Policy - AAC01018

To manage and administer student withdrawal, transfer and cancellations and associated refund of fees.

Components: Courses, which may include assessment standards, that make up a programme of study.

Course Fees: The price/cost payable by students to study at the institution.

Delegated Authority: The person who is exercising the Chief Executive’s delegated authority to approve or decline a refund requested or to cancel a programme/component.

Delegated Programme Lead: The academic staff member who exercises responsibility for making decisions in relation to academic delivery of the programme and the students' journey. This may be a team leader, programme manager or another person nominated by the Head of Department or Academic Director.

Domestic Learner: A domestic learner is defined by the Education and Training Act 2020 as a person who is a New Zealand citizen or the holder of a residence class visa granted under the Immigration Act 2009 who satisfies the criteria (if any) prescribed by regulations made under subsection (4): or a person of a class or description of persons required by the Minister, by notice in the Gazette, to be treated as if they are not international students.

Institution: The Institution that is referred to in this policy is Future Skills Academy or Ashton Warner Academy.

International Learner: Any individual who is not a domestic learner.

Programme: A coherent arrangement of learning or training that is based on clear and consistent aims, content, outcomes and assessment practices.

1. All learners will be treated equitably and consistently with regard to withdrawals, transfers, deferrals, changes to enrolments, cancellations, and the refund of fees.
2. Learners who withdraw from a programme of study may be entitled to a refund if specific conditions are met.
3. For domestic learners, the withdrawal period and refund entitlements are set out in Schedule 1 of this policy.
4. For international learners, the withdrawal period and refund entitlements are set out in Schedule 2 of this policy.
5. The guidelines for determining withdrawal, transfer, deferrals, changes to enrolments, and refunds are set out in the annually published Terms and Conditions http://futureskills.co.nz/about/terms-and-conditions/
6. The Institution reserves the right to cease or cancel a programme or component of a programme.

1. Withdrawal
   1. Learners who wish to withdraw from the programme must complete the Withdrawal or Change of Enrolment Form.
   2. Verbal notice of withdrawal will not be accepted as a learner’s intention to withdraw.
   3. The withdrawal date from a programme is taken as the date the Withdrawal or Change of Enrolment form is submitted to the registry department.
   4. The registry department will record the withdrawal date in the Student Management System (SMS).
   5. The student support teams will counsel learners who wish to withdraw, on
      1. Other study opportunities available for the learner
      2. Depending on the reasons for withdrawal, alternative study arrangements
      3. Any consequences on the student loans and allowances, as well as any academic implications for progression and results.
   6. When a domestic learner has been admitted to a programme after the programme start date, the last date for withdrawal is extended accordingly and must be highlighted to the learner as set out in Schedule 1 of this policy.
   7. When an international learner has been admitted to a programme after the programme start date, the last date of withdrawal is not extended and normal withdrawal conditions apply as set in Schedule 2.
   8. Late admission to the programme is not a reason for compassionate withdrawal.
   9. No-shows, non-attendance
      1. Learners who have never attended classes or logged in to an online class shall be treated as a no-show and be early withdrawn from the programme.
      2. Domestic learners who have attended less than the required attendance specified in the Tertiary Education Commission’s funding conditions, as outlined in Schedule 1 of this policy, will be early withdrawn from the programme if they have missed attending for at least four consecutive weeks.
         1. These withdrawals must only be made after reasonable efforts are made to support the learner to attend and re-engage, including two written attempts by the student success team to contact the learner. All written communication must be filed in the learner’s record. The final communication must inform the learner that they have been withdrawn from the programme.
         2. In such cases, the withdrawal date is taken as the last date of attendance.
      3. Any other instances of non-attendance or non-engagement will be managed in accordance with the Learner Progress and Exclusion Policy.
   10. If a learner is entitled to a refund as a result of a withdrawal, it must be processed following the procedures set out in section 5.
2. Transfer to another programme
   1. Learners may transfer to another programme before or within the first 10% of the programme start date with no academic or financial penalty. Depending on the programme fees, learners may be refunded or required to pay additional fees.
      1. If a student loan is not used to pay fees, the refund will be credited to the new programme. If a student loan has been used, the refund is returned to StudyLink, and a the student must complete a new study link loan draw down form.
      2. It is the responsibility of the learner to contact StudyLink to advise of the programme change and re-apply for a new loan.
      3. Any academic results entered cannot be changed.
      4. International learners must notify Immigration New Zealand (INZ) when they transfer from one programme to another and seek a variation to their visa before the new programme start date.
3. Change to a component of programme
   1. Learners who enrol in study blocks may change their component enrolments before the component start date with no academic or financial penalty, provided they have passed all prerequisites.
   2. Learners can only change to available components (courses offered) at the time of change, and before the new component start date.
   3. Learners can change to the new components up to five (5) working days after the new component start date, subject to the delegated programme lead’s approval.Such changes must not create gaps in the learner’s study journey or extend the learner’s programme duration.
4. Deferral of Study
   1. In exceptional circumstances, a learner enrolled into a programme may be able to defer their studies for that programme to a maximum period of one academic year. An approved deferral of studies does not incur any additional costs.
      1. The learner must complete the Withdrawal or Change of Enrolment Form before or within ten (10) working days after the component start date.
      2. If a Withdrawal or Change of Enrolment Form is received after the tenth (10th) working day, any deferral granted will be for the subsequent components that have not yet started.
      3. When completing the Withdrawal or Change of Enrolment Form, the learner must:
         1. Confirm their proposed return date.
         2. Explain the extenuating grounds for their request.
         3. Provide evidence to support their circumstances.
      4. The delegated programme lead will decide on the request and inform the learner and the registry team of their decision before the component start date.
   2. The Institution may defer the start of a programme/component due to factors outside of the Institution’s control, including national emergencies. The delegated programme lead must inform all enrolled or deferred students of the deferral as soon as reasonably possible.
5. Refunds
   1. Learners who wish to apply for a refund must first withdraw from the programme by completing the Withdrawal or Change of Enrolment Form.
   2. All refunds are paid in New Zealand dollars and by direct credit to:
      1. The original payer’s nominated bank account or
      2. To another party’s bank account, if authorised in writing by the original payer.
   3. Domestic learners
      1. All refund amounts are to be calculated in accordance with Schedule 1 of this policy.
      2. The refund period must be calculated based on the first day the learner is required to attend.
   4. International learners
      1. All refund amounts are to be calculated in accordance with Schedule 2 of this policy.
      2. Where the international learner’s permit/visa application is rejected or an extension is declined by INZ, the rejection/decline letter must accompany the completed Withdrawal or Change of Enrolment Form.
      3. The Institution reserves the right to retain up to 25% of the tuition fee if the offer is declined or withdrawn due to fraudulent information being supplied by the learner.
      4. An international learner who gains permanent residency will not receive a refund of fees for programme components if the component start date has already passed. However, the learner will be entitled to pay domestic fees for subsequent enrolments. The learner will be entitled to a refund of the difference between domestic and international fees for those enrolments.
   5. Refunds of overpayments
      1. In the case of an overpayment of fees by the learner, the learner is entitled to a refund equal to the overpayment amount.
      2. The institution will not be liable for any interest accrued on the overpayment.
   6. Refunds on compassionate grounds
      1. Learners who wish to apply for a refund on compassionate grounds must complete the Withdrawal or Change of Enrolment Form with supporting evidence.
      2. All applications will be forwarded to the delegated authority for consideration and approval. The delegated authority may ask other team members to provide their recommendations on the application.
      3. Compassionate consideration may be considered for the following reasons:
         1. Medical, supported in writing by a health professional.
         2. Other unanticipated circumstances beyond the learner’s control.
         3. Death of the student - In such case any refund would be remitted to the next of kin as detailed on the enrolment form.
      4. Fees funded by StudyLink are required to be refunded to StudyLink.
6. Cancellation of programme/component by the Institution
   1. The Institution reserves the right to cease or cancel a programme/component at the earliest opportunity if:
      1. There are insufficient enrolments before programme/component start date.
      2. It is no longer considered necessary or does not fit with the Institution’s investment plan and/or strategic direction.
      3. To comply with the Fair-Trading Act 1986, all advertising, application and offer letters must contain the following statement (or similar): “enrolment in this programme/component is conditional upon, and subject to, sufficient numbers of learners enrolling in this programme/component”.
      4. With the authorisation from the Chief Executive, the delegated authority is responsible for cancelling a programme/component and ensuring approved procedures are followed, including notifying enrolled learners, prospective learners, external stakeholders and relevant team members.
      5. Where possible, affected learners will be provided with alternative options for study and if accepted, the standard enrolment process shall be followed.
      6. If the institution ceases to be a provider and/or ceases to be a signatory, cancels or postpones a programme/component, all learner fees held in advance will be refunded in full or credited to another component at the learner’s request.
7. Appeal
   1. Any learner who wishes to dispute the Withdrawal, Transfer, Deferral, Change of Enrolment, and Refund decisions must do so in accordance with the Appeal Policy.

Approved policies and procedures are always intended to comply and conform with the current Ministry of Education, Tertiary Education Commission (TEC), New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA,) and other external agency legislation requirements and procedures.

Related Documents

AAC01002 - Appeal Policy

AAC01010 - Programme Entry Policy

AAC01011 - Learner Progress and Exclusion Policy

AAC02013 - Recognition of Prior Learning/Recognition of Prior Knowledge and Skills (RPL/RPKS) Policy

AAC01014 - Resolution of Learner Complaints Policy

AAC01015 - Learner Discipline Policy

Terms and Conditions - http://futureskills.co.nz/about/terms-and-conditions/

Statutory Compliance

Credit Contracts and Consumer Finance Act 2003

Education (Pastoral Care of Tertiary and International Learners) Code of Practice 2021

Education and Training Act 2020

Fair Trading Act 1986

Funding Rules Tertiary Education Commission

Immigration New Zealand

StudyLink regulations

(AAC01018-1) Withdrawal or Change of Enrolment Form