• Section 1 - Purpose
• Scope
• Section 2 - Policy
• Section 3 - Procedures
• Setting up an External Sponsor account
• Invoicing External Sponsors
• Collecting overdue fees and charges
• Setting up an Internal Sponsor account
• Clearing Internal Sponsor accounts
• Reporting
• Section 4 - Guidelines
• Section 5 - Definitions

Section 1 - Purpose

(1) The Purpose of this Procedure is to outline the responsibilities associated with the management, collection and processing of sponsorship owing to Macquarie University (the University), and to ensure that sponsorship debts are recovered efficiently and timely in accordance with the University’s Student Sponsorship Management Policy.

Scope

(2) This Procedure is applicable to all Sponsored Students and their Sponsors.

(3) This Procedure applies to all University student sponsorship activities and includes both internal and external sponsorships.

Section 2 - Policy

(4) Refer to the Student Sponsorship Management Policy.

Section 3 - Procedures

Setting up an External Sponsor account

(5) Staff of the Relevant Business Area of the University will coordinate with the External Sponsor to complete the Sponsorship Registration Form (Appendix A) with the following information:

1. contact name and address of the person with whom the Accounts Receivable Team can liaise with on a regular basis throughout the duration of the sponsorship;
2. study program and/or unit(s) being sponsored;
3. proportion of fees and charges to be paid by the Sponsor (e.g., 100%, 50%, 20% etc.) or a specific fixed amount of sponsorship;
4. type of fees and charges (i.e. Tuition fees, Student Service Amenities Fees, Overseas Health Cover etc.) to be included in the sponsorship;
5. student name and student identification number (also known as OneID) of all Sponsored Students; and
6. duration of the sponsorship.

(6) Staff of the Relevant Business Area of the University must sign the declaration section of the Sponsorship Registration Form then submit it to the Accounts Receivable Team together with either the Student Sponsorship Financial Guarantee (Appendix B) or the Sponsor’s equivalent Financial Guarantee form for processing.

(7) The Finance Shared Services Officer will enter the details of the External Sponsor into the University’s Student Record System:

1. If the Sponsor is new, the Finance Shared Services Officer will create the Sponsor account and enter the address, contact and email details.
2. For an existing Sponsor, the Finance Shared Services Officer will check and update the address, contact and email details.

(8) The relevant teams managing the external sponsorship accounts will link the Sponsored Students with the relevant Sponsor account in the University’s Student Record System.

(9) It is the responsibility of the relevant teams to check the validity of the Sponsorship and apply it correctly in the University’s Student Record System.

Invoicing External Sponsors

(10) The Finance Shared Services Officer will send invoices and supporting documents to the address nominated by the External Sponsor. This includes a statement of charges for all outstanding debts and an invoice for each Sponsored Student.

(11) Invoices will be sent to the External Sponsor after the census dates for the relevant term, session or block.

Collecting overdue fees and charges

(12) If an External Sponsor fails to pay the invoice within 30 calendar days from the invoice date, the Finance Shared Services Officer will issue a first reminder notice via email seven business days after the invoice due date. The External Sponsor will have 30 calendar days to make the payment.

(13) If an External Sponsor fails to respond and make a payment within 30 calendar days after the first reminder notice, the Finance Shared Services Officer will issue a second reminder notice that will be sent via email. The External Sponsor will have another 30 calendar days to make the payment.

(14) Once the second reminder is sent, the Finance Shared Services Officer will apply a sponsorship sanction on the related Sponsored Student account.

(15) After the sanction is applied, the Finance Shared Services Officer will advise the relevant Sponsored Student that if the External Sponsor fails to meet their financial obligation within the allotted time, the debt will be transferred to the student account, and they will be liable for the unpaid debt.

(16) If the External Sponsor fails to respond and make a payment within 30 calendar days after the second reminder, the Finance Shared Services Officer will transfer the overdue fees and charges from the External Sponsor account to the relevant Sponsored Student account. An overdue fee sanction will automatically be applied by the University’s Student Record System.

(17) The Finance Shared Services Officer will inform the Relevant Business Area of the University that the External Sponsor failed to meet their financial obligation and that the sponsorship will be terminated in the University’s Student Record System.

(18) The Finance Shared Services Officer will terminate the Sponsor line in the student account of the University’s Student Record System to ensure that no further student fees are transferred to the Sponsor account.

(19) If an External Sponsor continues to default on their payment obligations, the Relevant Business Areas of the University including Faculty representatives, Office of the General Counsel and Finance must discuss and agree on whether the Sponsor relationship will continue or be terminated.

(20) The University may take actions for recovery of its debts owed by External Sponsors, including:

1. upon receiving approval from the Vice-President, Finance and Resources, writing off the bad debt; and/or
2. processing write-off sanctions in the University’s Student Record System.

Setting up an Internal Sponsor account

(21) It is the responsibility of the Relevant Business Area managing the Internal Sponsor accounts to:

1. ensure a formal request has been received from the appropriate business area; and
2. provide the appropriate account code, Natural (NAT) Account, and details of the main contact person.

(22) It is the responsibility of the Finance Shared Services Officer to enter the details of the Sponsor into the University’s Student Record System:

1. If the Sponsor is new, the Finance Shared Services Officer must create the Sponsor account and enter internal contact details and account code details to clear the charges.
2. For an existing Sponsor, the Finance Shared Services Officer must check and update the account code, address, contact and email details.

(23) The relevant teams managing the Internal Sponsor accounts will associate the Sponsored Students with the relevant Sponsor account in the University’s Student Record System.

Clearing Internal Sponsor accounts

(24) The Finance Shared Services Officer must liaise with the Relevant Business Areas to clear the Internal Sponsor accounts and charge to their local cost centres.

(25) Clearance of the Internal Sponsor accounts must be performed in at least three rounds a year as required:

1. First half-year – May and June;
2. Second half-year – October and November; and
3. End of the year – December.

Reporting

(26) The Finance Shared Services Officer will examine and assess aged Sponsor debt reports on a weekly and monthly basis, providing monthly updates to senior management or as required.

Section 4 - Guidelines

(27) Nil.

Section 5 - Definitions

(28) The following definitions apply for the purposes of this Procedure:

1. External Sponsor means an external entity that undertakes to pay or guarantees the payment and/or settlement of student fees, charges and other charges either partially or in full for a specified period.
2. Internal Sponsor means a Macquarie University Faculty and/or Office that undertakes to pay or guarantees the payment and/or settlement of student fees, charges and other charges, either partially or in full.
3. Relevant Business Areas managing sponsorship accounts may include but are not limited to the Graduate Research Academy, Student Mobility Team, Finance Business Partners and Scholarship and Admissions Team.
4. Sponsor means an External Sponsor or an Internal Sponsor.
5. Sponsored Student means a student whose fees are either partially or fully paid or guaranteed by a Sponsor.