Course fees and withdrawals

Your education provider must inform you of the total costs of your course.

If you decide to change your course, getting your money back will normally only be possible if you advise the education provider very early into your course.

This often means you must inform them by the end of the first week of the course.

The education provider will provide information about rules that apply:

• if you decide to withdraw from a course
• if the education provider wishes to stop providing tuition in your subject
• if you request a refund of your fees
• to protect the fees you have paid, if the education provider closes or cancels your course.

If you withdraw from a course and believe that the education provider did not follow its rules, you can make a formal complaint.

If you are considering withdrawal after locating a much cheaper education provider, you should try and talk to an ex-student to find out if the cheaper education provider is as good as the one you are already enrolled with.

If a course stops before it is scheduled to, you will be given assistance to find a place in a similar course at another education provider.

If you decide not to continue your studies with the alternative education provider, you may be offered a refund of the unused portion of your fees.

If you are studying with a Private Training Establishment (PTE)
All Private Training Establishments (this includes English language schools) have a trust account that your fees are paid into.

If you withdraw from your course, you may be entitled to have some of your money reimbursed in the following ways:

• If the course runs for three months or more and you withdraw before the end of the eighth day from the start of the course, the PTE must refund an amount equal to the fees paid, minus a deduction of either ten percent of the fees paid or $500, whichever is the lesser.

International students are also entitled to a refund if they withdraw from a course that is less than three months in duration, if:

• for a course of up to four weeks and six days duration, the withdrawal occurs before the end of the second day from the start of the course. For these courses, the PTE must pay an amount equal to the fees paid, less a deduction of 50 percent. However, if the student has only paid for up to two days of tuition, the PTE may retain 100 percent of the payment.

• for a course of five weeks or more but less than three months in duration, the withdrawal must occur before the end of the fifth day from the start of the course. In this case, the PTE must pay an amount equal to the fees paid, less a deduction of 25 percent.

Students are entitled to a refund in line with a PTE's own refund policy. This may allow for amounts greater than those referred to above.

In special circumstances a PTE may also elect to make a refund that is greater than specified in its refund policy.

If you withdraw from your course outside the times identified above, any money you receive back will depend on the particular PTE’s policies.