwise processed until a valid and signed Letter of Offer is received from the Student.
  2. 1.2 The amount of the University Deposit Amount will be set by the Director, UTS International.
  3. 1.3 The University Deposit Amount may be reduced or waived on the basis of a formal agreement with another institution or agent or if otherwise authorised by the Director, UTS International, in its sole discretion.

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2. Refunds

  1. 2.1 Where a Commencing Student applies for a refund of the Deposit without making an appeal for Special Circumstances, the refund will be assessed by the relevant recruitment team leader and approved or rejected by the Manager, International Recruitment.
  2. 2.2 Where a Commencing Student applies for a refund of the Deposit and makes an appeal for Special Circumstances, the decision will be made by the Director, UTS International.
  3. 2.3 Refunds must be paid within four weeks of the date of receipt of a completed application in the case of a Student Default and within two weeks in the case of a Provider Default.

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