Refunds and remissions

If you have paid more than you needed to, or if you have formally withdrawn from a subject or your course, or have applied for a leave of absence before the Census Date, you may be eligible for a refund of any tuition fees already paid for that session.

Refunds are usually paid via an electronic funds transfer (EFT).

In order to receive a refund you need to:

• Enter your bank account details under the Personal tab within My Student Admin
• Submit an online enquiry to request your refund via Ask UTS.  Please ensure you log in via My Student Portal and select the Fee/Scholarships category.

 If you are no longer enrolled in a course at UTS and do not have access to My Student Portal you can request a refund in the following way:

• Visit Ask UTS under General Public to submit a refund request. Please include your full name, date of birth, Student ID number, the course you were enrolled in, and your address while studying at UTS for identity verification. 

Please allow up to 2-3 weeks for your refund to be processed, once your request is received

To be eligible:

1. Your subject(s) must have a ‘Fail’ or ‘Withdrawn/Fail’ or ‘Withdrawn’ grade result recorded against your academic record; and
2. Your application must have supporting documentation that demonstrates that you were impacted by special circumstances.
3. If you are applying for the removal of a financial penalty, your application must be submitted within the time limit.

Your application must be submitted either within 12 months of the date you withdrew from the subject(s), or within 12 months from the end of the teaching session in which you were enrolled in the subject(s):

• For all Autumn and Spring sessions, this is the last day of the final assessment period;  
• For all other sessions, this is the day when the formal classes end.

Please check the academic year dates for the relevant session dates. If you were enrolled in the subject(s) for a previous year, you can select the relevant academic year through the UTS Handbook Archives to find the relevant academic year.

This time limit applies to all teaching periods, as defined by the Higher Education Support Act 2003. 

An application will only be considered outside of these time frames if independent supporting documents provided demonstrate why the application could not be made within the above time limits. This is at the University's discretion, and subject to approval. 

Special circumstances are those that are generally considered to be unusual or uncommon, and were not able to be foreseen prior to the census date.

You must be able to demonstrate, with independent supporting documentation, that the special circumstances that apply were:

1. Beyond your control

i.e. a situation occurred that a reasonable person would consider is not due to your action or inaction and for which you are not responsible. This situation must be unusual, uncommon or abnormal. 
  
Please note:  lack of knowledge or understanding of the HELP scheme and relevant deadlines are not considered to be beyond your control. 
 

2. Did not occur or make their full impact on you until on or after the census date

i.e. your circumstances occurred:

• before the census date, but worsened after that day; or
• before the census date, but the full effect or magnitude did not become apparent until on or after that day; or
• after the census date. 
   

3. Made it impracticable for you to successfully complete the requirements for the subject(s)

i.e. you couldn’t undertake the necessary study required, attend sufficient lectures or tutorials, or meet other compulsory attendance requirements in order to meet course requirements.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Documentation from a doctor, counsellor, employer, active service or faculty must clearly indicate:

• the details of the circumstances
• the date your circumstances first began
• whether your circumstances changed after census date, and if so, the date/date range they changed and to what extent
• how your circumstances impacted your ability to study
• the date it became apparent that you could not continue your studies.
• the documentation must be on official letter
• the documentation must be signed and have date of issue
• medical documents must have both the AHPRA Practitioner Registration Number AND the Medicare Provider Number 
• file format must be PDF and file size must not exceed 10MB.
• multiple files can be uploaded.

General:

• A personal statement or statutory declaration alone, outlining your circumstances is not sufficient evidence to have your application approved.
• Do not submit any graphic images as your supporting documentation.
• If registered with UTS Student Services Unit (SSU), please request and collect all of your supporting documentation and submit it with your application.
• UTS will not obtain documents on your behalf from third parties (e.g. medical centres).  However, we may verify the documentation provided with your application with the issuing authority. Disciplinary action may be taken if false or misleading documentation is submitted

Steps to take:

1. Log into the UTS Student Portal and select Ask UTS to create an enquiry.
2. Select the ‘Submit a Remissions/Refund due to Special Circumstances Form’.
3. Read the instructions and fill in all required fields (course, subjects and supporting statement), and upload supporting documentation.
4. Click Submit.
5. You will be notified of the outcome of your application via an email to your UTS webmail account. 

Please combine multiple subjects for the same session in one application, but submit only one application per session.

Steps to take:

1. If you’re no longer a UTS student, and are withdrawn from your course, you need to register.
2. Log into the UTS Student Portal and select Ask UTS to create an enquiry.
3. Select the ‘Submit a Remissions/Refund due to Special Circumstances Form’.
4. Read the instructions and fill in all required fields (course, subjects and supporting statement), and upload supporting documentation.
5. Click Submit.
6. You will be notified of the outcome of your application via an email to your registered email account. 

Please combine multiple subjects of the same session in one application, but submit one application per session. 

Steps to take:

1. If the census date has passed, you must first apply to withdraw from the subject(s). If you’re still enrolled in the subject(s), your application will not be assessed. Your subject(s) must have a ‘Fail’ or ‘Withdrawn Fail’ or ‘Withdrawn’ grade.
2. Log into the UTS Student Portal and select Ask UTS to create an enquiry.
3. Select the ‘Submit a Remissions/Refund due to Special Circumstances Form’.
4. Read the instructions and fill in all required fields (course, subjects and supporting statement), and upload supporting documentation.
5. Click Submit.
6. You will be notified of the outcome of your application via an email to your UTS webmail account. 

Please combine multiple subjects of the same session in one application, but submit one application per session.

If special circumstances do not apply to you, but you still believe you have a genuine case where your ability to continue studying was affected by circumstances beyond your control, you may apply for withdrawal without academic penalty only.

Remission/refund outcomes

Please note: The Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF) is non-refundable for students who withdraw after the census date, and any SA-HELP debt incurred will not be remitted, regardless of circumstances.

Academic outcomes

If you disagree with the decision, you have the right to apply for a review (in writing) within 28 days from the date you first received notice of the decision. Your request must include:

• a completed appeal form (PDF 179kB, 2 pages) which includes the date of the decision and the reasons you are requesting a review of the decision, and
• any additional evidence that you think is relevant and will assist your case in meeting the special circumstances criteria.

The form and supporting documentation is to be submitted via the UTS Student Portal using the category "Application for remissions/refund/no academic penalty Appeal".

UTS will acknowledge receipt of your appeal application on submission. An independent Review Officer (the Pro Vice-Chancellor (Students) or delegate) will be allocated to assess your application. A review consists of:

• a review of the original decision;
• assessment of any new evidence you provide;
• a written notice of the review decision.

Please note: If the Review Officer does not advise a decision within 45 days of receiving the application for review, the review outcome is taken to have confirmed the original decision. 

Review by the Complaints team (for Fee-paying students and academic component)

The University of Technology Sydney has a formal grievance resolution procedure through which students may lodge complaints about academic, administrative and other non-academic matters. 

The university is not empowered to use this procedure to reconsider or change decisions made by the Delegate or Review Officer.

However, students may access the complaints and grievances process if they think there has been maladministration in relation to their application.

Review by Administrative Reviews Tribunal (ART) (for HECS-HELP and FEE-HELP students)  

If your appeal is unsuccessful and you still disagree with the review decision, you have the right to appeal to the Administrative Reviews Tribunal (ART) within 28 days of receiving the 'notice of review decision'.  

The university will forward all documents relating to your case and if you have any additional documentation you should include this in your appeal to ART.

You will be provided with further information about this process at the time you are notified of the review decision.

For further information, visit the Administrative Review Tribunal website.