Fees and refunds procedure

Effective 1 January 2026

1. Purpose

1.1. The purpose of this document is to outline Unitec’s Fees and Refunds Procedures to ensure students are treated fairly and consistently in regards to all Fees matters.

1.2. The Fees and Refunds Procedure is consistent with relevant New Zealand legislation. In the event of any inconsistency between these procedures and New Zealand legislation, the relevant legislative provisions will prevail.

2. Scope

The Fees and Refunds Procedures are relevant to all:

2.1. Students and staff of Unitec; and
2.2. Programmes, Courses and qualifications; and
2.3. Fees matters.

3. Procedures

When payment is due – Domestic students

3.1. For Domestic Students:
a) Fees must be paid in full at least seven days prior to the Programme start date (due date of payment); or
b) On or before the due date of payment, Students must provide evidence to Unitec that a student loan application is in progress; or
c) On or before the due date of payment, Students must provide Unitec a signed approval document from an employer or other approved Third Party confirming that Students Fees are to be paid for by the employer or Third Party, under the terms of a contract between Unitec and the relevant employer or Third Party.

3.2. Where a Student has not confirmed Enrolment in the manner set out in paragraph 3.1 above by the due date of payment, the Head of School may, at their discretion, cancel the Student’s Enrolment in order to make places available to other Students waiting to take up places.

When payment is due – International students

3.3. For International Students, Fees must be paid in full before the start date stated on the Student’s offer of place.

4. Liability for unpaid fees

4.1 Students who do not pay their Fees on time are liable for:
a) All unpaid Fees; and
b) Any external costs of collection incurred by Unitec from appointed agencies.

4.2 A person will not be considered to have completed the enrolment requirements for a Course, Class or Programme until payment of all approved Fees has been made and receipted.

4.3 Companies, or any other third parties, who have undertaken to pay an Student’s Fees are liable for any outstanding Fees, including where the Students withdraws or transfers their enrolment. The obligation for the company or third party to pay survives even if the Student no longer works for that Company. It is a matter of contract between the third party and the Student as to how the third party recovers the cost of the relevant Fees.

4.4 Students who withdraw from a Course or Programme, or who cease attending a Course before their Fees are paid, will remain liable for the payment of all outstanding Fees.

5. Consequences of unpaid fees

5.1. Subject to paragraph 3.2, failure to meet the applicable deadlines in paragraph 3 will result in the student being denied access to all Unitec services.

5.2. Where access has been cancelled under paragraph 5.1, Students must apply for reinstatement of the services by contacting Student Central. Any application for reinstatement must be accompanied by evidence which satisfies one of the requirements set out in paragraph 3 above.

5.3. In certain cases, Students may be given access to Unitec services and facilities at the Class Start Date notwithstanding that Fees remain unpaid. This is where the issue of Fees is subject to finalisation. Access to Unitec services and facilities in such circumstances is at the discretion of Unitec. Notwithstanding this, any access to Unitec services and facilities under this provision will be withdrawn if any or all of the Fees remain unpaid 14 days after the Class Start Date.

5.4. The General Manager, Academic Services (or such other person with delegated authority) may approve a written application from a Student for further time to pay on compassionate grounds and for access to Unitec services and facilities during the approved defined extended time. This authority will be recorded in a confidential manner on an appropriate system.

5.5. No student shall;
a) Obtain any assessment results; or
b) Be permitted to graduate; or
c) Receive a qualification or an attendance certificate; or
d) Be enrolled in any further Courses, 
until all outstanding debts to Unitec are paid.

Note: The General Manager Academic Services (Academic Registry, Graduation and Student Finance) may authorise students to graduate where they have outstanding debt owing to Unitec that is not associated with the Course and/or Programme in which they are graduating from.

5.6. Notwithstanding 5.5 Unitec will report assessment results to relevant agencies.

5.7. Unitec will enforce its right to recover unpaid Fees (e.g. via a debt collection agency).

6. Refunds – General Provisions

6.1. There is no automatic right to a refund of Fees if a Student changes their mind about studying at Unitec and the Student wishes to terminate the contract of enrolment.

6.2. The process for determining a Domestic Student’s entitlement to a refund (if any) is set out below in the Summary Table of Domestic Learner Refunds. The process for determining an International learner’s entitlement to a refund (if any) is set out in Paragraph 7 below.

6.3. Students may change from one Course to another Course within the same semester. A direct transfer of Fees will take place if the Student applies to transfer prior to The 10% Date for the original Course. Where the change is to a Course with a higher fee, the Student is liable for the difference. If the change is to a Course of a lower Fee, then the difference will be refunded.

6.4. All students with credit balances on their account will be reviewed on a six-monthly basis and monies will be refunded appropriately.

6.5. Where Unitec is unable to proceed with a Programme or Course that a student is enrolled in, a 100% refund will be initiated by Unitec.

6.6. Where students owe other fees to Unitec, those fees will be deducted from any refund of tuition fees.

6.7. The fee payable by an applicant for credit recognition/Cross credits or Assessment of Prior Learning is not refundable in any circumstances.

6.8. Where a Student’s Application for Assessment of Prior learning or Cross Credit/Credit Recognition in respect of a Course has been accepted after the Class Start Date for that Course in which the Student has attended, Unitec will withdraw the Student from that Course and refund the tuition fees for that Course in full (Unitec reserves the right to off-set any amount owing by the student in relation to the Assessment of Prior Learning or Cross Credit/Credit Recognition against any amount owing by Unitec to the Students). The relevant grade (Assessment of Prior learning or Cross Credit/Credit Recognition) will be recorded on the Student’s Academic Record for that Course.

6.9. If a Student’s contract of enrolment is suspended or terminated due to the Student acting contrary to the Student Disciplinary Statute, they will not be entitled to a refund.

6.10. The date on which any request for a refund will be processed is the date the Change Enrolment Request Form is submitted, or Advice in Writing is received by Student Central (Domestic Students) or International Student Support Services (International Students). Please refer to the definition of Advice in Writing which sets out when communications are deemed to have been received by Student Central.

Summary Table of  Domestic Student Refunds

Note: all references to The 10% Date needs to be read in conjunction with the Definitions in this procedure.

7. Refunds for International Students

7.1   Defer enrolment to the next available semester:
a) Defer enrolment to the next semester. Where the Student defers, the tuition fees paid will be applied against the Fees payable for the next semester.

7.2. Where International Students wish to transfer to another institution, they must have Immigration New Zealand (INZ) approval to do so.
a) In all instances, Immigration New Zealand (INZ) will be notified.

7.3. If Unitec is no longer entitled to enrol International Students, then the Student is entitled to either:
a) A refund of the fees paid for services that have yet to be delivered (as determined in accordance with clause 30(3)(a) of the Code of Practice); or
b) Have the amount transferred to another education provider in accordance with clause 30(3)(b) of the Code of Practice.

7.4. Refunds will only be held in credit for the calendar year in which the refund has been processed unless otherwise agreed in writing by the Director Enrolment and Academic Operations.

7.5. Overpayments will be refunded into the same account from which the funds originated.  No exceptions will be granted. Where the originating bank account has been closed, the overpayment will be refunded into the student’s nominated bank account in the same jurisdiction as the originating bank account.

Summary Table of International Student Refunds

8. Refunds for compassionate or exceptional circumstances

8.1. No refunds will be made after the refund periods stated in these procedures except at the discretion of the Director, Enrolment and Academic Operations. This discretion can be exercised in compassionate circumstances, where the Student’s ability to study has been significantly affected by events beyond their control, including but not limited to:
a) Illness;
b) Injury; or
c) Exceptional circumstances.

8.2. Exceptional/Compassionate circumstances refunds require submission of the Application for Exceptional Refund of Fees Form to be lodged with Student Central/International Student Support Services within the academic year in which they are enrolled.

9. Roles and responsibilities

Head of School

• Approve cancellation of the Student’s enrolment as per Paragraph 3.2.

General Manager, Academic Services

• Approve Student’s access to Unitec systems where fees haven’t been paid in exceptional circumstances as per Paragraph 5.4.
• Approve Refunds for compassionate or exceptional circumstances as per Paragraph 8.

The General Manager Academic Services (Academic Registry, Graduation and Student Finance)

• Authorise studnet to Graduate where their debt is not related to what the student is graduating from as per Paragraph 5.5.

10. Definitions

Class Start Date
The date on which a given Class in a Course is to be delivered, as recorded in the Student Management System. This date is relevant for StudyLink purposes and for the purpose of calculating The 10% Date.

Class End Date
The official date recorded in the Student Management System that a given Class ends for the course duration. For the purpose of calculating The 10% Date, the Class End Date will be deemed the Sunday after the last Class for the Course.

The 10% Date
The date which is 10% of the way through a Course as calculated by reference to the number of days from the Class Start Date to the Class End Date.

For double semester courses where the course consists of two components – Semester A and Semester B, the 10% date is defined as 10% of the duration of Semester A + 10% of the duration of Semester B.

Extended Start Date (applicable to International Students only)
The Extended start date that is expressly approved by Unitec and communicated to the International Students as the Extended date on which they can commence their studies at Unitec.

Semester Start Date
(International Students please note that this is the relevant date for the purposes of Unitec’s refund policy)
The Start Date of the Semester for those Classes which are taught as part of Semester One or Semester Two in any academic year, as set out in the Unitec academic calendar.

Advice in Writing
The following methods of communication sent by a Student will be considered by Unitec to be Advice in Writing for the purposes of this Policy provided that the Student’s full name and Unitec Student ID Number is specified in the communication:
a) A signed and dated communication on paper;
b) An email from the student’s email address recorded in the Student Management System; or;
c) Entering a self-service information change or request via the Unitec Web self- service system.
d) A text message from a mobile phone number recorded in the Student Management system.

The following methods of communication from a Unitec staff to a Student will be considered to be Advice in Writing for the purposes of this Policy:
a) An email to the student’s email address recorded in the Student Management System;
b) Correspondence posted to the Student’s mailing address recorded in the Student Management system; or
c) A text message to a mobile phone number recorded in the Student Management system.

Any communication under this Policy will be deemed to have been received:
a) 3 Working Days after the date of mailing if sent by ordinary post within New Zealand or 10 Working Days if sent from overseas;
b) If sent by email, on the date it enters the recipient’s mailing system;
c) If sent by text, when noted as successfully sent on the sender’s phone; d) At the time of delivery if delivered by hand.

Students
A (current, past, and future) domestic tertiary learner, international tertiary learner, or industry trainee or apprentice.

A person who is involved in learning and/or assessment (at an education and training provider or in the workplace, etc.).

Alternatives:

• Students Māori | Māori learner.
• Students nō Aotearoa | Domestic learner
• Students nō tāwāhi | International learner.
• Students nō Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa | Pacific learner.
• Students Whai Kaha | Disabled learner.

Attendance
The physical attendance at a defined Class or virtual online attendance through engagement with online Class and content.

Class
A component of a course e.g. a lecture stream.

Course
A self-contained block of study made up of Classes in specific disciplines. A specified course or collection of courses forms a programme or training scheme. A course may also be referred to as a paper, module or unit of study.

Enrolment
The process of allocating a place in a Programme/Course to an eligible student.

Fees
Fees charged by Unitec, including but not limited to tuition fees, resource fees, students services fees, course compulsory costs and administration fees but excludes any non-refundable enrolment fee.

International Students Support Services
Unitec’s dedicated team in supporting our International Students. The team can be reached here. Alternatively, an appointment can be made to speak with them at Unitec’s Mt. Albert Campus.

Programme
A programme of study or training leading to a qualification listed on the New Zealand Qualifications and Credentials Framework. A programme is made up of one or more Courses.

Section 61
Any visa application received by Immigration New Zealand after an International Student’s visa has expired. Such an application is treated and considered as a request under Section 61 of the New Zealand Immigration Act 2009.

Semesterised
Programmes for which the Courses conform to the Unitec academic calendar and the Course length is one semester.

Short Courses
Study or training that is neither a Programme nor a Training Scheme. Short courses are typically not TEC funded.

Third Party
Any person or organisation (other than the student themselves or StudyLink) that will be paying for a student’s Fees.

Students (student) Central
One of Unitec’s frontline centres where students can seek advice on Programmes and Courses and make payments to the cashier. There is a frontline centre located at Unitec’s Mt Albert and Waitakere Campuses.

Unitec Services
The services and facilities available to Students include, but are not limited to:
a) Access to academic services such as attendance at Classes, academic advice, return of marks and comments for assessments, certificates of achievement;
b) Access to administrative services including Enrolment in further Courses;
c) Access to a Student ID Card (except for Students enrolled in Courses less than 3 weeks in duration and those enrolled in IELTS Preparation Course);
d) Access to library facilities (except for Students enrolled in Courses less than 3 weeks in duration and those enrolled in IELTS Preparation Course). For Short Courses of less than 3 weeks’ duration access to library material may be possible only if the lecturer arranges this directly with the library prior to the commencement of the Course;
e) Access to computer and reprographics facilities, where allocated to the programme(s) and Class(es) they are enrolled in, such as on-campus computers, Unitec network systems, Student mail, eLearning systems, the student self- service system, Unitec internet services, Unitec printing and photocopying services;
f) Access to other Students services such as counselling, health, careers and employment.

Reference Documents

• The Education (Pastoral Care of Tertiary and International Learners) Code of Practice 2021.
• Student Disciplinary Statue.
• Admission and Enrolment Procedures.
• New Zealand Immigration Act 2009.

Approval Details

Version number: 5

Issue Date: 1 January 2026

Version History: See below

Approval authority: Tāmaki Transition Group.

Date of Approval: 11 December 2025

Procedure Sponsor (Has authority to approve minor amendments): DCE Academic or Finance Director.

Owner: General Manager, Academic Services.

Contact Person: Divya Sharma.

Date of Next Review: August 2026.

Amendment History

Version: 5
Issue date: 1 January 2026.
Reason for revision: Transition to MIT&Unitec.
Approved by: Tāmaki Transition Group.

Version: 4
Issue date: 1 January 2023.
Reason for revision: New Procedure created after the formal periodic review of the Admission, Enrolment and Fees Policy. Minor amendments approved by Procedure Sponsor. Version 4 – amendments to align with Te Kawa Maiorooro v23/01.
Approved by: Academic Committee.