Fees for Overseas Students

Tuition fees for overseas students are:

AUD$16,320 per year for for Bachelor of Social Science (Criminal Justice), Bachelor of Social Science (Public Safety) and Bachelor of Science (Security)based on two years of study.

AUD$1487 per subject for graduate courses.

International students must enrol on a full-time basis and pay fees in advance directly to the Institute. For commencing students, advance payment for at least one teaching period (trimester) must be made at the time of accepting the offer of study. For re-commencing students, advance payment for the next teaching period (trimester) must be made at the time of re-enrolment.

Students are responsible for all other costs including books and living expenses.




Fee Refunds

In accordance with the ESOS Act 2000 and Institute policy and regulations, the Australian Institute of Public Safety will refund tuition fees paid by overseas students in the situations outlined below.

Full refunds

Full refunds will be paid in the following circumstances:

A.The Institute is unable to provide the course.

B. An offer of a place is withdrawn. If however, the offer was made on the basis of incorrect or incomplete information supplied by the student, the Institute reserves the right to retain 10% of the annual fee.

C.The Institute defaults. The Institute will be in default if:
· The course does not commence on the agreed starting date; or
· The course ceases to be provided after it commences but before it is completed.

D.The student fails to meet course progression requirements and is subsequently not permitted to re enrol for the following year or continue in the next semester. The student is eligible for a full refund of pre paid tuition fees for subjects not yet attempted.

E.The student does not meet the condition(s) stated in the offer letter.

F.The student withdraws from the course to take up an offer at another institution. Proof of this offer must accompany the withdrawal application.

G.Cancellation of enrolment prior to commencement of the course due to exceptional circumstances may be accepted as grounds for a full refund of any pre paid fees, subject to provision of acceptable documentation supporting a written cancellation of enrolment prior to the March census date. Exceptional circumstances include:
· inability to obtain a student visa;
· illness or disability;
· death of the student or a close family member (parent, sibling, spouse, partner or child);
· a political, civil or natural event which prevents a student commencing their studies; or
· other special extenuating circumstances, at the discretion of the Institute.

Partial refunds

Partial refunds apply to both commencing and continuing overseas students.

It is a DIAC requirement that international students must remain with the education provider for at least the first year of the course. Students may be permitted to take Leave of Absence for a period of up to one year in very prescribed circumstances, such as illness, evidenced by a doctor’s certificate, or other exceptional compassionate circumstances beyond the control of the student, for example bereavement. If a student withdraws or suspends his/her studies on any other grounds, the Institute must report the student as not complying with visa conditions. Overseas students are not permitted to defer their studies once they have commenced the course.

If a student is not permitted by the Institute to complete a semester due to failing to meet course progression requirements, the Institute will notify DIAC and write a letter releasing the student from the obligation to remain with the Institute, and it is the student’s responsibility to contact DIAC to explain the situation and attempt to enrol in another tertiary institution in order to avoid cancellation their student visa.

Students withdrawing, taking Leave of Absence or failing during the semester may be entitled to partial refunds.

Partial Refunds are only available if:
1.an application for withdrawing or taking Leave of Absence is made in writing;
2.the application is submitted with appropriate and acceptable supporting documentation, such as a medical report or the offer letter from another course; and
3.submitted within the specified time frames.

Please note: The above requirements do not apply to students who are not permitted by the Institute to continue in the course.

Partial refunds will be available in the following circumstances:

A.The student obtains permanent residency status prior to the census dates (27 February, 19 June and 9 October) for that trimester. Such students become local students for the purposes of fee payments and are eligible for a refund of the difference between international and local fees.
When permanent residency is granted after the census dates, the student will remain an overseas student for the purposes of fee payments for the remainder of the semester in which the residency status changes.

B.Where a student is in default and there are no exceptional circumstances ie:
· The student withdraws from the course either before or after the agreed starting date; or
· The course enrolled in starts on the agreed starting date, but the student does not start the course on that day and has not previously withdrawn from the course.

C.The student fails to meet course progression requirements and is subsequently not permitted to finish a semester.

Partial Refunds are calculated according to the following time line:

1.Where a student cancels their enrolment prior to the commencement of classes, and without exceptional circumstances, the refund provided will be all the fees paid in advance for the coming year, less 10%.

2.Where a student withdraws, is offered a place in another course or takes Leave of Absence after classes have commenced but prior to the census dates in each semester, the refund will be all the fees paid in advance for the year, less half the current semester's fee.

3.Where a student withdraws, is offered a place in another course, or takes Leave of Absence after the census dates in each semester, the refund will be all the fees paid in advance for the year, less the current semester's fee.

4.Where a student is not permitted to complete a semester due to failing to meet course progression requirements, the refund will be all the fees paid in advance for the year, less half the current semester's fee.

The date which the Institute receives the letter of withdrawal or request for Leave of absence, is the date at which such withdrawal or Leave of Absence takes effect for the purposes of calculating the refund to be paid.

A separate application for refund is not required to be submitted. The acceptance of the written application to cancel enrolment, or withdraw or take Leave of Absence, will trigger the refund process.

An administration fee of AUD$500 applies to all fee refunds, except where the Institute is in default within the meaning of the ESOS Act; in which case no administrative fee is applied.

Fee refunds are paid in Australian dollars.

Who the refund is paid to
The refund will normally be made to the student, unless otherwise requested in writing by the student.

Refunds will be made in Australian dollars payable to the overseas student and sent to the overseas student’s permanent home country address, unless otherwise specified in writing. Where a refund is to be paid to a third party, this should be specified in the letter of request for a refund.

Where the tuition fee has been paid by a sponsoring body or scholarship agency, any refund payable will be made to the sponsoring body or scholarship agency.

Where an overseas student is transferring to another institution, the refund will be paid direct to the new institution, if requested in writing under the applicant’s signature and supported by production of an offer letter.

Refund procedure

Applications to cancel enrolment, withdraw or take Leave of Absence must be:
· made in writing to the Registrar, Australian Institute of Public Safety;
· received by registered mail, courier or personal delivery;
· setting out the reasons for the request; and
· accompanied by supporting documentation as appropriate.

Refunds for Institute defaults will be paid within 2 weeks of the default. All other refunds will be paid within 4 weeks of receipt of the written refund application.

Before a refund can be processed, the funds covering the tuition fee must be available to the Institute, eg: cheques cleared and telegraphic transfers received.

An overseas student who wishes to dispute the decision made regarding their refund should write to the Program Director, Australian Institute of Public Safety, in the first instance. Should the matter remain unresolved, it may be taken to ACPET, the peak body which regulates private education providers in Australia.

This policy does not preclude a student from taking legal action to recover any fees paid, including a debt action in a court of law.

This refund policy does not remove the student’s right to take further action under Australia ’s consumer protection laws.