Fee refunds – International students 

• General Information
• Leaving the University
• Refunds for new students
• Refunds for existing students
• What are Special Circumstances?
• What supporting documents are required?
• Examples of special circumstances and appropriate documents
• What if I fail a subject?
• What if I do not attend any classes?
• I am not happy with the outcome of my refund application
• Contact Us

General Information 

Student fee refunds for International students are administered under the UOW Fees Policy and the legislative guidelines of The Education Services for Overseas Students (ESOS) Act 2000 and associated legislation. This is the legal framework governing the responsibility of education institutions for overseas students.
Once you have accepted an offer to UOW, your eligibility for a refund of fees paid to University of Wollongong is determined by whether you are a:

• New student unable to commence study, or
• Existing student who has completed at least 24 credit points of study, or
• A student who is unable to study due to special circumstances.

This information page is intended to be a guide only. Assessments for Fee Refunds are made in accordance with the UOW Fees Policy.

Leaving the University 

Where International students are leaving the University, they must also ensure they have followed the correct procedures to be released or withdraw from their course before a fees refund application can be considered. For information on how to be released from the University please visit the Leaving the University web page 

IMPORTANT: Students should still complete and return an Application for Refund of Fees – International form available from the Student Forms web page, even if their release from the University is still pending. The request will be held until the release is approved.

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Refunds for new students 

A new student is a person commencing study at the University of Wollongong under a new offer. This includes packaged offers of 2 or more consecutive offers made for study at University of Wollongong. A refund request in this case would refer to the first session of fees paid in advance for your UOW offer. As per the UOW Fees Policy, UOW will assess refund applications based on the valid course offer.

Note: One full session of study may be made up of multiple intakes which equal 24 credit points. Where multiple intakes fall within the first full session of study, applications are assessed based on the first commencement and census date.

Your eligibility for a refund of fees paid is determined based on the following criteria:

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Refunds for existing students 

An existing student is a person who has completed at least 1 full session of study (24 credit points) of the applicable offer at the University of Wollongong.

Note: One full session of study may be made up of multiple intakes which equal 24 credit points. Where multiple intakes fall within the first full session of study, applications are assessed based on the first commencement and census date.
 

Where students withdraw after census date and are able to demonstrate special circumstances in line with Section 7 of the UOW Fees Policy, they may be eligible for a refund of fees. To apply, students will need to submit an Application for Refund of Fees – International, available from the Student Forms page along with supporting documentation.
 

If approved, credit for these types of refunds will be credited to the student’s University account, and only be available for future study at the University.
 

See below for more information on What are Special Circumstances? and What supporting documents are required?

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What are Special Circumstances? 

Special circumstances are generally considered to be unusual, beyond the student’s control and were either not known before the commencement date for new students or census date for existing students, or significantly worsened after that date.
 

As per the UOW Fees Policy, you must be able to demonstrate with independent supporting documentation that your circumstances:
• Were beyond your control – A situation that a reasonable person would consider is not due to your action or inaction, or which you were not responsible for. Please note that a lack of understanding or knowledge of university fees or census date deadlines is not considered to be beyond your control, AND
• Did not occur, or their full impact was not known until after the commencement date for new students or census date for existing students  – the circumstances occur before the commencement or census date, but worsen after that day, or before the commencement or census date, but the full effect or magnitude does not become apparent until after that date, AND
• Because of the circumstances you were unable to complete your study requirements - You were unable to undertake the necessary private study required, attend sufficient lectures or tutorials, or meet other attendance requirements in order to meet your compulsory course requirements.
 

Special circumstances DO NOT include a lack of knowledge or understanding of census dates or the university’s enrolment and withdrawal processes. See the Examples of special circumstances and appropriate documents.

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What supporting documents are required? 

Each application is assessed primarily on the independent supporting documentation you provide to the university. Please note that a personal statement describing your special circumstances is not sufficient evidence to have your application approved. Personal statements of your special circumstances should be supported by documentation.

As per the UOW Fees Policy, supporting documentation needs to:

• Be on official letterhead (if appropriate), signed and dated
• Include medical provider number (if appropriate) and contact details of the person providing the document
• Include all relevant dates and indicate the severity of your circumstances
• Advise the date your circumstances first began
• State whether your circumstances changed after census date and if so, the date they changed and to what degree
• Comment on how your special circumstances affected your ability to meet study commitments
• Advise when it became apparent that you could not continue your study
   

Depending on your special circumstances it may be appropriate to seek documentation from:

• Your doctor
• The Department of Immigration
• Psychologist or counsellor
• An independent member of the community (such as a Justice of the Peace or Minister of Religion)
• Your Faculty

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Examples of special circumstances and appropriate documents 

Example 1 – MEDICAL

A medical condition became known after the commencement or census dates for study, OR a pre-existing medical condition deteriorated significantly after the commencement or census date and you were unable to continue your study.

Provide a letter from your doctor which states:

• The date the medical condition began or changed
• How the condition affected your ability to meet study requirements
• When it became apparent that you could not continue your studies.
   

Example 2 – FAMILY/PERSONAL

Due to unforeseen personal or family reasons which occurred or worsened after the commencement or census date, you are unable to continue study. There are a wide range of circumstances which fall into this category such as:
 

• A close family member has a serious illness after commencement or census date, and you are required to provide full-time care
• A family member or close friend dies and you are affected to such a degree that, after the commencement or census date you realise you cannot continue study.
   

Provide a certified copy of death certificate, death notice etc, or a letter from your family doctor, counsellor or independent member of the community (such as a Justice of the Peace or Minister of Religion) which states:
 

• The date your personal circumstances changed
• How your circumstances affected your ability to meet study requirements
• When it became apparent that you could not continue your studies.

Example 3 – COURSE RELATED REASONS

If your Faculty discontinues a subject after the commencement or census date and as a result you cannot complete the subject, or;
if you have failed to meet the University’s course progression rules and as a result are not permitted to re-enrol due to suspension and/or exclusion or;
you fail to meet the terms of your conditional offer letter.

• Provide a letter from your Faculty which gives details of the circumstances affecting you.
• Provide documentation to support your failure to meet course progression rules.
• Provide documentation to support your failure to meet the terms of your conditional offer letter.

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What if I fail a subject? 

If you fail a subject(s), you will still be charged for the affected subject(s).

If you failed because of special circumstances which occurred after census date and were beyond your control, you may submit  an Application for Refund of Fees – International available from the Student Forms page.

You will need to support your special circumstances with supporting documentation.

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What if I do not attend any classes? 

UOW encourages all students to manage their enrolments effectively online via the SOLS system. Therefore, regardless of whether you attend classes, if you do not ‘formally withdraw via SOLS’ before census date, you will still be charged for the enrolled subject(s).

In these instances, you should consider making an Application for Late Withdrawal Without Academic Penalty (available from the Student Forms page) if it is too late to withdraw yourself from your subjects online via SOLS.

Please be careful not to withdraw from subjects and affect your completion date which in turn, will affect your Confirmation of Enrolment at UOW (COE). More information about ‘Managing Your Course’ can be found on the International Students web page.

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I am not happy with the outcome of my refund application 

If the student believes that the University has not considered all of the relevant information or has not honoured the Fees Policy in making the decision, students can appeal in writing (email is not appropriate).

Address your written appeal to ‘Operations Manager -Client Service’ and submit it to Student Central at the University of Wollongong via post or in person.

An application for a review of that decision must be made within 20 working days of receiving the original decision.

Grounds for consideration of an appeal include:

• Lack of due process, or
• Relevant new or additional information being available which may alter the outcome of the original decision.

Students should ensure they have a sound understanding of the UOW Fees Policy before following the appeal process.

Contact Us 

For further assistance or information contact Student Central.

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