Fees, Charges and Refunds Policy

Purpose

This policy sets out how National Institute of Vocational Studies Pty Ltd, trading as Building Institute NSW, sets, discloses, collects and refunds fees and charges. It is designed to make sure:

• students know the full cost of their training, how and when to pay, and the refund rules, before they enrol or pay anything
• fees are fair, transparent and applied consistently to all students and all training pathways
• students are only charged for services that have been provided or made available to them
• prepaid fees are protected in line with section 18 of the Compliance Standards
• refund decisions are fair, timely, explained in writing and consistent with the Australian Consumer Law (ACL)
• students experiencing hardship are supported to continue their training where possible.

Scope

This policy applies to:

• all prospective and current students
• employers and other people or organisations who may pay fees on a student’s behalf
• All governing persons, staff, contractors, external service providers and any person or organisation engaged with Building Institute NSW when collecting, recording fee and refunding transactions

Definitions

Policy Principles

Student Rights

Building Institute NSW’s services come with automatic guarantees to protect students’ rights and interests

Students are entitled to services that are:

• provided with due care and skill
• fit for the purpose of the training as described
• delivered within a reasonable or agreed time.

If Building Institute NSW fails to start a scheduled course, ends a course early, or delivers training that is materially different from what was described or agreed, the student is entitled to a remedy. Depending on how serious the failure is, this may include having the problem fixed at no cost, a full refund, a refund for services not received, or compensation.

These rights apply in addition to the refund conditions in this policy. Nothing in this policy, the Statement of Fees or any enrolment agreement limits them.

Fee Structure

The total cost of a course is made up of the components below. The amount of each component, and the price of each unit, is shown in the student’s Statement of Fees.

The allocation of 70% to tuition and 30% to assessment reasonably reflects the proportion of Building Institute NSW’s costs attributable to each service. It provides a consistent and fair basis for calculating refunds where a student withdraws part-way through a unit, taking into account services delivered, costs reasonably incurred and the student’s applicable refund rights.

Fees for a student’s current enrolment will not be increased after the Statement of Fees has been issued. Any change to published fees applies only to new enrolments.

Fee Disclosure, Payment and Prepaid Fee Protection

7.1 Disclosure before enrolment

The Statement of Fees forms part of the pre-disclosure information and is given to the prospective student before they enrol or pay any fee. It sets out:

• the total course cost
• the payment schedule, showing instalment amounts and due dates
• accepted payment methods
• any non-refundable amounts and when they are non-refundable
• any government subsidy, concession or co-contribution, and how enrolment may affect the student’s future eligibility and the student's obligations
• any equipment, materials or other costs the student must meet themselves
• the refund conditions, or a link to this policy.

7.2 When fees are invoiced and paid

Fees are invoiced and collected in line with the pre-enrolment and enrolment flowcharts:

The student, or the person paying, confirms in writing in the Confirmation of Enrolment that they have received and understood the Statement of Fees before any tuition payment is accepted.

7.3 Prepaid fee protection

Section 18 of the Compliance Standards requires an RTO that receives prepaid fees of more than $1,500 from or on behalf of a student for the same course to have a fee protection arrangement in place. This can be an unconditional bank guarantee from a bank operating in Australia, current membership of a tuition assurance scheme, or another measure approved by the National VET Regulator.

Unless Building Institute NSW has such an arrangement, it structures every payment schedule so that at no time does it hold more than $1,500 in prepaid fees from or on behalf of a student for services not yet provided in the same course. This means:

• the deposit and any upfront payment never exceed $1,500
• further instalments fall due only as services are provided, so the amount held in advance is reduced before the next instalment is collected
• a student may pay ahead of the schedule only if the total prepaid amount held stays at or below $1,500
• the Student Enrolment Officer checks prepaid balances each month and reports any amount above the limit to the CEO, who arranges a refund or adjusts the schedule straight away.

7.4 Payment methods

Payments can be made by bank transfer. A receipt is issued for every payment.

7.5 Employers and other payers

Where an employer or another person pays the fees, the Statement of Fees and invoices are issued to the payer and the same prepaid fee limit applies. Refunds are paid to the payer. The student is told who is paying and what happens if the payer stops paying or the student leaves that employment.

When Services Are Considered Provided

Refunds are calculated on the services that have been provided or made available. A service is considered provided when:

To make sure students are only charged for what they receive:

• online units are released progressively, rather than all at once
• the dates on which each unit’s tuition and assessment services were made available are recorded in the Learning Management System.

Refund Conditions

9.1 If Building Institute NSW cancels or cannot deliver

• If Building Institute NSW cancels a course before it starts and the student does not accept an alternative start date or course, the student receives a full refund of all fees paid, except the application fee where application services have already been provided. This does not limit any greater refund or remedy required by ACL
• If Building Institute NSW stops delivering a course after it has started, the student may choose either a refund of fees paid for services not provided, or a place in an equivalent course at no extra cost. A Statement of Attainment is issued for any units completed.
• If Building Institute NSW moves a course start date by more than 30 days and the student cannot attend the new date, the student may withdraw with a full refund of tuition fees paid.
• If Building Institute NSW has otherwise failed to meet a consumer guarantee, the student is entitled to a remedy under the ACL, as described in section 5.

9.2 Student withdrawal: Train and Assess

Example. A course has 10 units, each priced at $500 ($350 for tuition services and $150 for assessment services). The student has paid $2,000. They have completed units 1 and 2 ($1,000), have been given the learning materials but not the assessment tasks for unit 3 ($350), and have not started units 4 to 10. Services provided total $1,350, so the refund is $2,000 less $1,350, which is $650.

9.3 Student withdrawal: RPL

9.4 Special circumstances and hardship

A student who withdraws or cannot continue because of serious illness or injury, bereavement, redundancy, family or domestic violence, natural disaster or similar hardship may apply for:

• a pro-rata refund, even if they would not otherwise be eligible
• a deferral of up to 3 months at no charge, with their fees held as a credit
• a change to their payment plan or training timeline.

Supporting evidence may be required, such as a medical certificate or a letter from an employer. Building Institute NSW will accept other reasonable evidence where formal documents are not available, and will treat all information sensitively and confidentially. Detailed evidence of family or domestic violence is not required.

9.5 Non-refundable fees

The following are non-refundable once the service has been provided or the item issued:

• the application fee
• resource and material fees, PPE and consumables that have been issued to the student
• additional fees for services already provided and a cost has been incurred by Building Institute NSW for this service.

Non-refundable fees are refunded where a refund is required because Building Institute NSW failed to meet a consumer guarantee.

9.7 Overpayments and transfers

• Any amount paid in error or above the amount owing is refunded in full within 7 business days of Building Institute NSW becoming aware of it.
• A student who transfers to another Building Institute NSW course has fees paid for services not provided credited to the new course, less any transfer fee.
• A student who transfers to another RTO is treated as withdrawing, and Building Institute NSW provides a Statement of Attainment and records to support credit transfer.

Refund Process

1. The student, or the person who paid, applies in writing using the Refund Request Form, by email or in person. Staff will help anyone who needs assistance to apply.
2. Applications should be made within 14 calendar days of withdrawal, or within 30 calendar days of a hardship event. Late applications are considered where there is a reasonable explanation, and ACL rights are not subject to these timeframes.
3. The Student Enrolment Officer acknowledges the application within 2 business days and records it.
4. The CEO calculates and approves any eligible refunds. A refund request that falls outside this policy can only be approved by the Director.
5. The applicant receives a written decision within 14 business days of the application. The decision shows the calculation used, the reasons for any amount withheld, and how to appeal.
6. Approved refunds are paid within 7 business days of the decision.
7. Refunds are paid to the original payer using the original payment method, unless the law requires otherwise or the payer agrees in writing to a different method.

Unpaid Fees

If a payment is overdue, Building Institute NSW will contact the student (and the payer, if different) to discuss the reason and agree a way forward, which may include a revised payment plan. Building Institute NSW follows the ACCC and ASIC Debt Collection Guideline. It will not harass or pressure students, will contact them only at reasonable times, and will give accurate information about the amount owing.

If fees remain overdue after reasonable attempts to resolve the matter, and the student has received services that have not been paid for, the following steps may be taken in order, with written notice before each step:

1. A written reminder is sent, and a late payment fee applies if the account is more than 14 days overdue.
2. Access to further training and assessment is suspended until the account is brought up to date or a new payment plan is agreed.
3. If all the training-product requirements have been met, the issue of AQF certification documentation is held until all agreed fees are paid, as permitted by section 9 of the Compliance Standards.
4. As a last resort, the debt is referred for recovery.

Students can appeal any of these decisions under the Appeals Policy, and no further recovery action is taken while an appeal is being considered.

Appeals

A student or payer who disagrees with a fee or refund decision may appeal under the Appeals Policy. Appeals should be lodged within 10 business days of being told about the decision. Lodging an appeal is free.

Schedule of Additional Fees

The first three assessment attempts for each unit are included in the tuition fee. Additional fees are charged only for services the student asks for or receives, reflect Building Institute NSW’s reasonable costs, and are reviewed each year and published before they take effect.

Roles and Responsibilities

Legislative and Regulatory Framework

• Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cth), Schedule 2: Australian Consumer Law (consumer guarantees, unfair contract terms, unsolicited consumer agreements and price representations)
• Outcome Standards for NVR Registered Training Organisations 2025, Standard 2.1
• Compliance Standards for NVR Registered Training Organisations and Fit and Proper Person Requirements 2025, sections 9 and 18
• National Vocational Education and Training Regulator Act 2011 (Cth)
• ACCC and ASIC Debt Collection Guideline
• A New Tax System (Goods and Services Tax) Act 1999 (Cth)

Monitoring and Review

The CEO monitors compliance with this policy through reviews of refund decisions, hardship applications, prepaid fee balances and fee-related complaints in line with the governance review cycle, to check that this policy is applied consistently and fairly and reports to the Director and Advisory Committee through quarterly reports and summaries

This policy is reviewed at least once a year, and sooner if there is a change to the Standards for RTOs, the ACL, funding requirements or Building Institute NSW’s fee structure.

Related Documents

• Confirmation of Enrolment
• Refund Request Form
• Consumer Protection Policy
• Complaints Policy
• Appeals Policy
• Access and Equity Policy
• Governance and Management of RTO Policy
• Financial Management Policy
• Records Management Policy