(1) This Policy specifies how the University will manage refunds of tuition fees and other administrative fees for fee paying international HDR students who are enrolled in time-based units. This includes international HDR students enrolled in Year 2 of the Master of Research, Master of Philosophy, Doctor of Philosophy, and the Combined Doctor of Philosophy. (2) Education institutions delivering courses to international fee paying students are required to comply with the Education Services for Overseas Students Act 2000, the National Code of Practice for Providers of Education and Training to Overseas Students 2018 (National Code), and to meet their obligations under the Tuition Protection Service framework. (3) This Policy specifies the conditions and timing for managing tuition fee and non-tuition fee refunds to enable compliance with the relevant legislation. (4) This Policy applies to fees paid to Macquarie University by international HDR fee paying students for tuition charges. (5) This Policy does not cover: (6) Where a Commencing Student withdraws from a course prior to, or during, their Commencing Enrolment Period and requests a refund of fees in writing, the University will deduct the following amounts: (7) Where a student was charged a partial HDR Commencement Fee e.g. less than the Tuition Fee for the Commencing Enrolment Period, the Tuition Fee payable based on a Full-time Study Load for the Commencing Enrolment Period will be considered the HDR Commencement Fee for the purpose of this Policy and will be refunded in accordance with the conditions in clause 6. (8) Where a student is approved to reduce their study load due to compassionate or compelling circumstances (e.g. advice from a health professional), the Tuition Fee payable based on the actual study load for the Commencing Enrolment Period will be considered the HDR Commencement Fee for the purpose of this Policy. (9) Where a Commencing Student withdraws their acceptance from a course prior to course admission and provides documentary evidence that the application for a visa has been refused, the University will provide a full refund of the HDR Commencement Fee paid. (10) Where a Commencing Student obtains permanent residency within four (4) weeks after the commencement of the first enrolment period and completes a HDR Change of Residency form, with documentary evidence, the student may apply for a refund of the HDR Commencement Fee paid and will be eligible for a partial refund in accordance with the conditions in clause 6 point (ii). Where the student obtains Permanent Residency Status after the first four (4) weeks of the Commencing Enrolment period, the student will be classified as an international student for the remainder of that Enrolment Period. (11) Where a Commencing Student has paid an HDR Commencement Fee, but is subsequently offered an HDR scholarship administered by the Graduate Research Academy which covers the course Tuition Fees, the student may apply for a refund of the HDR Commencement Fee paid and will be eligible for a partial refund in accordance with the conditions in clause 6 point (i). (12) Where a student has completed a course in a packaged program and did not meet the entry requirements of the subsequent University course, a student may apply to withdraw and will be eligible for a partial refund as per the conditions in clause 6 point (i). (13) Where a student does not commence the course and has not previously notified the University of their intention to withdraw their acceptance from the course, the student’s offer will be withdrawn and the Department of Home Affairs will be notified by cancellation of the student’s COE. The student will be requested to submit withdrawal and refund documentation and will be refunded in accordance with the conditions in clause 6 point (i). (14) Tuition fees for continuing students are charged as follows: (15) Continuing fee-paying HDR candidates are charged Tuition Fees at the beginning of each enrolment period and are required to pay these fees by the relevant Census and Payment Due Dates. (16) Where a Continuing Student withdraws from a course during a subsequent Enrolment Period and requests a refund of fees in writing, the University will deduct the following amounts: (17) Where a Continuing Student is receiving a partial University scholarship in the form of a discount towards the Tuition Fees, the Tuition Fees payable excluding any scholarship amount for the Enrolment Period based on a Full- Time Study Load will be considered the Tuition Fees for the purpose of this Policy unless the student was approved to reduce their study load for the Enrolment Period. (18) Where a Continuing Student obtains permanent residency prior to TBU Census Date and completes a HDR Change of Residency form, with documentary evidence prior to the TBU Census Date, the student may apply for a refund of Tuition Fees paid and will be eligible for a refund in accordance with the conditions in Clause 16 point (i). Where the student obtains Permanent Residency Status after the TBU Census Date or advises the University after TBU Census Date, the student will be classified as an International Student for the remainder of that Enrolment Period. (19) Where a Continuing Student has paid the Tuition Fee for the next enrolment period, but is subsequently offered a HDR scholarship which covers the course Tuition Fees, the student may apply for a refund of the Tuition Fee paid and will be eligible for a partial refund in accordance with the conditions in Clause 16 point (i). (20) Mres Yr2 students are charged Tuition Fees for one (1) EFTSL. This is typically their first two (2) enrolment periods if no leave is taken. (21) MPhil or PhD students are charged Tuition Fees until their Expected Work Submission (EWS) Date or until they are ceased. Where the thesis is submitted prior to the end of an enrolment period, or the student’s enrolment is ceased, the University will refund all unspent tuition fees, calculated as follows: (22) If an HDR candidate is terminated from the course because of unsatisfactory progress, a breach of their visa conditions, failure to pay fees, or misconduct, there will be no refund of fees. If the candidate has fees owing at the time of termination, the candidate is responsible for payment of such debt in accordance with the Tuition Fees and Charges Rules. (23) After a Commencing Student has accepted an offer to the University, and in the event that the University is unable to deliver the course as offered, the Commencing Student may be made an offer by the University in a suitable alternative course for a cost no higher than the cost of the originally offered course. (24) Alternatively, the HDR Commencement Fee paid by the Commencing Student will be refunded in full within 14 days of the provider default provisions within Section 46D of the Education Services for Overseas Students Act 2000 being reported. (25) In the event that the course ceases to be provided by the University after it has started but before the student has completed, or the University is unable to provide the course in full as a result of a sanction imposed by a government regulator, the University will refund all unspent tuition fees, calculated as follows: (26) Candidates who apply for and are approved for an extension of Expected Work Submission (EWS) date in accordance with the Higher Degree Research Variations to Candidature Policy will be charged the Out of Time fee or “iOOT” fee. (27) The first extension of candidature for MRes Y2s will be for three (3) months up to the end of January (for S1) or end of July (S2) and will not incur any additional fees. (28) If a candidate submits the thesis within one (1) month of the original EWS date after applying for a three (3) month extension, the fee will be reversed and/or refunded. (29) If a candidate requires any additional three (3) month extensions beyond the first extension, the iOOT will apply again. If thesis submission is within one (1) month of the additional extension(s) the fee will be reversed and/or refunded. (30) Consideration may be given to a fee reversal and refund request regardless of the provisions established in this Policy, if a student withdraws from a unit or a course due to special circumstances. (31) Special circumstances may include but are not limited to: (32) All applications for special consideration must be accompanied by evidence documenting the circumstances (eg. Medical certificate). (33) All applications for consideration of special circumstances must be made in writing to gr.candidatesupport@mq.edu.au and should be accompanied by documentary evidence. (34) Where a student is eligible for a refund of fees according to the provisions of this Policy, they should contact the Graduate Research Academy to obtain an International Request for Fee Refund Form. Requests for refunds should normally be submitted within four (4) weeks of an event which qualifies the student for a refund. (35) Payment of refunds will be made within four (4) weeks of receiving the International Request for Fee Refund Form and any other relevant documentation, except for cases under the conditions in clauses 24 and 25, where the refund will be paid within 14 days. (36) Payment will be made to an account in the student’s name, in the student’s country of permanent residence, except where: (37) Payment will be made by telegraphic transfer except for cases under the conditions in Clause 34 (a) and (b), where the payment will be made via electronic funds transfer (EFT) and will be made in Australian Dollars (AUD) (38) If a student is not satisfied with the decision made on a refund / reversal of fees, they may submit a written appeal to the Pro Vice-Chancellor, Graduate Research within twenty eight (28) days of the date of the refund decision. For an appeal to be considered, the appeal must address the University policy or procedure that was not correctly followed or provide additional documentary evidence that was not available at the time of the original request. (39) The student will be informed of the result of the appeal within fourteen (14) days of the appeal being received by the Pro Vice-Chancellor, Graduate Research. (40) This agreement, and the availability of complaints and appeals processes, does not remove the rights of the student to take action under the Australian Consumer Law if the Australian Consumer Law applies. (41) Refer to the Definitions section of this Policy for the difference between a fee reversal and a fee refund. (42) Where a student has funds in their account due to a fee reversal, they can only be used to pay tuition fees and other administrative charges. They are not available for refund. (43) A student who has funds in their account and is not completing their studies in the current enrolment period will not be eligible for a refund unless specified in one of the conditions of this Policy or special consideration is requested by the student and agreed by the University. The credit will remain in the student’s account and will be allocated towards tuition fees for subsequent enrolment periods. This includes credit from an overpayment in any enrolment period. (44) If a student is found to have provided false or misleading information to the University at any time, the University reserves the right to retain up to 100% of any fees paid and may annul that student’s enrolment. (45) Nil. (46) Nil. (47) The following definitions apply for the purpose of this Policy:Higher Degree Research International Fee Refund Policy
Section 1 - PURPOSE
Background
Scope
Top of PageSection 2 - POLICY
Part A - Where a Commencing HDR Student Withdraws from a Course or is Offered a Scholarship administered by the Graduate Research Academy
Withdrawal Date
Deduction Amount
i. Prior to Commencement Date
20% of HDR Commencement Fee
ii. Within 4 weeks of the Commencing Date
50% of HDR Commencement Fee
iii. After the first 4 weeks of the Commencing Date
100% of HDR Commencement Fee
Part B - Where a Continuing HDR Student Withdraws from a Course or is Offered a Scholarship administered by the Graduate Research Academy
Withdrawal Date
Deduction Amount
i. Prior to the Time-Based Unit (TBU) Census Date
0% – full refund of Tuition Fees Paid for the Enrolment Period
ii. After the Time-Based Unit (TBU) Census Date
100% of Tuition Fees for the Enrolment Period
Part C - Where a Continuing HDR Student Submits their Thesis or their Enrolment is Ceased
Part D - Where a Continuing HDR Student is Terminated
Part E - Where a Course Cannot be Delivered by the University
Part F - “Out of Time” Fee
Part G - Special Circumstances
Part H - Refund Procedure
Part I - Payment of Refunds
Part J - Appeals
Part K - Students Ineligible for a Refund
Section 3 - Procedures
Section 4 - Guidelines
Section 5 - DEFINITIONS
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Refund amount = Enrolment Period Tuition Fees minus pro-rata daily fee rate for enrolled period
Refund amount = (weekly tuition fee) x (number of weeks in default period)
In cases of 36(a) and 36(b), the payment can be made into an Australian account in the student’s name.