• Section 1 - Key Information
• Section 2 - Purpose
• Section 3 - Scope
• Section 4 - Key Decisions
• Section 5 - Policy Statement
• Section 6 - Procedures
• Section 7 - Definitions
• Section 8 - Authority and Associated Information

Section 1 - Key Information

Section 2 - Purpose

(1) This Policy sets out the principles for the setting of student fees and charges, the collection of fees and charges payments, and the management of refunds, including the remission of debt and fee liability, in accordance with Commonwealth legislation, including the Higher Education Support Act 2003, the Education Services for Overseas Students Act 2000 and the National Code 2018.

Section 3 - Scope

(2) This Policy and associated Procedures apply to:

1. all University award courses, including subjects from award courses studied as Single, Study Abroad or cross-institutional subjects;
2. enabling courses and microcredentials;
3. tuition fees, sundry service charges and Student Services and Amenities Fees (SSAF);
4. all current, former and prospective students including those enrolled in La Trobe award courses through a third party provider, unless specifically exempted (see below).

(3) This Policy and associated procedures do not apply to:

1. short courses that are not microcredentials (see Short Courses Policy);
2. students enrolled in subjects or courses delivered in partnership with other education providers where fees are collected by the partner. The fee policies of the partner institution apply to that enrolment.
3. the setting and administration of Children’s Centre, Library and student residence fees.

Section 4 - Key Decisions

Section 5 - Policy Statement

(4) All fees and charges levied by the University for all student cohorts are managed in compliance with the requirements of relevant Government and University Legislation.

(5) Tuition fees must not include fees for facilities, goods or services of a non-academic nature.

(6) The University conducts an annual review of fees and charges, including tuition fees and SSAF, and the application of special circumstances, taking account of any grandparenting arrangements or change in government legislation. Any fee increases will take effect from 1 January in the following calendar year.

(7) When determining the indexation of fees and charges, the University considers the impact of any increase on continuing students and sets fees relative to the cost and delivery of services.

(8) The University ensures information regarding student fees (both prospective and current) is accurate and published in a timely manner on the relevant University course pages, that all students are advised of potential for changes in fees and charges during their studies, and that administration processes are consistent with published information. No tuition fees are to be published unless they have been approved by the University Council.

(9) The University will not market the availability of or misrepresent the conditions by which government fee assistance is applied.

(10) The University reserves the right to refuse a full or partial refund of tuition fees, unless students clearly meet eligibility requirements as outlined in this Policy and related procedures.

(11) The University acknowledges that, subject to relevant legislation and provisions in this Policy and its associated procedures, all students are entitled to apply for:

1. a remission of debt where demonstrable and verifiable special circumstances prevent the completion of a subject or course;
2. a review of a decision not to grant a remission of debt or refund of fees.

Section 6 - Procedures

(12) The following procedures form part of this Policy suite:

1. Student Fees Procedure - Fees Payable
2. Student Fees Procedure - Refunds
3. Student Fees Procedure - Remission of Debt or Fee Liability

Section 7 - Definitions

(13) For the purpose of this Policy:

1. charge: all fees for facilities, goods or services, excluding tuition fees and SSAF;
2. continuing student: a student currently undertaking a course of study at La Trobe University who has completed at least one teaching period of study and who is eligible to continue into a subsequent teaching period;
3. course: a program of study leading to the award of a degree, diploma, or other award;
4. enrolment: the process by which a person becomes a student of a subject from or subjects within a course at La Trobe University;
5. grandparenting: the legal mechanism used by the Commonwealth Government to ensure that the funding and fee charging conditions that students had at the commencement of their program are maintained during the period of their enrolment;
6. international student: a student who is not a domestic student at the time of the relevant study, and who holds a visa with rights to study in Australia;
7. partial refund: the balance of fees payable to a student where, dependent on the refund circumstances, the University retains a percentage of ‘fees payable’;
8. remission of fee liability: cancellation of a student’s liability, incurred at the Census Date, to pay tuition fees upfront to the University, or in the case of Commonwealth-Supported Places (CSP), the Student Contribution Amount;
9. Student Contribution Amount: based on the band of units a student is enrolled in, the remaining cost of a course after the government subsidy for Commonwealth supported places (CSPs) is applied;
10. Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF): a mandatory contribution fee payable by students to a higher education provider for the establishment and provision of amenities, facilities, and support services of a non-academic and non-political nature;
11. Study Abroad: a program in which students (incoming or outgoing) enrol in one or more subjects with a higher education institution or third party provider overseas, normally for one semester and for credit towards their course at their home institution. Tuition fees are payable at the host institution, unless the enrolment occurs under an exchange agreement in which case students are only liable for fees payable at their home institution.
12. subject: a unit of study involving students in a series of learning activities, the outcomes of which are assessed;
13. third party provider: an external educational institution that teaches La Trobe subjects or courses under a formal agreement with the University. Students under these agreements are enrolled as La Trobe students.
14. tuition fees: course or subject fees payable by students who are not enrolled in a Commonwealth-Supported Place, including for Single Subjects.

Section 8 - Authority and Associated Information

(14) This Policy is made under the La Trobe University Act 2009.

(15) Associated information includes:

1. the Fees Statute 2009;
2. Higher Education Support Act 2003 (Cth);
3. Education Services for Overseas Students Act 2000 (Cth);
4. Higher Education Legislation Amendment (Student Services and Amenities) Act 2011 (Cth).