Tuition fee, fee refund and privacy policies

Tuition fee and refund policy for international students

Fees for international students apply to persons living in Australia with temporary resident status in a study program (provided that there is no stated limitation), and persons living abroad who are not Australian citizens and do not have permanent resident status in Australia.

These Policies comply with the Education Services for Overseas Students Act (ESOS Act 2000) and Australian Vice-Chancellors’ Committee’s guidelines on fees for international students. They are subject to changes when the guidelines are reviewed by the Australian education authorities.

On-campus international students must meet Commonwealth Government guidelines for entry into Australia and enrolment at the University.

These Policies apply to all international on-campus students, irrespective of who pays the fees. They apply to commencing and continuing students and to those persons who have been offered a place in a course of study at the University.

International tuition fees are charged on a per unit basis according to the discipline cluster of the units studied. Rates will be set annually and enrolled students will be invoiced at the prevailing rate in each year of their study. Invoices will be issued each semester.

The complete version of the Fees and Refund Policy is available online through The Guide at http://theguide.deakin.edu.au.

This agreement does not remove the right to take further action under Australia’s consumer protection law or pursue other legal remedies.

Fee liability

Students who withdraw from a fee-paying course or whose enrolment in a fee-paying course is terminated or lapses, will be liable to pay the tuition fees applicable. If students transfer to a new course, including a combined course, the prevailing tuition fees apply.

General refund for new students

A general refund may be given if written notice of withdrawal from unit/s or discontinuation or intermission from a course of study is received by the University by the following dates:
Note: An administration fee of A$250 may be applied.

Degree courses—Summer Semester

No refunds are applicable for fees paid for Summer Semester studies.

Degree courses - Semesters 1 and 2

Up to March 31 for semester 1 and August 31 for semester 2, amounts paid in excess of 50% of assessed fees are refundable.

English language courses (DUELI)

The enrolment and orientation fee is non-refundable.
Refunds will not be granted after a course has commenced.
Requests for refunds received less than 28 days prior to the commencement of the course will receive a refund of fifty per cent (50%) of the tuition fee. The maximum amount retained by Deakin will not exceed 12 weeks of the published tuition fee.

Pathway programs

Some students on a pathways program pay an initial deposit on their intended future award course at Deakin at the same time as commencing a certificate or diploma course at another institution. Two Electronic confirmation of Enrolment forms (eCOEs) may be issued at this stage so that a visa is granted to cover both programs of study. This deposit may contribute to the payment of the first semester fees at Deakin if the student meets the conditions for entry to a Deakin award course.

If a student fails to qualify for entry into the Deakin award course, a full refund of the deposit may be requested. If a student meets the conditions for admission to Deakin, but notifies Deakin of an intention not to proceed with the packaged course, a retained fee equal to 10 per cent of the first semester tuition fee applies. Note: An administration fee of A$250 may be applied.

Full refund

A full refund of tuition fees paid may be given in special circumstances. Such circumstances are those beyond the control of the student or those which
make it impossible for the student to continue. The following reasons are grounds to apply for a full refund:

A student is refused a student visa by the Commonwealth Government authorities, or
an offer is withdrawn or an enrolment terminated because the University is unable to provide the course of study, or
a student withdraws from a unit on the advice of a Faculty Course Adviser and does not enrol in a replacement unit (the signature of the Faculty Course Adviser is required), or
the University changes and is unable to offer unit/s such that a student is prevented from completing the unit/s and no credit is given towards other unit/s, or
the course does not commence on the agreed start date and the student is not already withdrawn, or
the government has limited Deakin’s right to conduct courses for overseas students, or
a student is unable to fulfil the conditions of an offer or selection criteria applicable to these applicants, or
a student fails to meet progression rules and is not permitted to re-enrol, or
a student has gained Permanent Resident status prior to the University census date and has not been offered a commonwealth supported place, or
a student withdraws from a unit and enrols in a replacement unit of equal value in the same semester, or
a student provides written advice more than four weeks prior to the commencement of the English language course.

Executive discretion may be exercised to consider applications which do not comply with the above provisions but for which extraordinary circumstances may exist. An application for a refund in special circumstances must be made in writing and sent to the Manager of Fees, Division of Student Administration. Proof of payment of the fees (e.g. an official receipt) and validation of the reasons for applying for a refund will be required.

Methods of refund

New students should notify in writing to the Executive Director, Deakin International, any wish to cancel enrolment (prior to enrolment).
Enrolled students do not have to apply for a general refund. General refunds will occur automatically by completing an Enrolment Variation form. Inquiries may be made at Deakin Central.
If Deakin defaults in the provision of the course the refund will be made within two weeks of the default event.
If the student defaults the refund will be made within four weeks of the University being notified.
Refunds will be made by cheque in Australian dollars only.
Refunds may be made to a nominated person/sponsor who initially paid the student fees.

Transfer fees

Refunds in the form of a transfer of fees to another institution will not be made directly to a student. A student must provide evidence of acceptance into the applicable institution before the approved refund will be transferred. No transfers will be made to another English language teaching (ELICOS) centre.

Changes to residency status during application

Students whose residency status changes during the application process or while studying at Deakin University must notify Deakin International immediately.

If an international student gains Australian Permanent Resident status before enrolment, the student will no longer be classified as an international student. The student must reapply for admission and will therefore compete with other Australian students for either a local fee-paying place or a government-funded commonwealth supported place. If the student is successful, he/she will be liable to pay either the local tuition fee or the student contribution for the commonwealth supported place. There is no guarantee that a place will be available and commonwealth supported places are limited by a quota set by the Federal Government.
If an international student gains Australian Permanent Resident status after enrolment the student will still be classified as an international student for the remainder of that semester and will be liable for payment of fees. However the student will be considered an Australian resident for subsequent semesters and will be subject to conditions as outlined above.
Final dates for notification are March 31 for first semester and August 31 for second semester.
Any approved refund of international tuition fees will be in accordance with the refund policy. See General refund for new students.

Payment of international award course tuition fees by instalments

International students undertaking award courses are required to pay fees for the units in which they are enrolled by no later than the census date for those units. Such students, except those in their first semester of study, may pay their tuition fees by instalment subject to the following conditions:

At least fifty percent (50%) of the course tuition fees must be paid by the census date. No further invoices or final notices will be issued.
The balance of the course tuition fees may be paid progressively in any amounts and at times which suit each student provided that the total amount is paid by no later than 1 February in respect to Summer Semester units, 30 April in respect to Semester 1 units and 30 September in respect to Semester 2 units.
If a variation to an enrolment results in an increase in the amount of course tuition fees, no extensions of time will be granted for payment of the additional fees.
If a student fails to make the required payments and does not contact the University by the applicable due date/s for payment, the student’s enrolment
will be terminated.
The effective date of termination of enrolment will be the due date of the missed payment for the respective semester.
This option does not apply where a student’s fees and charges are paid by a sponsor, employer or any other person or organisation.

The conditions for payment by instalments may be viewed at http://theguide.deakin.edu.au.

This agreement does not remove the right to take further action under Australia’s consumer protection law or pursue other legal remedies.

This outline represents the current Fees and Charges Policy at time of printing. For the most recent version of the policy, please refer to the fees website.

Privacy

The personal information on this form is collected to enable Deakin University to process your application for enrolment, to assist the University in marketing and planning activities and to enable the University to meet its reporting and other obligations to government agencies. If your application is successful the information will be used to manage your academic progress, to communicate with you and to allow you to use the University’s services and facilities. Your personal information will be disclosed to government agencies pursuant to reporting and other obligations, including disclosures to the Department of Immigration and Citizenship and the Department of Education, Science and Training. Your personal information will also be disclosed to your overseas student health cover provider and, if you are under 18 years of age, to the carer appointed for you pursuant to the National Code made under the Education Services for Overseas Student Act 2000. The university will treat your personal information in accordance with the Information Privacy Act 2000 (Vic.). If personal information is not provided on the form as requested, it may not be possible for the University to process your application for enrolment. If your application is unsuccessful, it will be forwarded to Melbourne Institute of Business and Technology if you have agreed to that on the form. You may gain access to the personal information held about you by the University. Requests for access are managed in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (Vic.) and may be directed to the Manager, Freedom of Information at the University. You may view the University’s privacy policy at http://theguide.deakin.edu.au and the University’s Privacy Officer can be contacted on 03 9246 8114 or at privacy@deakin.edu.au