Fees, Payment, and Tuition Assurance Policy

PURPOSE

This policy outlines Leaders Institute’s (LI) processes to regulate the payment of all student fees and charges, as well as protection of students if LI ceases to deliver a course. LI acknowledges its responsibility to inform enrolled students and prospective students about its tuition assurance arrangements.

The Institute complies with the relevant sections of the Higher Education Support Act 2003 (HESA), Higher Education Standards Framework (Threshold Standards) 2021 (HESF), the Education Services for Overseas Students Act 2000 (ESOS Act), Education Services for Overseas Students Regulations (2001) and the National Code of Practice for Providers of Education and Training to Overseas Students 2018 (National Code).

SCOPE

All current and prospective students

PRINCIPLES

LI ensures that:

• clear and accurate information regarding fees and charges are in marketing material, the website and official communications such as a Letter of Offer;

• all tuition fees and other charges are reviewed annually and published in the Fee Schedule on the LI website prior to commencement of the study period. Fees for future study periods are indicative only and subject to change;

• the Fee Schedule includes relevant census dates;

• all fees are stated in and paid in Australian dollars;

• fees are subject to change. However, fees detailed in a Letter of Offer issued before the date of change will be honoured by the Institute for the unit stated in the Letter of Offer. Students repeating units will be required to pay for such units prior to the commencement of the unit/s at the prevailing rate;

• fees apply at the time the student signs or otherwise accepts the Student Agreement;

• tuition fees are payable per semester, in advance. Students must review the Student Agreement or International Student Agreement for visa holders before commencement of the course. This agreement includes payment dates and options. No students may commence studies unless tuition fees are paid or, for those students who are eligible, a FEE-HELP form has been lodged;

• LI provides tuition assurance arrangements for persons who are enrolled in an LI course. The exception to this is overseas students, who are covered under the Tuition Protection Scheme (TPS).

  
  

PAYMENT OF TUTION FEES

Domestic students (non FEE-HELP)

Fees must be paid in full by census date each semester.

International Students

The tuition fee for the first study period must be paid in full along with any applicable Overseas Student Health Cover fees prior to a Confirmation of Enrolment being issued. The standard due date for the first payment is three weeks from the date of issue of the Letter of Offer.

International students are required to pay tuition fees prior to the commencement of studies. If, after census date, a student’s tuition fees are not paid, or the student has not made alternate arrangements, then the student will be notified of the Institute’s intention to report them to the Department of Home Affairs.

For a package course, the initial course may be offered by the business partner, but the principal course must be with the Institute. International students taking package courses are required to pay the first semester’s fees for both the initial course and the principal course of their package.

Domestic FEE-HELP students

Fees are paid via the FEE-HELP loan scheme to assist eligible domestic students to pay tuition fees. FEE-HELP does not cover administrative or incidental fees. FEE-HELP requirements are as follows:

• Domestic students requesting a FEE-HELP loan must submit an electronic Commonwealth Assistance Form (eCAF) via the eCAF website in order for enrolment to be completed.

• Domestic students who intend to apply for FEE-HELP assistance must have proof of acceptance for the loan prior to the start date of the unit(s).

• Students requesting a FEE-HELP loan should have, or should apply for, a valid Tax File Number (TFN) with the Australian government. Eligible students who do not have a TFN at the time of enrolment should select the upfront payment option and may then apply for deferred payment, providing that the certificate of application to the Australian Taxation Office is supplied.

• The Institute is required to issue a Commonwealth Assistance Notice (CAN) to each Commonwealth assisted student within 28 days of the Census Date. The CAN will be sent electronically to the student’s email address. The CAN contains information about:

o  units in which a student is enrolled;

o  cost of any upfront payments made;

o  any amounts deferred to the Australian Taxation Office;

o  student learning entitlement consumed;

o  the student’s Commonwealth Higher Education Student Support Number (CHESSN), which is assigned to all students who receive Commonwealth assistance for their higher education;

o  student’s 25% FEE-HELP loan fee (for domestic full-fee paying students only).

PENALITIES FOR NON-PAYMENT OF FEES

If a student has not paid relevant fees by the payment date, and has not rectified the situation, LI may impose penalties for non-payment of fees such that students may:

• not receive academic results;

• not be permitted to enroll in current or other LI courses;

• have their access to learning resources and student services removed;

• not be permitted to graduate

• incur late fee penalties.

PENALITIES FOR NON-PAYMENT OF FEES

Students may have their enrolment cancelled if they fail to pay the required tuition fee by census date. Students who have been cancelled are removed from all enrolled courses, however enrolment may be reinstated if payment has been made within 10 working days, including any late fees.

WITHDRAWAL

Students who wish to withdraw from a unit must submit the Application for Withdrawal Form to the Registrar. Notices will not be effective until formally received by the Registrar. Students who wish to apply for a refund should refer to the Refund Policy.

APPEALS

Students wishing to appeal a decision should refer to the Complaints, Grievances, and Appeals Policy.

STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES

LI students under FEE-HELP are responsible for:

• liaising with LI staff regarding any change of circumstances that may affect their ability to complete a unit;

• withdrawing from a unit on or before the census date, as required by section 169-15(3) of the Act;

• applying for consideration of ‘special circumstances’ as soon as the ‘special circumstances’ are known.

LI RESPONSIBILITIES

The Finance Manager (or delegated representative) is responsible for:

• accepting and providing acknowledgement of receipt of the application to re-credit  FEE-HELP balance;

• advising the student of the outcome of the application within 28 days stating the reasons for the decision;

• advising the student of their rights for a review of the decision if they are not satisfied with its outcome.

The President (or delegated representative) is responsible for:

• accepting and acknowledging of receipt of an application for review of the original decision related to a -re-credit of FEE-HELP balance in writing;

• seeking all relevant information from the Finance Manager (or delegated representative) who made the original decision;

• reviewing the case within three weeks of advising the student of the decision in writing, giving the reasons for the reviewer’s decision.

STATEMENT OF TUITION ASSURANCE

Leaders Institute Pty Ltd ABN: 99 605 807 305 ACN: 605 807 305 (the first provider) must meet tuition assurance requirements for persons, other than overseas students,[1] who are enrolled in the higher education courses LI offers. This is to protect students in the event LI ceases to provide a course in which a student is enrolled.

These requirements are covered under the Higher Education Support Act 2003 (the Act) and chapter 2 of the Higher Education Provider Guidelines 2012 (the Guidelines), with which we must comply. The meaning of ‘ceasing to provide a course of study’ is set out in the Guidelines which are available from: http://www.comlaw.gov.au/Series/F2012L02136.

In the event that LI ceases to provide a course in which a student is enrolled, the student is entitled to a choice of:

1.    an offer of a place in a similar course of study with a second provider without any requirement to pay the second provider any student contribution or tuition fee for any replacement units (this is known as the ‘Course Assurance Option’).

OR

2.    a refund of the student’s up-front payments and/or re-crediting of any FEE-HELP balance for any unit of study that the student commences but does not complete because we cease to provide the course of study of which the unit forms part (this is known as the ‘Tuition Fee Repayment Option’).

LI has met the tuition assurance requirements, as specified in the Guidelines through current membership of the (Teach Out Agreement with Torrens University Australia Limited) Australian Student Tuition Assurance Scheme (the Scheme). Contact details for Torrens University Australia Limited (TAS Administrator) are:

Craig Miller

Website: www.torrens.edu.au

Email: cmiller@torrens.edu.au

Phone Number: 1300 575 803

If LI ceases to provide a course, the TAS Administrator will send the student enrolled in the course a written Tuition Assurance Offer (the Offer) advising the student of the options available under the tuition assurance requirements. The Offer will include directions that the student must follow to notify the TAS Administrator of the choice they have made for each affected unit. The TAS Administrator will provide this Offer within twenty business days after it knows, or should know by reasonable enquiries, that we have ceased to provide the course of study.

For the purposes of FEE-HELP, all courses offered by us, in accordance with the course requirements of section 104-10 of the Act, are covered by the Scheme as part of our membership of the Scheme. A student may choose either:

1.    Course Assurance Option

2.    Student Contribution/Tuition Fee Repayment Option

These options are explained below.

COURSE ASSURANCE OPTION

Under the course assurance option, a student will be offered a place in a similar course of study by the TAS Administrator. If the student accepts this option, the TAS Administrator will make all necessary arrangements to ensure the student is able to enrol with the second provider in the similar course of study. This offered course will lead to the same or a comparable qualification without any requirement on the part of the student to pay the second provider any student contribution or tuition fee for any replacement units (that is, units that the student had commenced but not completed because the course ceased to be offered). A student will receive full credit from the second provider for any units of study successfully completed at the first provider.

The second provider, nominated by the TAS Administrator, may have different contribution amounts or tuition fees to the amounts or fees the student would have paid for units of study that were part of the course of study we ceased to provide but which the student had not yet started studying.

A student is not obliged to enrol in a course of study with a second provider offered by the TAS Administrator under the Course Assurance Option. However, if the student enrols with any other HEP, there is no obligation on that provider to offer full credit transfer for the units of study completed with the first provider or to offer replacement unit/s free of charge.

STUDENT CONTRIBUTION/TUITION FEE REPAYMENT OPTION

Under the Student Contribution/Tuition Fee Repayment Option, the TAS Administrator undertakes to pay the student the total of any up-front payments already paid by the student for any units of study the student has commenced but not completed because the course ceased to be offered. Students selecting this option will also have their FEE-HELP balance re-credited for the uncompleted units.

DEFINITIONS

PROCEDURES

Fees are charged based on a student being ‘domestic’ or ‘international’. If, after census date of the study period, a student’s tuition fees are not paid or the student has not undertaken the appropriate steps to defer the payment of tuition fees through the FEE-HELP form lodgement, or the student has not made alternate arrangements, then the student’s enrolment in the unit may be automatically cancelled. The student may receive a fail grade for the unpaid unit.

In the case of international students, a letter will be sent to notify that LI will be cancelling the student’s enrolment, in which they will have 20 working days to access the complaints and appeals process. Students who are unable to pay tuition fees may choose to contact the LI Registrar and withdraw from the course or unit before the census date to avoid a fail grade.

Students with outstanding fees will not be issued an academic transcript and will not be permitted to graduate. If a student’s enrolment was cancelled due to outstanding fees, they may request to be re-enrolled; the late enrolment fee will be applied. A student whose enrolment was cancelled will carry the debt and will not be permitted to enrol until the outstanding amount has been paid in full or an agreement has been made between the student and the Institute.

Continuing students who fail to enrol by the enrolment date will be charged a late enrolment fee. This fee must be paid before enrolment will be processed. The enrolment date will be published on the LI website. Students who have difficulty making payments must make an appointment with the Registrar as soon as practicable.