Remission of fees, and what this means as a student

Remission of Fees is the official term for refunding your fees.

What is it?

So you’ve been studying, everything is going well, then something big happens… Maybe you ended up in the hospital or had a family emergency. It’s now impossible to study, but it’s also way past Census Date (the date University finalises your enrolment. Usually if you withdraw after census date, you will have to pay a fee OR if you have a HECS-HELP fee you will incur a debt), maybe even past the last day to withdraw without failure.

That’s where Remission of Fees comes in! If your application is approved your fees will be refunded. You’ll also receive a withdrawal grade, instead of a fail grade, on your transcript.

How to apply

You have 12 months from the date you withdrew, or the end of  Trimester to apply for Remission of Fees. 

There are two parts to a Remission of Fees application;

• a personal statement
• and documentation.

Personal statement

Your personal statement should explain your special circumstances. There are three requirements that your circumstances must meet. It is important to provide a detailed statement addressing each of the criteria. The criteria are:

Circumstances beyond your control

• Your circumstances must be:
  – beyond your control,
  – not due to your action or inaction (either direct or indirect), and
  – circumstances that you are not responsible for
• The situation must be unusual, uncommon or abnormal
• Examples include medical conditions, death within your family and natural disasters

Impact on or after the Census Date

• Your circumstances must have occurred:
  – Before the census date, but worsened on or after that date; OR
  – Before the census date, but the full effect did not become apparent until on or after that date;
  – OR On or after the census date

Completion of unit requirements

• Your circumstances must result in you being unable to:
  – Undertake the necessary study required
  – Attend enough lectures or tutorials, or meet other compulsory attendance requirements
  – Complete required assessable work
  – Sit the required examination
  – Complete the compulsory course or unit requirements

Documentation

Your Remission of Fees application requires documentation. The documentation should directly relate to your personal statement. The documentation needed will depend on your individual circumstances. Independent documentation, like a doctor’s certificate, is preferred and helps verify your circumstances. However, if you are unable to provide any independent documentation you can supply a statutory declaration.

Once you have done everything, you can apply for your Remission of Fees through the form. The link for the form is under the heading ‘After the Census Date’ here.

Other important things to know

• Submitting your application does not guarantee that you‘ll be successful.
• If your application is rejected, you can appeal. You will have 28 calendar days. Advocacy and Welfare can help you with your appeal as well!
• It’s really important to attach as much relevant supporting documentation as possible
• Head here for more information on special circumstances.
• If you are feeling stressed, use your support networks. Friends and family are great to lean on. UNE also has free counselling or our website has links to many online mental health services.

How Advocacy & Welfare can help

Our team is here to help with a range of applications for UNE students if you need to talk about your Remission of Fees or any other process that you do not understand please reach out. We are here to support and give guidance!

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