Fees, Charges and Refunds Policy

ALL STUDENTS

8. Tuition fees are subject to annual review as approved by the Board of Directors of NTI. All fees printed in brochures and other collaterals are indicative and subject to annual increases.

9. Up-to-date tuition fees and other charges are available on the NTI website. It is the responsibility of the student to ensure that they are aware of NTI’s information regarding tuition fees and charges as published.

10. Tuition fees are charged according to the approved tuition fees for the student’s program of study, and the student’s subject enrolment.

11. Changes to tuition fees may occur through:

a) Deferral of an offer

b) Transfer from one course to another, including change in delivery mode

c) Changes to residency or citizenship status

12. Tuition fees are charged per subject. Where a student remains enrolled in a subject(s) after Census Date, they are required to pay for the subject(s).

13. To withdraw from an enrolled subject, students are required to complete the Subject Withdrawal Form located on the Student Portal. Students will receive the following correspondence from NTI:

a) Automatic email confirmation upon successful submission of the form; and

b) Confirmation email from the Student Services Office when the subject withdrawal has been processed.

14. All students will be charged the full amount for Repeating Subjects.

15. Any payments received by NTI towards a student fee account will first be applied to the oldest outstanding charge by due date.

16. In addition to tuition fees, other fees and charges associated with study at NTI are outlined in the Fees and Charges Register included in this Policy.

17. Full fee-paying students who experience difficulty paying their tuition fee by the due date may be granted permission to pay their fees by installments.

18. Students requesting installment payments must do so in writing via the Student Service Office. Failure to meet payment installment dates will result in a late payment fee and/or cancellation of enrollment.

19. All eligible refunds will be paid to students net of banking fees incurred.

Penalties for Late Payment and Non-Payment

20. Where a student has an overdue debt with NTI, and has failed to pay part or all of their tuition fees by the due date, NTI may apply penalties at its discretion, including:

a) Cancellation of enrolment

b) Prevention of enrolment in subsequent subjects

c) Access withdrawn to NTI services including classes, NTiLeanr, Email, Library, Insurance, etc.

d) Restrict release of official documentation

e) Restrict release on final subject results

f) Exclusion from conferral/graduation

g) Late payment fees

h) Employment of a debt recovery agent to recover the unpaid outstanding tuition fees

21. If a student’s enrolment is cancelled due to non-payment of fees, payment of all outstanding amounts including the reinstatement of enrolment fee, is required prior to enrolment being reinstated.

22. Reinstatement charges are non-refundable and can only be refunded if it is determined that an administrative error was made by an NTI officer.

23. Appeals against cancellation and late payment fees must be submitted in writing via the Student Service Office within 20 working days of the penalty notice.

DOMESTIC STUDENTS

Payment Options

24. Domestic students may be eligible to apply for a FEE-Help Loan in accordance with the Higher Education Support Act 2003, to defer their tuition fee.

25. FEE-Help applications must be lodged, prior to Census Date, via the Electronic Commonwealth Assistance Form (eCAF)

26. For further information regarding FEE-Help, students are referred to:

a) FEE-Help Information Booklet

b) Study Assist

27. NTI has the right to defer tuition fees to a FEE-Help Loan post Census Date if a domestic student has provided a valid Tax File Number (TFN) and permission for NTI to use the TFN.

28. The 50% pass-rate applies to students who began their current enrolment on or after 1 January 2018 and apply for FEE-Help. This means once eight or more subjects in bachelor and above level have been undertaken, students must have passed at least 50% of their total attempted units to remain eligible for FEE-Help.

29. Undergraduate students may incur a 25% loan fee, calculated against the amount of FEE-Help a student is receiving for a subject. The loan fee is added to the student’s HELP debt.

30. Where tuition fees are not deferred to a FEE-Help Loan they must be paid in full to NTI within two weeks from the Census Date of each subject(s) the student is enrolled in, except in circumstances where students have confirmation of installment payments from the Student Services Office.

31. In accordance with the issued invoice and Letter of Offer, domestic students enrolling in the Mental Health programs must pay a non-refundable enrolment fee (listed in the Fees and Charges Register) prior to beginning study. This enrolment fee cannot be deferred via FEE-Help loan.

Commonwealth Assistance Notice (CAN)

32. A Commonwealth Assistance Notice (CAN) is a statement of enrolment and a record of a student’s use of Commonwealth Assistance for a study period.

33. NTI will forward the CAN to students who access FEE-Help no later than 28 days after the Census Date.

34. Students have 14 days from the issue date of the CAN to advise NTI if they believe there is an error in their CAN. NTI will amend the CAN if investigation confirms that it is inaccurate.

35. A domestic student’s enrolment will be cancelled if:

a) They fail to make full payment within two weeks from Census Date, or

b) Citizenship and residency eligibility are failed, or

c) They have selected to defer tuition fees via FEE-Help and failed to:  

i. meet mandatory valid TFN requirements, or

ii. provide a Certificate of Application or Application Summary for a TFN

36. A domestic student whose enrolment has been cancelled may only be reinstated once payment of all fees is made in accordance with point 21 of this policy.

Refunds for Domestic Students

37. Students will be liable to pay the full tuition fee for any course/subject(s) in which they remain enrolled in after the respective Census Dates in accordance with point 12 of this policy. 

38. Students are not eligible to apply for a refund of tuition fees if they have successfully completed their subject(s).

39. NTI will refund prepaid tuition fees to domestic students under the following circumstances.

40. To apply for a refund of tuition fees, students must complete a Refund Request Form attached to this Policy, then email the completed form to the Student Services Office.

41. To apply for a refund of tuition fees due to special circumstances, refer to section Special Circumstances.

42. Students are eligible for a refund of any unallocated credit in accordance with the process outlined in section Forfeiture of Fees & Charges of this policy.

43. Under the Higher Education Support Act 2003, NTI must contact students regarding credit held in a student account and not allocated to subject(s). Students can elect to have the credit refunded or remain in their account for future subject(s).

44. Where NTI is not able to refund the credit to the student and the student makes no contact with NTI, the credit is forfeited in accordance with section Forfeiture of Fees & Charges of this policy.

INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

45. Tuition fees for International students are governed by the National Code of Practice for Providers of Education and Training to Overseas Students 2018 under the Education Services to Overseas Students (ESOS) Act 2000.

46. In accordance with the issued invoice and Letter of Offer, students must pay the first semester’s tuition fee, plus non-refundable enrolment fee (listed in the Fees and Charges Register) prior to beginning study.

Cancellation of Enrolment

47. Students will be liable to pay the full tuition fee for any subject(s) in which they remain enrolled in after the respective Census Dates in accordance with point 12 of this policy.

48. An International student will instigate the enrolment cancellation process in accordance with the National Code of Practice for Providers of Education and Training to Overseas Students 2018 and the NTI Student Enrolment Policy if they fail to make the full required tuition payment.

49. Upon a successful appeal of a cancellation of enrolment, students will be reinstated if they pay all outstanding tuition fees as well as outstanding late payment and reinstatement fees.

50. Students who fail to have their enrolment reinstated in accordance with point 49 of this policy and the NTI Student Enrolment Policy will not be permitted to be reinstated into the course of study from which they were cancelled. These students will have their change in enrolment status reported to the Department of Home Affairs (DHA).

51. Students are responsible for seeking advice from DHA on the potential impact on their student visa.

Refunds for International Students

52. Students are not eligible to apply for a refund of tuition fees if they have successfully completed their subject(s).

53. NTI will refund prepaid tuition fees to international students under the following circumstances.

54. To apply for a refund of tuition fees, students must complete a Refund Request Form attached to this Policy, then email the completed form to the Student Services Office.

55. To apply for a refund of tuition fees due to special circumstances, refer to section Special Circumstances of this policy.

56. Students are eligible for a refund of any unallocated credit in accordance with the process outlined in section Forfeiture of Fees & Charges of this policy.

57. For approved refunds, NTI will process a refund to the original payment source made by the student within 28 days of the student making the claim. Students must provide the original bank account details from which the payment was made.

58. Where NTI is not able to refund the credit to the student and the student makes no contact with NTI, the credit is forfeited in accordance with section Forfeiture of Fees & Charges of this policy.

SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES

59. For student(s) seeking a refund of tuition fees based on the existence of special circumstances NTI must be satisfied that the circumstances that apply to the student:

a) is beyond the student's control, and

b) did not make their full impact on the student until on, or after, the Census Date, and

c) made it impracticable for the student to complete the requirements of the subject(s).

60. Special circumstances may include medical, compassionate, extenuating or course-related circumstances.

61. Medical circumstances may include illness or injury, hospitalization, treatment programs, exacerbation of existing medical conditions or disability, resulting in a student's medical condition changing to such an extent that they are unable to continue studying. The application must be accompanied by an original medical certificate or certified copy.

62. Compassionate circumstances may include loss or bereavement, such as the death of a family member, immediate relative or close friend, or family relationship breakdown, or hardship or trauma, such as sudden loss of income or employment, significant disruption to domestic arrangements, or being the victim of a crime.

63. Extenuating circumstances may include substantial unplanned carer's responsibilities to members of their immediate family or household, legal commitments, military service, accident or natural disasters.​​​​

64. Course-related circumstances may include changes made by NTI to the course, so the student is disadvantaged by not being able to complete a course/subject in which they had enrolled and not receiving credit towards another subject.

65. Special circumstances do not include, for example:

a) lack of knowledge or understanding of this Policy, visa conditions or Commonwealth legislation; or

b) a failure to correctly follow NTI Policies and Procedures; or

c) a student’s incapacity to repay a FEE-Help loan debt.

66. Supporting documentation of Special Circumstances must be submitted to the Student Services Office with the Refund Request Form in English, or be a certified and signed translation, and must be the original document or a certified copy.

67. All supporting documentation must include the exact dates of the event or circumstance and how this will impact on the student's capacity to study.

68. Submission of fraudulent documentation will be regarded as serious misconduct and handled in accordance with the Student Misconduct Policy. The matter may be referred to the Police, ICAC and/or the Department of Home Affairs.

69. Where a student remains enrolled in a subject after Census Date but does not successfully complete the subject, including a fail grade, NTI may refund tuition fees already paid or remove a FEE-Help debt incurred in relation to the subject if:

a) NTI is satisfied that the student has demonstrated, with independent supporting documentation that special circumstances apply to the student, and

b) the student has submitted a completed Refund Request Form to NTI; and

c) either:

i. the Refund Request Form and special circumstances supporting documentation is received by NTI within 12 months of the end of the study period for that subject(s); or

ii. NTI waives the timeframe at point 69.c.i. based on the student being able to demonstrate with independent supporting documentation that they were incapable of completing the Refund Request Form and special circumstances supporting documentation before the end of that period.

70. Refunds will be assessed upon receipt of a completed application by the relevant authority according to NTI’s Delegations Policy.

71. The Student Service Office will advise students of the refund outcome in writing within 28 days from when the completed Refund Request Form and supporting documentation was received by NTI.

72. Approved refunds will be processed in alignment with the original payment method. This may be as a payment to the student, or remission of FEE-Help loan incurred.

73. A student may appeal the decision. For an appeal to be considered, the student must:

a) Submit a written statement to the Student Services Office fully outlining the reason for the appeal within 28 days from the notice of the decision, and

b) Provide new and substantial evidence that has not previously been considered, and

c) Include documentary evidence to support the appeal.

74. Under section 209-10 Higher Education Support Act 2003, students have 28 days to apply to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) for a review of the appeal decision made by NTI. Information about a review of an appeal is provided within the decision advice sent by NTI.

75. Where a student has paid tuition fees upfront, and did not request FEE-Help assistance, the student has a right to raise a complaint with the NSW Ombudsman regarding the outcome of an appeal. This information is set out in the decision advice sent to students.

FORFEITURE OF FEES & CHARGES

76. Unallocated credit will be held in student accounts for the latter of 12 months from the valid Letter of Offer, or from the Census Date of their last subject enrolment.

77. NTI will attempt to contact the student regarding any unallocated credit held in the student’s account. The student can elect to have the credit allocated to future subjects or refunded back to the student.

78. NTI will redirect the funds accordingly, upon receiving instructions from the student within the timeframe outlined at point 76. The student will need to complete and lodge a Refund Request Form to the Student Services Office.

79. Any remaining unallocated credit remaining in the student’s account after the period at point 76 will be forfeited to NTI as the beneficial owner of such funds and will no longer be available for use by the student.

ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES

80. It is the responsibility of the Student Services Office to administer student fees, including refunds according to this Policy.

81. It is the responsibility of the student to ensure they comply with the obligations outlined in this Policy regarding their specific situation and, where relevant, provide appropriate documentation to enable reasonable and fair assessment of their situation/request.

​​​​​​​82. Further NTI authority is outlined in the NTI staff Delegations Policy.