Refund policy

STUDENT FEE PROTECTION, WITHDRAWAL & REFUND POLICY

Responsibility: CEO Review: Governance & Management Team

Policy Purpose

To provide clear factors that will be considered to ensure that student fees paid in advance are protected and can be made available in accordance with the AromaScience Student Fee Protection, Withdrawal and Refund Policy.

Background

These Rules are made under:

Education and Training Act 2020

Privacy Act 2020

Education (Pastoral Care of Tertiary and International Learners) Code of Practice 2021

NZQA Private Training Establishment Registration Rules 2022

Micro-credential Approval and Accreditation Rules 2022

Policy Statement

Student Fee Protection (SFP) protects the interests of domestic students studying at AromaScience Training, especially if AromaScience Training stops offering a Micro-credential that students have enrolled in.

This policy clarifies AromaScience Training’s position for protecting and refunding student fees for domestic learners only.

AromaScience Training does not enrol and therefore receive fees from international learners, as it is not a signatory to the Code for Pastoral Care of International Students.

Policy Procedure

AromaScience Training have a Student Fee Protection (SFP) mechanism in place with Public Trust, Fee Protection for Training Providers. We follow compliance by the following:

Receiving fees from and on behalf of individual learners for courses over $500 including GST, will be deposited into the Public Trust account.

To accept an individual domestic learner on a course with fees over $500 including GST

Fees

All fees and charges are payable in advance, unless otherwise negotiated and agreed in writing with AromaScience Training.
The Public Trust establishes a Fees Protect account for each learner and all fees are paid into the Public Trust, which is an NZQA approved Independent Trustee or supplier.
AromaScience Training advises learners that they are to deposit all fees directly to the Public Trust and this is communicated on all the enrolment material.
Where student fees are paid to AromaScience Training by or on behalf of learners either directly or via the website those fees must be deposited directly into the standard trust account of the Public Trust by close of business on the following working day. This is not negotiable.
Fees that are paid via the website, incur a charge from shopify. When the fees have been released, they go into a savings account, where they are then directly transferred to the student in Public Trust.
Refund of fees in the case of withdrawal from AromaScience Training programmes and courses are made in accordance with the Education Amendment Act (2020) and the Student Fee Protection Rules 2013 detailed below.
Standard trust to protect fees

Programme start and end dates recorded with Public Trust are correct and in line with the student management system Wisenet for each of our students starting on the cohort throughout the year.

If the programme duration has to be extended due to unforeseen circumstances e.g., World Pandemic or any other urgent matter, AromaScience Training advises Public Trust of the new end date.

If the programme start was delayed because of unforeseen circumstances e.g., World Pandemic, AromaScience Training advises Public Trust of the altered programme start and end dates.

If programme delivery was suspended for a period of time, student accounts will be frozen for that period. If this was not done at the time, AromaScience Training would work with Public Trust to update the programme dates and repay any over-drawn funds.

The SFP Rules require PTEs to repay any over-drawn funds to the Trust by the end of the business day following the day on which the shortfall was identified.

When students deposit their fees into the trust account, AromaScience Training draws down the fees gradually, as the student progresses through their course. These drawdowns happen when the student’s ‘refund period’ finishes, and the rest of the drawdowns happen at regular intervals (the beginning of each month) until the student finishes their course.

Drawdowns

The standard trust has control over what drawdowns are paid to AromaScience Training provides public trust information about its students (start and finish date, fees paid etc.), so that Public Trust can make sure that enough money is being protected at all times.

How will unforeseen circumstances e.g., World Pandemic affect PTEs’ drawdowns from a standard trust?

AromaScience Training can keep delivering its courses to students using online delivery, therefore our drawdowns can continue as usual.

If, however, a World Pandemic for example, caused a lock down period of over 6 months AromaScience Training would not be affected, due to the on-line delivery of the Micro-credential. Extensions would be given under the circumstances, thus affecting the end dates of our courses. AromaScience Training would inform Public Trust and NZQA of such changes.

Refund entitlements of domestic students

4.1. This applies to a domestic student who:

(a) Is enrolled at AromaScience Training for all or part of a programme of more than 3 months duration and

(b) Withdraws from that programme within the refund period.

4.2. The student is entitled to a refund of the payment (or the sum of any payments) made by the student in respect of the Micro-credential that exceeds $500 or 10% of the amount of that payment or the sum of those payments, whichever is the lesser.

4.3. AromaScience Training must:

(a) Allow every domestic student enrolled in a Micro-credential that is of less than 3 months duration to withdraw from it within a period (being less than 7 days) specified by NZQA and

(b) Refund to every domestic student who so withdraws a minimum amount or proportion, specified by NZQA, of any payments made by the student to the establishment in respect of the Micro-credential.

4.4. If the student withdraws from the Micro-credential within the refund period, the independent trustee must refund all payments made to it by the AromaScience Training in respect of the Micro-credential. Either:

(a) To the trustee of the student’s new education provider or

(b) If the fee has been paid for by student loan, to MSD or

4.5. When the refund period, in relation to any fees paid by or on behalf of a student, has expired:

(a) The fees paid must continue to be held in trust by the independent trustee and AromaScience Training must be paid from the trust in the manner prescribed in the rules made under section 452 or

(b) AromaScience Training may, if NZQA approves, make alternative arrangements in relation to the fees paid.

Students at AromaScience Training have a ‘refund period’ for their course. The refund period depends on the duration of the course. Refund periods range from two calendar days to ten working days.

If a student withdraws after the refund period for their course has ended, they are not entitled to any refund unless for compassionate reasons. This is determined on a case-by-case basis.

If a student withdraws before the end of the refund period, the refund amount depends on the duration of the course. These amounts are explained on the attached chart.

The refund is returned to its source.

If a student wants to withdraw from their course because of unforeseen circumstances e.g. World Pandemic, would they get a refund?

If AromaScience Training keeps delivering the student’s course, the same refund entitlements as usual apply. In other words, if the student’s refund period has ended, AromaScience Training doesn’t have to give the student a refund if the student chooses to withdraw. However, AromaScience Training will consider compassionate reasons on a case-by-case basis.

AromaScience Training refund decisions would take into consideration:

Changes that have had to be made to the course and, in particular, the extent to which the changed delivery meets the contractual obligations that AromaScience Training committed to when the student first enrolled.
Any barriers to the student engaging fully with the course in its changed format (technology, caring responsibilities, literacy, disability, or personal issues).
Changes to the student’s personal circumstances as a result of unforeseen circumstances e.g., World Pandemic, (illness, loss of employment, AromaScience Training circumstances, reduced income, mental health).
If a student chooses to withdraw before their expected start date (or any time before their refund period ends), AromaScience Training could consider giving a higher refund because of global unforeseen circumstances e.g., World Pandemic. This might mean, for example, giving the student a full refund including the proportion that AromaScience Training would usually be allowed to keep.
Possibilities other than withdrawal, such as the student putting their studies on hold or changing to a different course. If the student agrees to put their studies on hold, the fees would be held in trust until the student recommences their studies.

Learner Withdrawal
The following table: Learner Withdrawals sets out AromaScience Training withdrawal and refund policy, when a student withdraws from a Micro-credential.
Where resources have been supplied by AromaScience Training and the student withdraws within the relevant refund period (in the table below), AromaScience Training requires the learner to return the resources in their original condition. If the resources are not returned within 5 working days, AromaScience Training will deduct the cost of the resources from any refund.

Table: Learner Withdrawals

Duration of course or programme	Before the start of the course	During the refund period	After the refund period
2 days or less	Deduction 10% or $500 whichever is the lesser	No refund after course start	No refund after course start
More than two days and up to four weeks and six days	Deduction 10% or $500 whichever is the lesser	During first two days – less 20% or $3000 whichever is the lesser *(Refund period – 2 days*)	No refund
More than five weeks but less than three months	Deduction 10% or $500 whichever is the lesser	During the first five days 20% of the Tuition Fees, or $3,000, whichever is the lesser *(Refund Period – 5 days)*	No refund
More than three months	Full refund less 10% or $500 whichever is the lesser	Up to the end of the seventh day from the first day of the course from which attendance is required – full refund of tuition fees less 10% or $500 whichever is the lesser *(Refund period – 7 days*)	No refund

Refunds following withdrawal will be made as follows: For students aged 18 years and over, refunds will only be made to learners who enrolled with proof of identity or to another party nominated by the learner.
Permanent PTE and Course Closures

Will a student get a refund it their course (or PTE) closes permanently because of unforeseen circumstances e.g. World Pandemic?

If AromaScience Training or some of its courses have to close permanently, NZQA will work with AromaScience Training and Public Trust to make sure that students receive a refund for the remaining portion of their study.

Where AromaScience Training voluntarily closes or ceases to offer a Micro-credential in which students are enrolled, AromaScience Training and the Public Trust will ensure at least the amount of a pro rata refund is made for the affected learners within five working days from the date of the closure or cessation, unless NZQA permits a longer period.

Where NZQA gives notice to the Public Trust and AromaScience Training of a course closure event of AromaScience Training, AromaScience Training mechanism(s) will be triggered, requiring Pro Rata Refunds to be made to students affected by the course closure event.

Calculations of a pro rata refund will be made as set out in Appendix C of the Student Fee Protection Rules 2013.

Where a Course Closure Event is due to a natural disaster any notice by NZQA under Rule 7.1 (No. 6 above) will not take effect where:

The Course resumes before the start of the 11^th working day after the date of the notice and
Each learner is notified by AromaScience Training within five working days from the date of the notice of the right to opt out of the course. And where the learner does opt out within 20 working days of the date of the notice, a pro rata refund is made to the student for the remaining Tuition Fees, calculated from the time the learner ceased attending.