Student Refund Policy
TIA will provide comprehensive and appropriate withdrawal and refund conditions information prospective and enrolled international students as required by Part 2 Sections 4 of the Code of Practice for the Pastoral Care of International Students (the “Code), and Section 235A(1)(a) and (b) of the Education Act and as set out in the Education (Refund Requirements for International Students) Notice 2012, and Student Withdrawals and Refunds as stipulated by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA). All information will be either in writing or in an electronic format and clearly state the registered name of TIA and be accurate in description of services provided in accordance with the Consumer Guarantees Act 1993. All information will be reviewed for accuracy, relevance and currency no less than annually. This policy was reviewed in 2024 to realign with the changes to student fee protection requirements as detailed in NZQA’s Fact Sheet issued on 2023.
NZQA STUDENT FEE REFUND POLICY
TIA will adhere to NZQA’s student fee refund whereby ‘Students who withdraw from a course at a PTE within the statutory refund period are entitled to a fee refund. If a student withdraws during the statutory period, PTE’s are entitled to retain a portion of the fees. The portion of the fees refunded to a student and the portion retained by the PTE is dependent upon whether the student is international or domestic, and on the length of the course the student is enrolled in.
NZQA policy states that ‘The statutory refund period for international students studying courses that are three months or longer in duration is 10 working days from the day the student is first required to attend.
TIA defines ‘from the day the student is first required to attend’ as either
The course start date where the student holds a interim or student or other valid visa to commence their study or
The date of issuance of an interim or student or other valid visa which permits the student to legally commence their study after the course start date.
TIA STUDENT FEE REFUND POLICY
Where NZQA’s statutory refund and withdrawal policy is no longer applicable, TIA will implement its own internal discretionary policy for refunds for international and domestic students.
TIA’s internal discretionary policy for refunds for international students is effective from:
- the third working day for international students enrolled on a course for less than five weeks
- the sixth working day for international students enrolled on a course for more than five weeks and less than three months
- the eleventh working day for international students enrolled on a course for more than three months
TIA’s internal discretionary policy for refunds for domestic students is effective from:
- the third working day for domestic students enrolled on a course of up to four weeks or six days or less
- the sixth working day for domestic students enrolled on a course of five weeks or more but less than three months
- the ninth working day for domestic students enrolled on a course of more than three months