Full terms and conditions are outlined in the SURFCiTY College Student Handbook

Cost
Unassessed: $150 per subject
Assessed: download application form

Payment of Fees: Overview

All fees are to be paid in full in advance. Where full payment cannot be made in advance the student can sign an agreement with the College enabling him/her to make weekly payments. All weekly payments must be made in advance of the week of study.

Non-Assessed students are required to pay a minimum of $20 before receiving a manual.

PAYMENT OF FEES – Australian Students

Students will be issued with an invoice prior to the commencement of their studies each term.

Australian Students have two options to make payment.

Option 1: Pay each term fees in advance, at the start of each term

Fulltime students: Where a fulltime student chooses to pay each term’s fees in advance ($1050) the follow process takes place: Prior to the commencement of study the student is required to pay $100 (in addition to their application fee). No earlier than at the conclusion of week one the student is required to pay the balance of the fees owing for that term, that is $950.

Part time students: Part time students can make full advance payment of their fees, in one single payment, should they desire.

Option 2: Progress Payments

The following is for fulltime and part time students:
We recognise that not all students are able to pay fees in advance, therefore a student can request to make progress payments, should they desire. Where this is the case the student must complete the PaySmart Direct Debit Form before the start of their studies. This form is available from the Head of Student Services.

Progress payments can only be made by the student entering into a direct debit agreement with PaySmart – a company charged by the College to collect students fees, where a student has chosen to pay progressively.

The College recognises the following factors in the student making progress payments:

Some students wish to pay larger, regular amounts of fees so that their debt is paid off sooner,
Some students wish to make smaller regular payments over a longer period.
Some students wish to pay their fees in weekly payments
Some students wish to pay their fees in fortnightly payments.

In recognition of this, the amount the student wishes to have debited from their nominated account and the frequency by which payments are made will vary from student to student. The amount to be debited from the student’s account and whether payment is made fortnightly or weekly is to be discussed with the Head of Students Services and approved by the Principal prior to the student being issued with the PaySmart agreement.

Changes can be made to the amount the student pays at any time, with no additional fee.

Students should note the following admin fees charged by PaySmart to the student for each direct debit payment. This fee is added to the amount deducted from the student’s account at the time of each payment.

Initial, one-off set up fee of $11.00
Weekly payments $1.30
Fortnightly payments $1.95

Students should indicate on their application form their preferred method of payment.

Failure to pay fees will be regarded as grounds for expulsion from the College. Direct debit payments continue until all fees are paid, even in the event that the student has ceased study but still has outstanding fees.

PAYMENT OF FEES – International Students

Overseas students are not required to pay tuition fees in advance. In accordance with the Education Services for Overseas Students Act, the college has elected to collect fees from overseas students in arrears. International Students are expected to begin making payments on their fees from the fifth week of term onwards.

Only the following payment method is available to International Students:

Payment of $525 due at the conclusion of week five of each term.
Payment of $105 due each week for the five weeks following, using the PaySmart system listed above (see ‘Option 2: Progress Payment’ in the Australian Students section of Payment of Fees).

If a students wishes to study in the following term, all outstanding fees must be paid.

REFUND POLICY
SURFCiTY College operates an equitable refund policy, guaranteeing the refund of fees to Students in the event of course cancellation or of Student withdrawal for good reason. In reference to this policy, the following procedures are to be applied on a term-by-term basis.

PROCEDURE

A. College training cancellation
In the unlikely event that SURFCiTY College is unable to deliver your course in full, SURFCiTY College will transfer your enrolment to an alternative course, at no extra cost to you, with the Paradise College of Ministries.
Australian students will be entitled to a full refund or transfer of funds to another course, or future course.

B. Student withdrawal.
In the case of Student withdrawal for good reason, the College seeks to:
1. Provide the Student with counselling – in the first instance to see if an alternative to withdrawal is to be found. It would be appropriate at that stage for the College to ask the Student to provide a medical certificate and/or a letter from the Student’s pastor detailing the reasons for withdrawal.
2. Request for Refund must be made on the appropriate ‘Refund Request Form’ which can be downloaded from the College website or obtained from Head of Student Services.
3. When approval for refund has been granted by the College Financial Controller then the Financial Controller will make cheque out to Student within working 7 days. Refunds need to be paid to the person who entered into the contract unless that person gives written permission for it to be paid to someone else.
4. If withdrawal is confirmed than the following pro-rata refunds would apply:

Withdrawal prior to the start of the first class:
No fee or academic penalty. (Full refund of fees paid in advance).

Withdrawal during week 1 of the term:
$20 administration fee per subject to cover the cost of manuals provided.
No academic penalty (full refund of fees paid in advance).

Withdrawal during week 2 of the term:
$15.00 administrative fee levied per subject.
Refund of 7/8 (87.5%) of fees paid.
No academic penalty.

Withdrawal during week 3 of the term:
$10.00 administrative fee levied per subject.
Refund of ¾ (75%) of fees paid.
No academic penalty.

Withdrawal during week 4 of the term
$5.00 administrative fee levied per subject.
Refund of ½ (50%) of fees paid.
No academic penalty

Withdrawal during weeks 5-following of the term
No refund given, Student awarded a Competency Not Yet Achieved Result.

5. NB: In the event that a Student leaves college without having paid fees he/she will still be responsible for the fees owing, plus the administration fees due, according to the incremental basis outlined above. For example, in the event that the Student withdraws during the fifth week or later without paying fees, that Student will still be responsible to pay full fees and will be billed accordingly.
5.1 Where a student leaves the college without informing the college and has entered into a PaySmart agreement. The college will not cancel the agreement until all outstanding fees have been paid, the end of the college term, or written notice has been received of the student’s cessation of study, whichever the most applicable based on the refund policy’s pro-rata system.
6. Any disputes regarding refunds can be submitted via the college Complaints policy.
7. This agreement, and the availability of complaints and appeals processes, does not remove the right of the student to take action under Australia’s consumer protection laws.

Students wishing to apply for a refund should complete the Refund Application Form available from the College Website or the Head of Student Services and lodge the form to the Head of Student Services.

All monies received for a particular term’s fees, are to be kept in a separate account and not accessed until the term commences. At the financial manager’s discretion, a relevant proportion, no less than 10% of that actually collected at the start of the term, of a particular term’s fees needs to remain in the account until the fifth week of the term to ensure pro-rata refunds for eligible Students.